Observed Signal · Jun 3, 2026 · Report Revisit / Webinar · Source: Digiday · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Negative
ANA revisits K2 report on agency rebates
Digiday reports that the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) revisited the decade-old K2 report in a June 3, 2026 webinar, re-examining opaque media-agency practices such as holding rebates and selling principal media under unclear contracts. Participants included ANA EVP Bill Duggan, Jon Mandel, Keri Bruce (Reed Smith), Richard Plansky (Kroll) and Nick Manning (formerly Ebiquity). The discussion noted progress — about 60% of surveyed marketers updated media-agency contracts in the past year — but persistent gaps in addressing non-transparent media and rebate clauses. Panelists flagged the ongoing commercial incentives and governance failures that enable hidden rebates and problematic principal-media deals, and highlighted contract-template and governance changes ANA and counsel have promoted (including replacing 'principal media' with 'non-transparent services').
Re-examination of the K2 report highlights persistent agency transparency issues (rebates, principal media), contract changes by marketers, and ongoing legal scrutiny — matters that affect advertiser-agency relationships and procurement.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) held a webinar on June 3, 2026 to revisit the K2 report on agency practices.
- The original K2 report (issued about a decade earlier) exposed agencies holding rebates and using principal media arrangements that were not transparent to clients.
- Panelists at the webinar included Bill Duggan (ANA EVP), Jon Mandel, Keri Bruce (partner, Reed Smith), Richard Plansky (Kroll), and Nick Manning (former head of Ebiquity).
- ANA reports that 60% of surveyed marketers updated their media-agency contracts in the past year.
- ANA and counsel revised agency contract templates (most recently in 2023) replacing the term 'principal media' with the broader 'non-transparent services'.
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