Ogilvy PR has been chosen as the AOR for the Mexican state of Sinaloa, an area on the Pacific Ocean. Ogilvy will work to promote the area as a tourist destination and as a foreign investment option. In addition, the firm will work to “[protect] its brand from external criticism,” according to the press release announcement.

There was news today that the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has imposed sanctions on Jesus Reynaldo Zambada Garcia, who is described by the Wall Street Journal as a “a key operative in Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel.” CNN characterized that cartel as “one of Mexico’s most powerful drug trafficking organizations” last Friday.

Ogilvy’s media influence team in New York will lead this account.

The firm has worked with the government of Mexico for 18 months, and says the country had 22.7 million international tourists in 2011, a record-breaker. Gerardo Llanes, CMO of the Mexico Tourism Board, talked with Ad Age last summer about its efforts to turn around the country’s reputation.

In other Ogilvy news, a tipster tells PRNewser that the firm had to layoff New York staff members yesterday because of cuts to another account. In an email, Ogilvy confirmed that it had to cut “about three percent of the NY staff” due to ”significant cutbacks to a large account.” The firm would not go into further detail about the account.