P&G parts ways with AudienceScience as it looks for more flexibility
In a sign that its earlier threat to clean up its third-party relationships was not an idle one, the world's highest-spending advertiser Procter & Gamble is ending its longtime relationship with AudienceScience as it looks to partner with different ad tech firms around the globe.
Ad Age reports that P&G’s contract with AudienceScience is set to expire on June 30. After that date, it is unclear whether or not AudienceScience will continue to work with P&G in some capacity.
Tressie Rose, a P&G spokeswoman, told the title that the move is a result of the consumer goods giant wanting to customize for regional needs.
"There's a lot going on in this space," she said. "We decided it was time to add what's needed for local and regional flexibility.”
Neustar is expected to serve as P&G’s data management platform while The Trade Desk will be one of a number of demand-side platform (DSP) partners for the company.
Ad Age said that the changes will not affect the relationships that P&G has with its existing agencies of record. P&G works with Omnicom’s Hearts & Science and Dentsu Aegis Network’s Carat in North America.
Marketers are using reviews and consultants to tackle what they see as a lazy, presumptive digital media supply chain, according to sources. Following his landmark IAB leadership summit address in January, P&G brand chief Marc Pritchard has spelt out that the CPG giant will only work with media owners who adhere to the MRC viewability standard, do not self-report and are TAG certified.
The move represents a further blow for adtech outfit AudienceScience which earlier this year confirmed that it is to cut a significant number from its head count, a common thread with many outfits over the past 12 months.