LBTG Shuts Office in Boston

Leo Burnett Technology Group will shutter its once high-flying Boston office as it continues to retrench in the face of dwindling technology spending.

Late last month Burnett closed its office in San Francisco. Boston will close Friday with 12 employees, four of whom will be offered jobs in Chicago, the agency said. The agency plans to move Boston’s remaining clients, Heidelberg and Microsoft, to Chicago.

The shutdown makes the once coast-to-coast LBTG’s lone outpost outside of Chicago its office in Austin, Texas, and that satellite’s future is uncertain.

LBTG in Boston just last year claimed billings of $73 million and revenue of $11 million, making it one of the city’s 10 largest agencies.

But recent client defections, notably CMGI, and the soft economy took their toll.