Ukraine: why are adland’s dogs still refusing to bark?

Reports abound over the disquiet felt by ad holding group staffers at the way their elders, supposed betters and owners are sitting on their hands over doing business in Ukraine invader Russia.

With the notable exception of WPP which has, indeed, acted like a global leader in pausing its activities in Russia and also co-ordinating a relief appeal via UNHCR which has raised significant funds internally and externally, with WPP agency Blue State helping to drive $50m to UNHCR.

MAA’s coverage was picked up by The Times (subscription required.)

So what’s happening – or not happening – at Publicis, Interpublic, Omnicom, Dentsu and Havas? One can only speculate as they aren’t saying anything apart from some hand-wringing (“it’s all terribly difficult..) dutifully reported by the ad trades.

Of all these dogs who, as Sherlock Holmes once noted, didn’t bark Omnicom and Publicis are maybe the most interesting. Omnicom seems to do some of its work in Russian via Russian middlemen. How many oligarchs are on Omnicom’s Caviar Express?

If there was ever an agency group that knew its way around politics it’s Publicis Groupe. Supervisory board chairman and long-time CEO Maurice Levy is thoroughly at home in the corridors of power.

Has President Macron, busily trying to position himself as a peacemaker (fair enough) told French companies to lay off? Danone is still trading in Russia, for example, saying Russian kids need its products.]

I think we should be told.

PS No word either from S4Capital’s Sir Martin Sorrell. Sorrell, whose family originally hail from Ukraine, is normally first out of the blocks on world affairs.

Would he have to be nice to WPP?