• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, June 19, 2019

Sixteen of the world’s largest advertisers have joined with agencies and media companies to try to take on the spiraling problem of unsafe and misleading digital media by forming an organization dubbed the Global Alliance for Responsible Media.

Marketers that have signed on include Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Nestlé, Adidas, Bayer, BP, Danone, Diageo, General Mills, GSK Consumer Healthcare, LVMH, Mars, Mastercard, Mondelez International and Shell.

Media companies and platforms at launch include Facebook, Google/YouTube, Teads, TRUSTX, Twitter, Unruly, and Verizon Media. Executives from agency holding companies Dentsu, GroupM, IPG, Publicis Media, and Omnicom Media Group are also on board.

The initiative — discussed in a panel on Tuesday at the Cannes Lions festival — is being spearheaded by the World Federation of Advertisers, and supported by industry groups including the Association of National Advertisers, 4A’s, Interactive Advertising Bureau, ISBA, Mobile Marketing Association, Coalition for Better Ads, and Effie Worldwide.

Members are scheduled to have their first meeting today during the festival.

Information about specific strategies wasn’t released. In its announcement about the Alliance, WFA said that an immediate focus will be “to form and empower an inclusive working group charged with developing a set of initial ideas and prioritizing next steps.” 

WFA added that the new organization is “underpinned by a working group committed to meeting regularly and reporting back on its progress to members and the industry.”

“Media and advertising are fundamental forces that shape how we connect, make key decisions, and shape our world view," summed up Robert Rakowitz, global head of media for Mars. "The status quo is untenable, and our work through the Alliance will allow us to shift from driving reach at all costs to building reach with responsibility. The uncommon collaboration and shared accountability we are starting here is essential."