• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, November 1, 2024

With more than two-thirds (68% obstructive/mostly or partially misaligned) of its client roster failing to align with the Paris Agreement's global standards for climate policy compliance, Interpublic ranks worst among the major agency holding companies, according to an analysis released this morning by climate advocacy group InfluenceMap.

The analysis -- which is based on publicly available information derived from a combination of online search, company sites, and "resources such as Winmo"-- may or may not be 100% representative of each company's current client portfolio, but based on InfluenceMap's analysis, Paris-based Publicis (65%), Omnicom (64%) and WPP (61%) rank just behind Interpublic, with nearly two-thirds of their clients assessed to be mostly or partially misaligned with global standards for climate policy.

Interpublic's standout is especially noteworthy, given that some of its agency units -- including UM -- were notoriously called out during 2022 Congressional hearings on so-called "greenwashing" by big agencies and PR firms for the fossil fuel industry, and because CEO Philippe Krakowsky subsequently pledged to not take on any new clients that don't also adhere with Interpublic's own, rigorous climate policy compliance.

Paris-based Havas was the only one of the Big 6 whose client roster was more than half (52% partially or mostly) aligned with Paris Agreement policies.

The InfluenceMap analysis aligns with other recent third-party assessments of the ad industry's relatively poor standing in terms of working for clients deemed bad for the climate, including Clean Creatives.