- Noreen O'Leary

NEW YORK Over the past month, McCann Erickson's flagship office here has let go about 30 staffers, the agency confirmed. With over 1,000 employees, that amounts to approximately 3 percent of the workforce.
 
Earlier this month, the agency was replaced as lead creative resource on the Intel account by independent Venables, Bell & Partners in San Francisco. The shop was named the chip-maker's global creative lead partner and given responsibility for new "masterbrand" image work.

Spending by Intel in 2009 will be in line with last year's $300 million, but it's not clear how much will be used for brand advertising and how much for product-focused efforts.
 
"It's not directly attributed to the loss of Intel, although that had some impact," a source said. "It's really more about getting ready for a tough year."

In addition, last week MacLaren McCann Canada cut 53 employees owing to General Motors cutbacks, according to an agency rep.