Advice for handling controversial accounts: from products to politicians

Considers Australian advertising agency executives’ attitudes towards “controversial” clients, by focusing on their attitudes towards political accounts. Examines a sample of 101 advertising agency executives from Australia’s 300 largest agencies to determine why some Australian agencies are not willing to accept political accounts. The results, combined with comments from various advertising agency executives and the relevant literature, provide a number of suggestions for agencies who have or are planning to obtain potentially controversial accounts.