We’ve just confirmed tips regarding layoffs at South Carolina/New York agency Erwin Penland this week.
Approximately 15-20 staffers, including at least one EVP and a creative director, are no longer with the agency. We do know that the Greenville, South Carolina office was hit harder than the Manhattan location, but we don’t have names at the moment.
Much of Erwin Penland’s recent news has been positive: prior to winning the L.L. Bean account in October, the agency announced the hiring of a new SVP/creative services director and two new creative directors to work with CCO Con Williamson in its New York office. This summer it also hired new creatives based in South Carolina.
A source tells us that this round of cuts is not the result of any business loss or the usual Q4 thinning of the herd; it is, instead, a response to shifts in client demands as businesses place greater emphasis on digital, social and other less-traditional services.
Over the summer, the agency also filed plans to build a new eight-story office building in downtown Greenville; we have no word on the progress of that project.
Erwin Penland currently employs more than 400, so the shift affects approximately 3-5 percent of total staff. Additional updates as we receive them.