The threat of a boycott was made by Ogilvy after word spread of the existence of a "black list" of agencies which had submitted "scam" ads to the competition. Scam ads are ads that the agency has created, but which have not actually run. Last year Ogilvy's Singapore office had two ads investigated and later cleared.
Ogilvy said it changed its mind about the boycott after what it described as "extensive conversations" with Jeff Goodby, president of the Cannes 2002 jury.
Neil French, worldwide creative director of Ogilvy, said: "We are now totally convinced that the jury this year will have strong instruction to concentrate solely on judging the work that has been entered.
"We have great faith in Jeff's reputation for fairness and passion for creative work, that the judges will not be prejudiced in any way," he said.
Should Ogilvy have gone through with its threat to boycott Cannes, the festival could have lost significant revenue. Last year the agency submitted 1,500 entries from its global network, adding up to $500,000 in entry fees, as well as sending 175 delegates to the festival itself.
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