• Chicago Tribune, Tuesday, December 19, 2006 11:45 AM

After being dumped by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., ad agency DraftFCB insists it did nothing wrong in the way it won the account. And the shop has received a show of support from parent Interpublic, which is standing behind Chief Executive Howard Draft and his management team.

But the agency still finds itself under a glare of publicity and potentially in a vulnerable business position. Late last week, Draft sent a memo titled "Truth and Trust" to staffers and some clients that tries quell speculation and media coverage about its pitch for Wal-Mart's prized $570 million account.

In the memo, it says the agency began a "careful and methodical review of how the pitch was conducted on our end" following Wal-Mart's decision to fire advertising chief Julie Roehm and, a day later, DraftFCB. "We have completed this investigation, which has not uncovered any instances in which we violated either [DraftFCB or Interpublic] policy. It is important for you to know that--and equally important that our clients know that."

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