Ford unlikely to move business out of JWT

JWT's Ford portfolio, valued at $2 bn, is among its largest

WPP, the world’s largest marketing communications group, appears to have quelled the storm over its ad agency JWT India’s poster campaign for Ford Figo. JWT’s Ford portfolio, valued at $2 billion, is among its largest.

Following criticism over the ads, which showed former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, socialite Paris Hilton and Formula One driver Michael Schumacher in poor light, speculation was rife the business would be reviewed at the global level. These speculations gained steam two days ago, after the lawyer of the Kardashian sisters (reality television stars in the US), who were shown being hauled by Hilton in one of the ads, said they were exploring legal options.

However, with the Kardashian sisters not pursuing the matter, Ford’s marketing team appears to be breathing easy, according to those in the know.

Following the “unauthorised” release of the campaign on the web, JWT and WPP were swift to act, removing the ads from the website and sacking JWT India’s chief creative officer Bobby Pawar and creative director Vijay Simha Vellanki in a matter of days. The New York-headquartered agency, as well as its London-based parent, also assured the Ford management such incidents wouldn’t be repeated. Stricter procedures are being put in place for uploading work on the internet, especially before the official release of a campaign in markets such as India.

WPP has been swift to act because it has done significant work for Ford in the last few years — from setting up Team Detroit, a specialised unit for the North American business, to extending that model to other parts of the world under ‘Blue Hive’.

In India, Blue Hive has a team of 60-70 members that works on the Ford business. Besides Vellanki, a few junior people have also been asked to leave. They were the ones who created the poster campaign. JWT is now looking to fill these positions left vacant.