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The rise of principal media - research spotlight
A new ANA study and recent guidance from ISBA on principal media highlight that the marketing industry is embracing new ways of buying media faster than it is putting guardrails in place.
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The ANA's (US) recent report, “The Continued Acceleration of Principal Media”, shows that principal media buying has moved firmly into the mainstream. More than half of client‑side marketers surveyed now use principal media, and a growing share expect to use it in the year ahead.
Yet internal controls are weakening, not strengthening. Only 57% of advertisers say they have company guidelines governing principal media, even as adoption rises. Nine in ten cite uncertainty over whether principal media is truly in their best interests as a top concern, and over one‑third say their agency contracts either do not address principal media or they are unsure whether they do.
ISBA’s (UK) guidance, “Proprietary Media: Transparency, Governance and Effectiveness”, responds directly to these concerns in the UK market. The report sets out ten practical steps advertisers can take to evaluate and manage principal media offers.
ISBA also encourages brands to consider caps on the proportion of spend running through proprietary models and to align marketing, procurement and finance around a shared approach.
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