
A sell-side initiative to develop and certify
multiple new ad currencies moved a step closer to becoming a tripartite JIC – or joint industry committee – this afternoon, as four agency Chief Investment Officers appeared on stage
during an NBCUniversal event promoting it.
While the execs – Dentsu’s Cara Lewis, Havas Media’s Amy Ginsberg, Horizon Media’s David Campanelli, and Omnicom
Media Group’s Geoffrey Calabrese – didn’t explicitly state that their organizations had officially joined, their presence and the tenor of their panel discussion implied it.
“We could have had the other three large [agency holding companies] on stage today, short of scheduling and logistics,” NBCU President and Chief Business Officer Krishan Bhatia
said at the conclusion of the panel, implying that Interpublic's IPG Mediabrands, Publicis Media and WPP's GroupM were also on board.
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“That’s buy-side, No. 1,” Bhatia added,
indicating the committee has a consensus of big agencies supporting it.
While the panel shed little light on how the proposed JIC would actually work, it made clear the necessity of forming
one, and it also announced that it would hold its first official meeting in April, at which more details would be announced.
Asked by moderator MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle asked
what everyone could expect at that event, OpenAP CEO David Levy quipped, “More chairs on stage.”
But according to executives familiar with the structure, the buy and sell
sides of the committee are expected to have equal representation and voting rights on any development or certification of new currencies, with the Association of National Advertisers representing
national advertisers.