Websites Carrying Pirated Content to be Banned from GroupM Ads
WPP-owned GroupM, parent company of agencies MEC, MediaCom and Mindshare, has now moved to blacklist more than 2,000 US websites from displaying its ad content because they carry pirated content.
The firm has committed itself to working with its content-producing clients to identify pirated sites - their backlist will be updated, expanded and rolled out across all GroupM's global operations over the coming months.
The media planning and buying operation of WPP has implemented this digital media policy with the aim of protecting its clients from having their ads appear alongside illegitimate content.
Rob Norman, GroupM Interaction's global CEO commented: "We're serious about combating piracy and protecting our clients' intellectual property as forcefully as we can. This policy extends to digital media buyers at all GroupM agencies, as well as other WPP companies like Team Detroit, which manages Ford's media business."
Currently, GroupM spends around £3.66bn ($6bn) per year on online ad space for their international clients, which include Unilever and IBM. From today, publishers will be required to sign up to the new anti-piracy policy if they want to continue carrying their advertising.