HispanicAd.com wrote an excellent overview of the Association of National Advertisers' Programmatic Media Supply Chain Transparency Study "First Look" released on June 19, 2023. It comes on the heels of previous studies and confirms earlier findings and then some, particularly with regard to data.

Admittedly, log files and the data that fills them can be overwhelming. Often only experts in data science know what to do with them. But no one denies that the value within those files can be a gold mine in the right hands. But most brands struggle to control it, accepting supply chain excuses on availability.

That problem can be solved, or at least substantially minimized, if brands have direct relationships with the supply chain players or insist their media buying agencies either have control of the data and their suppliers. It can be done. Many brands are satisfied with raw statistics on reach and frequency, measures that are often filled with bots and fraud. But they're numbers nonetheless that are used to justify spending.

The solution starts with a proper contract between an advertiser and its media buying agency.

One way to help is for brands to use the ANA's template for media buying agreements. It encourages a fulsome conversation of the myriad of issues in media buying. While brands may not get as high a level of transparency and data access as they may like, at least they do so with open eyes.