Ogilvy staff add to pressure over U.S. Border Control ad contract

Industry Contributor 15 Jul 2019 - 3 min read

Ogilvy staff add to pressure over U.S. Border Control ad contract

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Tags: Ogilvy, Trump, Amazon, detention centres, U.S. Customers and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Ogilvy remains under pressure over its contract with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), facing accusations of producing “state propaganda”, with staff expressing dismay over the relationship between the WPP-owned agency and CBP (Adweek).

Key points:

Investigative journalism site Sludge published a list of companies selling goods or services to CBP
Report followed growing outcry over dire conditions in which immigrants, including many children are held in detention centres
Ogilvy contract for ad-related services could reach $39m if extended
CBP tweeted a video in attempt to counter stories about terrible conditions. Immigration advocacy group RAICES said it was “state propaganda” and implicated Ogilvy
Ogilvy said it only makes recruitment ads for CBP, which was confirmed by CBP
Ogilvy global chairman and CEO John Seifert last week emailed concerned staffer, with the email since shared
“I would not hesitate to speak out if I felt we were doing work that violated our culture, values and beliefs” – Seifert
Seifert email says town hall meeting for all employees will be scheduled next month and he is “happy to address the context of this kind of issue”

Anyone taking on work related to such a contentious programme needs a very good strategy to deflect the criticism that may follow. Ogilvy’s defence is that it is helping to attract recruits to border security, not keep kids penned up in squalid conditions separated from their parents.

The problem for Ogilvy might be that other clients, particularly those big on purpose, might not like to be associated with an agency working for CBP.

Ogilvy is not the only firm facing pressure internally as well as externally. Amazon chief technology officer Werner Vogels’ keynote speech at the Amazon Web Services Summit in New York last week was repeatedly interrupted by protesters playing recordings of children being separated from their parents at Customs and Border Protection facilities.

“Cut your ties to ICE, Vogels, cut your ties to ICE, and all you tech workers, you're being complicit. You're being complicit. Take a stand against ICE," was the message from Make the Road New York co-ordinator, Jamie San Andres, reports The Washington Post. (ICE is U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.)

Meanwhile some Amazon employees have again demanded the company stop enabling companies such as Palantir to help track down migrants for law and immigration departments by refusing to host them on Amazon Web Services, reports Business Insider. They argue that Palantir violates AWS terms of service that prohibit violation of “the rights of others, or that may be harmful to others, our operations or reputation".

They have previously urged Amazon to stop selling facial recognition technology to police.

The group cited staff actions including walkouts at Wayfair, Microsoft, and Salesforce, over ICE contracts.

Protests are also planned for Monday, Amazon Prime Day, outside Jeff Bezos' apartment.

Meanwhile, tweets from the president of the United States suggesting U.S. congresswomen of colour critical of his stance on immigration should 'go home' will likely create further division and pressure for brands to take a stand on one of America's most divisive issues.