Digiday·2026-04-03

Transparency brought down The Trade Desk’s Publicis deal but it may not be enough to win its other clients

Every time a transparency crisis rattles programmatic, the same reflex kicks in: rivals circle, sales decks get dusted off and emails go out, it is one of ad tech’s more reliable habits, and one of its more reliably ineffective ones. The Trade Deal’s falling out with Publicis is the latest to trigger it. Competitors have been working phones and LinkedIn ad budgets, pitching transparency and the im

Every time a transparency crisis rattles programmatic, the same reflex kicks in: rivals circle, sales decks get dusted off and emails go out, it is one of ad tech’s more reliable habits, and one of its more reliably ineffective ones. The Trade Deal’s falling out with Publicis is the latest to trigger it. Competitors have been working phones and LinkedIn ad budgets, pitching transparency and the im