Demand-side platform The Trade Desk is strongly denying accusations by Publicis Groupe that it has violated the master agreement between the two companies, charged hidden fees and opted clients into buys without consent. It also denied failing an audit that Publicis commissioned by FirmDecisions. The holding firm has urged clients not to work with The Trade Desk any longer. 

“We’re aware of questions related to a Publicis’ audit process. Any notion that TTD failed an audit is not true,” the company stated in its response. 

TTD said that Publicis requested data “that would violate customer and partner confidentiality agreements. We look forward to working with Publicis to provide workable alternatives to this particular request, including information at an even more granular level than requested.” 

While Publicis suggested a lack of transparency on the part of TTD, the DSP countered that it is “the most transparent, scaled platform in the industry, and our reporting and billing processes are supported by an independent SOC 1 compliance, and we are committed to providing the highest level of industry transparency and strong controls in how we report and bill.”  

The firm added that “When we provide contractual audit rights, we stand by those rights, based on customary accounting procedures, such as with big 4 accounting firms. In this case we have proposed a range of options to Publicis.”  

Separately on LinkedIn, TTD CEO Jeff Green wrote “I stand by our choice to partner with agencies. I stand by our choice to be transparent, even though I think we at times have been too open.”  

“Over the last year or two, things have gotten much harder for agencies,” Green continued. “Lately it seems that there are those who want to wave the flag of transparency publicly but run from it in practice as they arbitrage in the inefficiencies of programmatic. Or in the most ironic programmatic practice, principal-based buying.” 
 
“It bothers me when leaders of non-transparent business models are critical of those of us who are setting the bar—especially when they advocate for moving dollars to more opaque platforms and transaction methods.”  

TTD has not “failed" any audit ever, Green asserted. “Relatedly, we will not disclose the bills of all of our clients and partners to one of them simply because they assert ambiguous audit rights.” 

Publicis Groupe issued this statement:

“We have a responsibility to our clients to conduct thorough due diligence when it comes to our vendors. In this case, an experienced independent auditor concluded that The Trade Desk did not pass the audit. At no point in this process did Publicis ask for the disclosure of any data or information that went beyond the audit agreement in place with The Trade Desk. None of the options proposed by The Trade Desk resolved the issues raised by the audit. As a result of the audit findings we will no longer be recommending The Trade Desk as a solution for our clients.”