GroupM Introduces New Protections Against Made For Advertising Domains

New partnership with Jounce Media unites advanced identification and domain tracking capabilities with GroupM’s industry-leading processes to further protect client campaigns

New York (August 21, 2023) — GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, today announced the introduction of new protections against Made For Advertising (MFA) websites and domains. The additional protections, which leverage advanced detection and domain tracking technologies, are made possible through a new partnership between GroupM and Jounce Media, an industry leader in programmatic supply chain management. The partnership will see GroupM integrate Jounce’s industry-leading technology in tracking MFA domains with GroupM’s leading campaign planning processes.

The partnership comes as new technologies increase the speed, scale, and sophistication with which MFA sites can be created and populated with content. The measures are designed to protect client campaigns against wasted media investment and advertising presence in low quality environments. In addition to protecting client brands and budgets, the partnership between GroupM and Jounce further enhances the sustainability of GroupM’s media supply chain by eliminating exposure to the significant carbon footprint associated with MFA websites, as reported in recent research conducted by Ebiquity and Scope3.

“We are continually working to protect our clients’ media investments,” said Rory Latham, GroupM’s Senior Director, Global Investment, Programmatic. “The challenges associated with MFA domains are likely to grow even more complex as the media ecosystem continues to evolve rapidly. Our partnership with Jounce reflects our continued commitment to deliver relevant ads that deliver meaningful value for our clients and their audiences. It not only strengthens our existing leading client campaign delivery processes we use to protect our clients’ budgets and reputations, but also ensures campaigns implemented by GroupM continue to maximize the value of every dollar for our clients in the most sustainable way possible.”

The recently released ANA Programmatic Media Supply Chain Transparency Study underscores the importance of the GroupM-Jounce partnership. It also amplifies the advantages of buying within the GroupM Premium Marketplace, where GroupM can ensure transparency and efficiency around the movement of dollars invested, allowing clients to maximize their budgets and achieve better business results.

“Made For Advertising publishers manufacture supply that is designed to exploit flawed media KPIs and siphon ad spend away from the most reputable publishers,” said Chris Kane, Founder of Jounce Media. “Partnering with GroupM was an obvious choice, as our supply chain classification system seamlessly integrates with the processes and tools in place via their Responsible Investment Framework. Together, we can ensure the advertising GroupM places reaches the audiences it was designed for and funds genuine publishers.”

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About GroupM

GroupM is WPP’s media investment group and the world’s leading media investment company with a mission to shape the next era of media where advertising works better for people. The company is responsible for more than $60 billion in annual media investment, as measured by the independent research bureau COMvergence. Through its global agencies Mindshare, Wavemaker, EssenceMediacom, and mSix&Partners, and cross-channel performance (GroupM Nexus), data (Choreograph), entertainment (GroupM Motion Entertainment) and investment solutions, GroupM leverages a unique combination of global scale, expertise, and innovation to generate sustained value for clients wherever they do business. Discover more at www.groupm.com.

About Jounce Media

Jounce Media is the industry leader in programmatic supply path optimization and is trusted by the world’s largest brands, agencies, media companies, and advertising technology platforms to enable high efficiency programmatic trades. Through industry-leading research and fully transparent supply chain data, Jounce arms buyers and sellers with an information advantage to identify and avoid value-extracting RTB auctions. Learn more at jouncemedia.com.