Publicis and The Trade Desk settle their dispute, but tell no one why
Publicis and The Trade Desk have made up, which is either a triumph of negotiation or a sign the whole thing was never quite as dramatic as it seemed.
The resolution, announced earlier today (June 12) in a joint statement, came after months of public rebukes, audits and no shortage of background briefing from both sides. It started in March when Publicis pulled The Trade Desk from its recommended DSP list after an audit found what it claimed were irregularities in how the platform applied its fees — specifically that The Trade Desk was stacking its ad tech fee on top of other charges in a way the holdco said wasn’t supported by its contract. Publicis told clients to stop spending with the platform. The Trade Desk’s stock dropped around 13%. Turns out, it was a round trip.
“Publicis and The Trade Desk were able to address previous differences as identified in the [Publicis] audit and can now recommend TTD to our clients along with other DSP partners,” read a statement that was first shared with Ad Age. “Publicis and The Trade Desk are now focused on moving forward and continue to maintain a mutual commitment to delivering measurable outcomes for advertisers.”
That’s all they’re giving. For a dispute that briefly looked like it could redraw the lines between holdcos and DSPs, the silence is striking, and it’s why hot takes are filling the vacuum. Which leaves everyone who watched it unfold asking the same question: was this a genuine reckoning that got quietly fixed, a negotiating tactic that ran its course, or something that was always less explosive than the March memo made it sound?
More to follow.
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