Overt sportswashing: the ethical landmine for media agencies
With sportswashing accusations in focus following the Qatar FIFA World Cup, Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and sponsorship of our own Women’s World Cup, Speed’s Ian Perrin asks what questions media agencies and media companies have to answer, when going into business with government-backed sports.
There is no doubt that the craft of media planning has become more complex in a data, digital and technology-driven world. This complexity has increased due to the rise of a polarized media environment and many brands taking social and political positions that they historically shied away from.
With change being the only constant, media agencies have had to adapt quickly and build agile operating models that respond at speed to market forces. This means creating protocols and response mechanisms to ensure that brands they represent don’t appear in compromising content.
And for many years this approach has been applied to the grey area of sports washing. For example, a brand that champions human rights may decide to avoid broadcast coverage of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, due to the Kingdom’s human rights record and involvement in the conflict with Yemen. Recently FIFA made the decision not to allow Saudi Arabian tourism to sponsor the Women’s World Cup, likely due to fears it may deter other sponsors.
Yes, the goal posts (excuse the pun) are changing for ethics in media.
And it’s not just Saudi Arabia’s human rights record that is important – it is also a petrostate fuelling global warming.
Saudi Aramco employs at least 17 agencies.
Group M/WPP represents BP, Chevron and Woodside, among others.
If they are the gold standard in ethics we’re in deep trouble.