CHEVRON CUTS OGILVY
Chevron has dropped Ogilvy PR and Ogilvy Government Relations after it “uncovered a serious, material conflict of interest,” according to Dave Samson, general manager of the oil giant’s PA unit.
The move follows a Bloomberg report that Ogilvy staffer Felipe Benitez addressed the Amazon Watch group, which fights for the rights of indigenous people living in rainforests. Chevron has been fighting an $18B judgment against it from an Ecuadorean court that ruled it is responsible to clean up pollution the San Ramon-based oil company inherited from its acquired Texaco unit.
Prior to Ogilvy, Benitez worked at Fenton Communications, where he counseled Ecuador.
Samson, via email, said there has been misreported information in the media: “It is clear some parties want to distort the facts to minimize the serious nature of the conflict that forces us to take this action.” He did not provide more details about that conflict.
The decision to terminate Ogilvy was not taken lightly, he said, adding “our decision was in no way a reflection of the people at Ogilvy who worked day-today on our business. ...Any effort, by some, to minimize this issue is unfair to these people,” he noted.
Ogilvy has called the split from Chevron “primarily a personnel matter” that it cannot provide further information about. Chevron will re-assign the Ogilvy work.
Chevron spent $260K in first-half federal lobbying outlays at OGR. It added Haley Barbour’s BGR shop to its roster in April.
MWW REBRANDS
MWW Group has launched a new logo and “Matter More” tagline to reflect its independence and the goal to exceed client expectations.
CEO Michael Kempner, who led a management buyout from Interpublic, says the logo “represents that we are more than meets the eye.”
The East Rutherford, N.J.-based firm has already put the new logo atop
its 15-story headquarters and is in the process of rolling it out to its nine offices.
Kempner said it was an “emotionally rewarding” experience to see the MWW name on the office building across from MetLife Stadium, home of the NFL’s Giants and Jets, and the 2014 Super Bowl. |
