The Department of Justice has informed five ad holding companies that it is no longer investigating any of their subsidiaries as part of a probe into commercial production practices and possible bid-rigging that began in 2016. Interpublic Group, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, WPP and MDC Partners all confirmed the DOJ has notified them that the investigation has concluded with regard to any and all of their respective entities. No action has been taken against the firms or their employees.
All four of the major holding companies — WPP, Interpublic, Omnicom and Publicis Groupe — have now acknowledged that subsidiaries within their respective folds have been subpoenaed by the U.S. Department of Justice in connection with its ongoing inquiry into commercial production practices.
AT&T has selected Omnicom Group for ad and media duties on its massive $3 billion ad account, the companies confirmed Friday. In addition to creative and media, the scope of work includes digital, data and analytics.
With a data-driven marketing focus, the new shop has been named Hearts & Science, and it will be overseen by Scott Hagedorn, the former CEO of OMG media agency PHD and for the last five years the founder and CEO of Annalect, the group’s data and analytics platform.
Big Data agency Annalect, part of Omnicom Media Group has unveiled what it’s calling an advanced ad verification reporting system that will include viewability reporting. Viewability is an ongoing industry issue with numerous studies suggesting that 50% (or less) of online ads are actually viewable. The company believes that viewability verification would help its advertising clients improve planning and make better buying decisions and perhaps give it more leverage in negotiations with sellers.
Omnicom Media Group announced Tuesday a first-of-its-kind deal with Twitter that integrates the agency’s programmatic ad-buying unit Accuen with the social network’s mobile ad exchange MoPub, which reaches more than 1 billion devices a month. The two-year deal, worth $230 million, will strengthen the social site’s global position.
