If you work with—or want to work with—Fortune 500 advertisers, there’s one truth you can’t ignore: the expectations are higher than ever. These are companies that spend hundreds of millions on media, marketing, and communications, and they demand supplier relationships that are fast, flexible, and fully transparent.
But here’s the twist—what they’re looking for isn’t just better pricing or faster turnaround. It’s smarter partnerships backed by clean data, verified credentials, and performance they can measure. And the gap between what they expect and what most suppliers provide is getting wider.
In this article, we’re pulling back the curtain on what top advertisers actually want from their supplier networks in 2025—and how companies that take the right approach are winning and growing those accounts.
Let’s start with the elephant in the room: reporting. Fortune 500 brands are done tolerating vague spreadsheets or outdated reports. If you’re managing supplier relationships in this space, you need to show real-time visibility into diversity classification, spend tracking, performance benchmarks, and compliance verification. This isn’t a “nice to have” anymore—it’s the minimum to stay in the game.
At Datalou, we’ve seen this firsthand. Global advertisers are asking, “Where are we on our supplier diversity goals right now?” Not last month, not last quarter. They want the answer today—and they expect systems that can deliver it on demand.
It’s not just about who’s in your supplier network, but who’s active, verified, and accountable. That means suppliers must be able to:
- Provide current diversity certifications (MBE, WBE, LGBTQ+, Veteran-owned, etc.)
- Prove ongoing performance and service delivery
- Integrate cleanly into the advertiser’s procurement and tracking tools
Companies that can’t do this at scale? They get sidelined.
Another key theme: intelligence over quantity. It used to be about showing a long list of diverse suppliers. Now, it’s about relevance and impact. Advertisers want to know:
- Are your suppliers strategically aligned with campaign or category goals?
- Can you demonstrate how diverse suppliers are contributing to ROI?
- How are you ensuring supplier performance doesn’t fall off after onboarding?
Datalou clients are using real-time dashboards to answer these questions with confidence. They’re not just meeting supplier diversity targets—they’re turning them into a strategic advantage. And that’s what Fortune 500 advertisers are rewarding.
Let’s talk about data integrity. This is the silent dealbreaker. You could have a compelling supplier story and a wide network—but if your data is inconsistent or unverifiable, it breaks trust. Top-tier advertisers work with legal, compliance, and procurement teams that expect every data point to hold up in an audit. That includes:
- Accurate classifications
- Updated EINs and business details
- Consistency across platforms
Datalou’s system is built to ensure this level of accuracy by syncing with trusted verification partners and eliminating redundancies. This is a big reason why our clients are not just qualifying—they’re growing their footprint with large advertisers.
Lastly, agility matters. In media and marketing, timelines are short and stakes are high. Advertisers want to know that their suppliers can scale fast, onboard quickly, and adapt as campaigns evolve. A fragmented onboarding process or unclear supplier documentation can cause delays that ripple across entire initiatives.
Suppliers who invest in automation, proactive compliance updates, and centralized documentation earn trust—and often, more business. Datalou helps streamline this entire experience so that advertisers feel like your operation is an extension of theirs, not a separate system they have to chase.
So what’s the bottom line?
Fortune 500 advertisers want transparency, intelligence, and agility from their suppliers. They expect clean data, proven performance, and systems that allow them to see the full picture in real time.
If you’re still relying on disconnected spreadsheets, manual processes, or scattered documentation, you’re not just behind—you’re at risk of losing business.
Datalou exists to close that gap. Our platform gives you the infrastructure to meet (and exceed) modern advertiser expectations: from credential verification to live reporting, performance analytics to seamless supplier onboarding.
If you want to earn a spot on their shortlist—and stay there—it starts with the right foundation.
