Diageo culls more publishers
Diageo continues to reduce the number of digital publishers it works with – but is spending more with those that meet tighter criteria on brand safety, viewability and transparency (Digiday).
Key info:
- Drinks firm spent $60m more in first half 2018 than prior year, taking budget from other marketing operations to reward approved publishers
- It is whitelisting publishers and creating approved marketplaces
- Viewability has improved; fraud "well below" industry benchmarks
- "Our commitment to publishers was that we would invest with the most effective and responsible partners and work continuously to be more effective and more responsible. We will pay the right price to achieve that outcome." – Diageo global media director Isabel Massey
Diageo is slashing its digital media supply chain and the cheap long tail in a bid for transparency and effectiveness and perhaps the biggest point of difference between other big brand owners doing likewise is that Diageo wants to co-own its "Trusted Marketplace" with its agencies.
No surprise thought that Diageo is hustling for greater ownership over data. Publishers that can meet more strident requirements should see more immediate returns from Diageo's AUD$3bn+ global marketing spend.
The drinks maker is one of several marketing behemoths moving to private marketplaces and smaller pools of digital media partners. Procter & Gamble, Nestlé, Unilever and Vodafone are taking similar steps away from the choppy waters of the web.
For Diageo, it seems to be working. Sales of some of its key brands are increasing, as is profit – at least globally. In Australia, however, 2018 sales were down.
