The New York offices of FCB went through a round of layoffs this afternoon as part of what leadership described as an effort to refocus on those services and skill sets most valued by the network’s clients.
In recent weeks and months, that client list has grown to include, most prominently, Clorox. FCB also recently picked up work for FIAT Chrysler, Lincoln Financial and TB Alliance, among others.
A statement from the New York office:
“Saying goodbye is never easy, and no less to the people with whom we work, pitch, eat, celebrate and brainstorm ideas. Today is one of those difficult days, as we said goodbye to several of our New York colleagues. This was a tough decision, but one that will allow us to better position FCB New York for growth as well as create a culture of creativity and collaboration to better serve our people and our clients.”
An agency spokesperson declined to comment further on the decision, but we hear this shift was not related to any specific piece or pieces of business. In a meeting preceding the announcement, sources tell us that CEO Karyn Rockwell (who replaced departing leader Lee Garfinkel in February) described a three-tiered approach to the future of FCB New York: the agency sees itself working from the mindset of a startup; leadership wants to break down the oft-mentioned traditional silos in a restructuring shift; moving forward, there will be a greater focus on cross-team interactions. As Rockwell and CCO Ari Halper put it, FCB aims to create “a culture of creativity and collaboration.”
We do not have any specific numbers or percentages regarding those let go, but tipsters tell us the total was in the very low two digits and that multiple departments/levels were affected. We also currently have no word on whether FCB is actively seeking other positions within the IPG network for those who departed today.
Here is the internal all-staff memo that Rockwell sent this afternoon.
Dear FCB New York Family:
As I shared with you in person just now, today was a tough, yet critical moment in FCB New York’s history.
As many of you now know, we had to say goodbye to several of our colleagues. Layoffs are never easy – this was a difficult decision for the management team, including Ari, Deb and me, and one that was made after careful deliberation about the needs of our business, our people and our clients.
The media and marketing landscape is rapidly evolving. Clients and agencies alike need to quickly adapt in order to thrive and be competitively ready in today’s business environment. More and more, agencies are being tasked with deftly anticipating and delivering on clients’ needs – quickly and efficiently – as well as coming up with brilliant, market-moving and results-oriented ideas.
To that end, what happened today was necessary as we work together to build a culture of creativity and collaboration, one that is based on a start-up mindset with a team-based approach and no silos. Our New York Chief Creative Officer, Ari Halper, put it well in a recent interview: “Creativity isn’t a department, it’s a culture.”
I echo that and, beginning today, I hope that all of you will join me as we unite to create, build and grow the new FCB New York together.
To respect our colleagues who are leaving us, we ask that you please refrain from sharing this memo or today’s news with anyone outside of our agency. Our clients have been informed, and should you get any inquiries, please direct them to me, Jean Jacques in HR or our global head of communications, Stephen Martincic.
Thank you for your cooperation, and I look forward to partnering with each of you as we work to build the new FCB New York.
Best regards,
Karyn