Posted on by Admin
Subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates in the marketing and advertising scene
Corruption haunts advertising industry
20 Nov
After a 4-year investigation, the head of Orientm McCann was arrested along with seven other agency owners and four political figures recently in a corruption scandal that has rocked the industry.
Government officials awarded almost USD55 million for public awareness ad campaigns to seven ad agencies between 2013 and 2015 without following public procurement rules, cites a report by the Associated Press of Pakistan.
Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau in Karachi said in a statement that government officials favoured themselves and certain ad agencies in awarding over-priced contracts.
Syed Masood Hashmi, the President & CEO of Orientm Communications, an affiliate company of McCann Worldgroup, was arrested for his role in the alleged corruption scandal.
He is also a nine-term president of the Marketing Association of Pakistan.
Executives from the other ad agencies detained included Asim Amir Khan Sikander from Oversews Concepts, Gulzar Ali and Salman Mansoor of Adarts Karachi, and Syed Naveed, owner of Media Power Link.
Government official accused are Sharjeel Inam Memon, former Minister for Information and Archives Department, together with a former secretary, deputy director, information officer and section officer.
Imran Afzal, CEO, JWT Pakistan, told Pakistan’s ad industry magazine Aurora magazine last year, “Corruption is a plague that has seeped in at every level. In my years at JWT, I have said no to a couple of pitches because I was aware there were under the table dealings going on.
“Yes, it becomes difficult for us because we work on merit. I am very vocal that if there is a hint of something wrong in a pitch or with an account, I will say no.”
According to Transparency International, the majority of Asia Pacific countries sit at the bottom half of this year’s Corruption Perceptions Index.
Poor performance is attributed to unaccountable governments, lack of oversight, insecurity and shrinking space for civil society, pushing anti-corruption action to the margins.
Of course, online advertising fraud is another story altogether.
The APPIES is an annual event that presents a rare opportunity for creative, media, digital and marketing agencies or brands to present their best campaigns to the industry.
This is the only event where Live Presentations meets Live Judging.
Similar to TED Talks, The APPIES is the chance for great presenters with outstanding work to show it off to some of the industry’s most important industry leaders.
This year’s winners will receive Gold, Silver or Bronze trophies for 21 categories, and 6 special Best of Best categories (red trophies) that require no submissions!
Campaign entries must have run between June 2024 to May 2025
