Uber Sues Fetch Over Mobile Ads; SSPs To Reveal When Auctions Are First-Price

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Go Fetch

Uber is suing Dentsu-owned mobile agency Fetch for breach of contract, fraud and negligence for misreporting its mobile ad campaigns, failing to prevent fraud and not returning rebates to the client. Ouch. According to The Wall Street Journal’s coverage of the suit, Fetch worked through a variety of ad networks to place app-install ads for Uber under a contract that stated Uber only had to pay for ads that led to installs. But Uber claims Fetch counted (and got paid for) fraudulent installs, and it wants at least $50 million to cover the damages. Fetch denied any wrongdoing and in a statement said Uber’s allegations are “purposefully inflammatory so as to draw attention away from Uber’s unprofessional behavior and failure to pay suppliers.” Uber has failed to pay Fetch $7 million “since learning of the extent of the fraud,” the company said in a complaint. Uber has been known to stop paying agencies and vendors in some cases; at least a dozen partners claim Uber still owes them money, WSJ reports. More.

Where Am I?

In 2017, ad buyers are sometimes unsure what type of auction they’re bidding in. Some vendors obscure auction dynamics by making first-price auctions look like second-price auctions to buyers. Such practices are not always shady, since first-price auctions make more sense in some situations (for instance, by ensuring the highest bidder wins). Regardless, it’s hard for a buyer to beware if they don’t have all the information. To that end, several SSPs, including OpenX, AppNexus and Rubicon, independently have said over the past couple of weeks that they’re going to start passing data within bid requests to give buyers a heads-up on the type of auction they’re bidding in. But buyers aren’t overly impressed. Jay Friedman, COO at programmatic agency Goodway Group, called the recent announcements “a bit of a PR play for the SSPs.” Digiday has more.

God Save The King

In the latest move in its seemingly endless reorg, Publicis Groupe has named Publicis Media boss Steve King to oversee all UK businesses. King will head four solutions hubs in the region (creative, media, digital and health care). Publicis will name similar leadership roles in other markets soon, Campaign reports. The idea is to bring all regional Publicis businesses under a single P&L to make it easier for clients to work across disciplines. King will remain global CEO of Publicis Media in addition to his UK responsibilities. More.

But Wait, There’s More!