What in the world is principal media?
If you’re asking this, you’re not alone. Only 1 in 5 marketers actually knows what it means.1
In short, principal media is inventory across traditional and digital media that agencies buy in bulk from media vendors or publishers. Then, they resell to clients, often at a markup. Agencies act as the “principal,” taking ownership of the media and reselling it like a middleman.
Here’s the catch: if they don’t sell it to you, they will lose money.
So, is anyone still on board with this?
Yep. According to a recent report by Forrester, principal media will account for nearly 33% of total agency billings in 2026, a figure that is growing with the increased adoption of AI.
Mostly driven by holding companies, agencies with principal media offerings include Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, WPP, dentsu, Havas Media Network, Horizon Media, and Tinuiti with more expected to follow suit.2
Sometimes, principal media makes sense.
Principal media can make sense for brands in narrow cases:
- When you’re targeting stable, predictable audiences. Think legacy brands going after consistent, older demographics.
- When you feel confident in your chance to secure lower rates. There’s a chance of securing lower rates, but there’s limited transparency to validate those savings. On top of this, the window for real savings is shrinking as buying models evolve.
Most of the time, the model breaks down.
More often than not, principal media isn’t as beneficial as it might seem. Why?
- Media moves fast. For most brands, audiences shift daily, performance fluctuates hourly, and fixed buys can’t keep up.
- It creates a lack of transparency. When agencies profit from what they sell, their incentives inevitably shift—and not necessarily in your favor.
Ovative’s Hot Take on Principal Media
It’s simple. Ovative centers all decisions on what will drive the greatest impact for our client’s business.
It’s why we don’t play the principal media game. Instead, we design media strategies that move as fast as your audience does: transparent, flexible, and built around what drives your bottom line, not ours.
Our non-principal buying approach means:
- We can pivot in real time to drive attention and performance
- You see exactly where every dollar goes
- Our incentives are 100% aligned with yours
Who are your dollars supporting?
Bottom line: Know what you’re buying—and who your dollars are supporting most. Flexibility, transparency, and performance integrity win every time, and that’s what Ovative was built for.
Need a media strategy pronto? Contact our team.
