Just a day after receiving the announce about AdWeek Media’s partnership with ad industry network AgencyScoop, it appears that AdWeek has removed its logo from the homepage. One of the main reasons we gather is because of AgencyScoop’s portfolio section, which bears a striking resemblance to the site for Behance, the online network for creative folks that’s been live for the past few years.
While AgencyScoop is certainly not new, neither is its revamped Photo Albums section, which is similar in style as you can see above (when Adweek branding was still intact). Behance founder/CEO Scott Belsky seems a bit perplexed by the matter, telling us, “We were just really confused by the whole thing. We’ve always seen Adweek as a company that seeks to empower the advertising and creative industries. However, this felt a bit exploitative. And given the breadth and depth of our network, we didn’t understand why Adweek wouldn’t approach us directly, rather than attempt to create or partner with a templated–and less functional version–of our platform.”
We tried contacting those in the AgencyScoop orbit for comment including Nielsen/Adweek PR folks (who have been non-responsive) as well as the ‘Scoop directly, but all we got in return was a wonky automated answering service. Add to that the facts that the site has a barren terms of service and no real appropriate contact information for ownership and we’re left wondering whether Nielsen is already backing away from the partnership.
Update: AgencyScoop founder Jason Culbertson contacted us directly to clear some of the air. While he couldn’t say much regarding the Nielsen/Adweek side of things, Culbertson states: “AgencyScoop is a professional network that offers several things including a portfolio section. We provide a lot of services to members and take it very seriously to be a positive influence in the industry. We’re looking into this very seriously and detailed right now to address any issues that Behance may have.”