Ad Men

Merge with caution:

The FTC said it has accepted a proposed consent order that will prevent such “anticompetitive coordination” from Omnicom once its acquisition of IPG is completed. The order restricts Omnicom from colluding or coordinating to take advertising away from any media publisher based on the publisher’s ideological or political viewpoints, except in situations when the ad client insists on avoiding certain publishers. “Coordination among advertising agencies to suppress advertising spending on publications with disfavored political or ideological viewpoints threatens to distort not only competition between ad agencies, but also public discussion and debate,” said Daniel Guarnera, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition. “The FTC’s action today prevents unlawful coordination that targets specific political or ideological viewpoints while preserving individual advertisers’ ability to choose where their ads are placed.”

Watch your political preferences...