IPG and R/GA Issue Joint Statement
22 May 2023
Companies
Today, the trade publication Ad Age ran an erroneous and damaging story about a current client of a number of IPG agencies, misidentifying a key source for the story as ‘an executive at R/GA.’ After Ad Age published the story and in response to an objection from us, Ad Age confirmed that the source is in fact NOT a current executive at R/GA. Moreover, we have indications that the source had no direct connection to this client or its senior executives while employed at R/GA. As such, this person’s credibility should have been called into question and certainly should not have been used as a primary source by the reporter to shape their story.
The reporter has taken responsibility for the repeated material mistake in the story and corrected it online. Precision and accuracy in sourcing a story is key to any publication’s credibility, and we were appalled Ad Age failed to adhere to those standards of reporting, and that the publication never approached R/GA for comment.
We highly value our long-term client relationships and hold client confidentiality in the highest of regards. We are shocked by the comments in the article, which in no way reflect R/GA’s point of view, or the strong working relationship the agency has with its clients.
