• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, February 1, 2016

Around the time that Interpublic Group was firing the CEO of Campbell Ewald, Jim Palmer, Campbell Ewald client USAA -- the big financial services provider--was firing the agency. Campbell Ewald had held the account since winning it after a review in 2008.

The agency client loss stems from the racist “ghetto note” circulated by a creative staffer in Campbell Ewald’s San Antonio office.

The financial services company, whose primary clientele is military personnel, veterans and their families, is headquartered in San Antonio. The agency had handled the account out of its San Antonio and Detroit offices.

A rep for the financial concern confirmed the firing, reading from a company statement: “USAA has given Campbell Ewald notice of contract termination.” 

USAA, which spent $142 million on ads in 2014 according to Kantar Media, has begun a search for a new agency that better aligns with the company’s “culture and core values,” the rep said.

Whether Interpublic can hang on to the account remains to be seen. It’s trying to put together a dedicated team within the holding company to service the account. All the USAA rep would say about that is that “we will work with IPG on a transition plan as we continue our search.”

The USAA rep did note that the insurer has other relationships with IPG. Back in 2010, it awarded IPG’s Initiative with the company’s media agency assignment. The rep noted that the Initiative relationship is governed by a separate contract that is unaffected by the termination of Campbell Ewald.