Marketers Plan Study to Shine Light on the Murky Business of Automated Ad Buying - WSJ

Marketers Plan Study to Shine Light on the Murky Business of Automated Ad Buying - WSJ: The%20Association%20of%20National%20Advertisers%20is%20searching%20for%20consultants%20to%20help%20it%20better%20understand%20where%20marketers%u2019%20money%20winds%20up%20during%20the%20automated%20digital%20ad-buying%20process%2C%20revisiting%20an%20issue%20that%20has%20vexed%20the%20industry%20for%20the%20better%20part%20of%20a%20decade.%0A%0AA%20lack%20of%20transparency%20in%20automated%20digital%20ad%20buying%2C%20an%20increasingly%20complex%20process%20that%20requires%20participation%20from%20a%20number%20of%20ad%2C%20media%20and%20technology%20vendors%2C%20is%20costing%20advertisers%20billions%20of%20dollars%20in%20waste%20and%20making%20it%20difficult%20for%20them%20to%20plan%20their%20investments%2C%20said%20Bob%20Liodice%2C%20chief%20executive%20of%20the%20ANA.%0A%0AThe%20ANA%u2019s%20effort%20echoes%20a%20push%20it%20began%20more%20than%20five%20years%20ago%20over%20advertisers%u2019%20concerns%20as%20they%20began%20increasing%20their%20investments%20in%20data%20and%20technology%20to%20target%20digital%20ads%20to%20consumers.%20Fears%20of%20unethical%20business%20practices%20prompted%20an%20ANA%20investigation%20that%20ultimately%20found%20undisclosed%20rebates%20for%20agencies%20and%20other%20nontransparent%20practices%20were%20pervasive%20in%20the%20U.S.%0A%0AIn%202018%2C%20federal%20prosecutors%20began%20their%20own%20similar%20investigation.%20The%20Journal%20couldn%u2019t%20determine%20the%20status%20of%20that%20probe.%0A%0A