How does a kid with a dream become a Mad Man fueling climate madness?
We don’t know what Mark Readdreamed of as a kid. But we assume he got into the ad business with good intentions, just like you.
Somewhere along the way, he went down a different path — becoming a megaphone for fossil fuel companies and their lies.
What went wrong? We can’t say for sure. But there’s still time to make this industry one we can all feel good about. Join Clean Creatives to cut ties with fossil fuel polluters, and make your inner-kid proud.
Most Likely to Acknowledge the Paris Agreement but Work With Fossil Fuel Companies to Violate It: Mark Read
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Most Likely to Acknowledge the Paris Agreement but Work With Fossil Fuel Companies to Violate It: Mark Read 〰️
Mark Read was just a boy outside London. Now he’s stuck inside big oil’s slimy grip.
WPP, led by CEO Mark Read, has a climate policy that pledges “not take on any client work, including lobbying, designed to frustrate the objectives of the Paris Agreement.” But it’s easy to let your values slip when your fingers are slicked with oil — WPP has the most contracts on the F-List, with 79 from 2023–2024, and ongoing relationships with several lobbying firms, including the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI), American Chemistry Council, American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Australian Gas Infrastructure Group.
WPP is home to agencies with a long history of inspiring work, like Ogilvy, VML, AKQA, and Grey. But what’s inspiring about helping the most unethical companies lie and pollute? It’s time to get back to making work that shapes the world, instead of destroying it.
Protect your dreams, take the pledge:
Pledging not to work for fossil fuels polluters is one way to make sure you stay true to your dreams.
As creatives and leaders of agencies, the pledge says that you will decline future contracts with the fossil fuel industry.
As clients, it says you will decline work with agencies that retain fossil fuel industry clients.
To see a list of companies and clients Clean Creatives considers to be fossil fuel clients, click here.