Getting The Boot

When Pat Fallon terminated ecd Paul Silburn in January, he took an unusual step: He said so. In a statement characterized by some as “harsh” and even “brutal,” Fallon said simply that he was not happy with the shop’s progress under Silburn, and so Silburn had to go. In doing so, Fallon seemed to violate an industrywide gentleman’s agreement that, though they do not always pick their own departure date, ad execs usually are allowed at least the illusion of leaving on their own terms.

Rarely fired, canned or deep-sixed in the press, ad executives more often “part ways” with their employers, “pursue other [unspecified] opportunities” or “spend time with family.”

And while some industry onlookers can be counted on to read something sinister between the lines, agencies continue to rely on euphemisms when their decision goes from pink slip to press release.

“We’re in the business of wordsmithing, and it’s pretty easy,...