• Bnet, Tuesday, November 11, 2008 9:15 AM

Media buyers are shocked that Levi's wants an accurate idea of what other agencies are paying for ad buys. But if you look at the issue from the client's point of view, the real scandal is media buyers' lack of transparency on pricing issues.

In virtually every other market -- from the stock exchange to the supermarket -- prices are on full display for everyone to see. But on Madison Avenue, if a client wants to know what its competitors and non-competitors are paying for media, and what agencies are charging them to handle it, different rules apply. Then suddenly everyone gets all huffy about "client confidentiality" and "best practices."

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