ISBA today announces the launch of its new guidance, Proprietary Media: Transparency, Governance and Effectiveness - designed to help advertisers confidently evaluate and manage proprietary media solutions in an increasingly complex marketplace.
Proprietary media itself is not new, but the way it is offered has evolved. Agency holding companies now sell it to advertisers via a wider range of media channels, often packaged together with tech and data as bundled solutions.
While these arrangements can offer benefits such as improved pricing, agility and access to exclusive inventory, they can also make it harder for advertisers to clearly understand what they are buying, how it is delivered and how value should be assessed.
ISBA members have called for greater clarity to help them understand how proprietary media works in practice and how it supports their business objectives. This provides additional guidance for those using ISBA’s Media Services Framework.
ISBA’s Media Leaders and Procurement Groups have been key contributors to this guidance, alongside input from industry consultancies.
The guidance sets out the key questions advertisers should consider whether and how to use proprietary media. It emphasises the importance of access to clear, granular data that distinguishes proprietary media from other forms of media buying. It also suggests contractual arrangements designed to improve oversight.
It also supports informed decision‑making by setting out:
- Strategic considerations
- Transparency required to validate value and effectiveness
- Contractual terms
- Internal governance structures that drive better outcomes
Nick Louisson, Director of Agency Services at ISBA, said:
“We’ve taken time to listen to a wide range of industry voices to understand how proprietary media is working in practice. This guidance builds on ISBA’s Media Services Framework and supports our key priority of ensuring greater transparency across the advertising ecosystem, giving advertisers the data necessary to make informed decisions.”
The full guidance is available here