Two of the advertising industry’s biggest players have patched up a public falling-out, with global agency giant Publicis confirming it will again recommend the digital advertising platform The Trade Desk to clients, ending a dispute that had rattled markets and raised questions about transparency in online advertising.
The two companies issued a joint statement on Friday saying they are “moving forward” after months of negotiations.
“Publicis and The Trade Desk were able to address previous differences as identified in the audit and can now recommend TTD to our clients along with other DSP partners,” the statement said.
“Publicis and The Trade Desk are now focused on moving forward and continue to maintain a mutual commitment to delivering measurable outcomes for advertisers.”
Neither company disclosed the terms of the resolution or confirmed whether any refunds were issued.
The original dispute
In March, Publicis halted recommendations of TTD to clients after an internal audit alleged the platform had “improperly applied their DSP fee to other fees charged by TTD and in a way that is not supported by the terms of the MSA.”
The agency also claimed TTD charged for features that were automatically applied to campaigns.
The dispute had an immediate market impact, with TTD’s stock falling approximately 13% in the days following Publicis’ communication to clients.
The standoff coincided with a period of executive change at TTD. Chief Marketing Officer Ian Colley departed in April amid broader leadership churn.
The company has since appointed Sarah Gavin, previously chief marketing officer at customer service software company Zendesk, to fill the role.