Man City Sack Agency Behind Influencer Ad

Manchester City have confirmed that they have severed ties with the media agency behind an ad on influencer marketing platform Tribe.

The club came in for criticism after an ad was placed on the platform suggesting that, because their UEFA Champions League group stage draw pitted the Premier League champions against three ‘relatively unknown’ teams in Atalanta, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Dinamo Zagreb, fans would have been less likely to attend.

City initially distanced themselves from the ad but declined to name the agency responsible as a gesture of goodwill, but after becoming frustrated with the response has now severed its ties with the firm responsible.

Jon Kershaw, managing director of PHD Media Manchester, said: “The brief we issued to a third party supplier, Tribe, fell short of the high standards that PHD Manchester is committed to delivering for its clients and we regret any negative impact on Manchester City FC.

“We are reviewing our internal processes as a result of this matter.”