• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, July 29, 2016

The 4As has rejected the guidelines issued last week by the ANA and Ebiquity on how to proceed in business relationships with media agencies. Instead, the 4As is urging its members to rely on the guidelines it issued earlier this year, which the ANA has already rejected. 

4As President and CEO Nancy Hill issued the following statement Friday morning:

“Across the industry, there is agreement that trust is the bedrock of any partnership and transparency in business dealings, including media buying, is critical to fostering that trust. And, there’s a common belief that it’s in everyone’s best interests – agencies and clients alike – to engage in productive discussions that attempt to clarify a media landscape and process that has become increasingly complex. 

We have reviewed the recommendations in the Ebiquity Report issued last week and feel they are not all consistent with what many of our members have said their clients are asking for in their MSAs. As such, we continue to believe that contractual negotiations are best left between agencies and their clients. We urge transparency and recommend agencies use as guidance the 4A’s Transparency Guiding Principles of Conduct, which were designed to identify material media transparency questions and address them with constructive dialogue and pragmatic courses of action.”  

There was no immediate response from the ANA on Hill’s statement.