Following an admission to billing discrepancies, including instances where they charged fees to clients such as Toyota for placing ads when no advertising placement was actually made, Dentsu has agreed to return an estimated 230 million yen ($2.3 million) to clients.
Read More: Japan Subway Ad Calls Women ‘Ugly to See’ for Applying Makeup on Train
Dating back to November 2012, an internal investigation by Dentsu uncovered 633 suspicious cases affecting 111 advertisers. This included 14 instances involving fees for ad placement when none was made, Dentsu said in a statement.
“We will repay the 230 million yen, and we will talk with clients after all the facts are disclosed,” Toshihiro Yamamoto, Dentsu senior vice president, told reporters in Tokyo.
Dentsu clients include LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, Diageo Plc, Nestle SA, SoftBank Group Corp. and Electronic Arts Inc.
