Mark Ritson: Agency kickbacks are turning media buying into a shadowy black box

Just over a year ago Jon Mandel, the former CEO of media agency Mediacom, stood up to speak at the Association of National Advertisers media conference in Miami. Mandel was the fourth of four to discuss the topic of transparency. As he rose there was little anticipation of what was to come.
Three slides in, everything changed. “I have never seen a room react like that,” Mandel later told Mumbrella magazine. “I mean, when I do a presentation I’m pretty fucking good at rea