Working with clients that do damage, or aspire to do better. Should agencies have to choose?
It is time for agencies to choose whether or not they will work with polluters, according to Think HQ’s Jen Sharpe. “To me it’s about choosing a side – it’s either working with clients that are actually doing damage to our world, or choosing clients who are aspiring to do better”.
Speaking on this week’s Mumbrellacast alongside Comms Declare founder Belinda Noble, Sharpe expanded on her op-ed from earlier this week, arguing that hiding behind great creative and winning awards has come at its detriment of the sector.
Think HQ’s Jen Sharpe: ‘Choosing who is a good partner is really tricky’
Gambling, alcohol and fast food companies pay the taxes that fund the campaigns you and your agency have become rich off. You really should be thanking us.
I have to disagree with the sentiment here. Why is it our job as an industry to play the moral arbiter? Where does it stop? Gambling? Fast food? Alcohol? Auto? What about companies that employ forced labour, either directly or indirectly (check out Save Uighar .org and let’s see if the author admits to owning and then wanting to give up any of those brands listed, given that in her own words, it’s about “choosing a side”).
It’s all well and good when you own your own agency and can select the client base, but for holding co’s who ultimately report to their shareholders, profit will also trump purpose, regardless of how many values / promises / visions are put in place.
Hi there Slippery Slope
Not to speak on behalf of either Jen or Belinda here, but Jen does point out that it is “particularly hard for globals” for a number of reasons, and that is ultimately why she started her own agency, so she was in control of it.
The key tenet to her point I gathered, is she is not telling agencies they have to do the same thing as she has, but that they should choose one way or another, and even then it is still difficult.
Cheers,
Calum – Mumbrella
It’s interesting. There’s one agency that makes 80% of its revenue on tobacco. They make so much money it’s not funny. But nobody knows that they do.
A lot of talk about what agencies should do, as a business, but the real story is the individuals that have to work on these dicier clients. It’s common to be assigned to clients not of your choosing by your boss, and having to work on a client that goes against your principles is awful.