As Nine today joined its compatriots Ten and Seven in announcing “disappointing” half yearly results, the man in charge of the purse strings of many of Australia’s biggest media spenders says Facebook and Google have been unfairly painted as the villains responsible.

IPG Mediabrands Australian CEO Danny Bass says while the digital giants have played a role, its been the out of home industry which has not so quietly stolen the bulk of the branding dollars from TV.

“Facebook and Google have been blamed for a lot of the woes affecting traditional media in terms of ad spend. But where do they think the rise in outdoor has come from? It ain’t come from print because there’s nothing left.

“Where’s outdoor’s growth come from? It’s come from TV,” Bass told B&T.

“I don’t think Facebook and Google are growing at anywhere near the rate that people think it is from a display perspective; a brand perspective.”

While Bass said TV was “still considered as the preeminent media channel to build a brand”, he said out of home advertising had done a really good job of talking about its medium and has done so for many years.

“Why’s that? Outdoor has done a really good. It’s a less complex sale, you’re not talking about audience fluctuations you’re not talking about audience guarantees as such. It’s an easy concept for agency people to get their head around.”