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The sudden departure of marketing executive Julie Roehm, followed by the firing of DraftFCB, the agency that Roehm tapped for Wal-Mart's creative duties, has raised concerns among industry watchers of a possible ethical breach by the Chicago-based agency.Many industry insiders say that to restore its reputation and minimize long-term damage DraftFCB needs to quickly respond to its abrupt firing by Wal-Mart, the Chicago Tribune writes. They say the agency should immediately investigate its actions in regard to the Wal-Mart account, and either publicly contest the firing or dismiss anyone who acted unethically.

Wal-Mart said it fired Draft FCB because of "new information we have obtained over the past few weeks," but did not divulge other information. "We are not going to disclose any details," said Wal-Mart spokeswoman Mona Williams.

Industry watchers say Roehm's departure was likely due to violations of Wal-Mart's ethics policies, which prohibit employees from accepting anything of value from vendors. In September, Roehm was invited by DraftFCB to attend an AdForum dinner at Nobu, an expensive Japanese restaurant in New York City. Retailers usually are not invited to attend such presentations. After DraftFCB's presentation, Roehm praised DraftFCB's integration of direct-mail and advertising expertise as a new model for the industry.

"We're still disappointed, but we're focused on the future. We have a very good, strong reputation for delivering results for clients and for being a good partner," Wally Petersen, DraftFCB spokesman, is quoted as saying.