We all know that Greed, Sex, Drugs & Money has had a rough year. They recently laid off 200 bodies and voluntary departures are still happening. Many folks are bailing from the digital creative staff with a few headed for the Dell/WPP Project Davinci agency. High level staffers are also gone either as part of the lay-offs or a kindly offer to “please vacate.” This includes Barbara Rogers (VP, Director of Media Services) and Diana Howell (VP, Account Director). Director of Direct Response, Jim Warren’s, Linkedin has him leaving the agency just last month.
As folks bail or are let go, GSD&M is looking to revamp the agency. The shop is searching for a “Chief Idea Officer.” WE HEAR THAT… Guy Seese from Goodby turned it down already. Seriously… do you want to work beneath Roy Spence? WE ALSO HEAR THAT… Greed, Sex is looking to poach from Crispin.
We requested a comment from GSD&M, but you know… it’s a holiday. We’ll post their response as soon as they get back in touch. In the mean time, we’ve collected some of the best comments regarding GSD&M to be posted on Agency Spy for your enjoyment.
1. In response to a post tracking the agency’s movements over the past month:
Adgal1997 said: “You missed the part about GSD&M’s top wage earners being told recently that they’ll all be taking a 15% pay cut this year.”
2. In response to a post about the agency laying off 200 staffers:
underappreciated_youth said: “The agency lost HUGE clients and how do they handle it? By laying off of all their lowest paid, hard working young people. They laid off all 3 junior creatives (I was one of them), junior designers, people making 30 grand and under, and mid-level positions and not the dinosaurs who don’t understand simple things like the significance of the web and can’t win a new business pitch to save their lives (well our lives) and bring in quarter mils each. And it’s not just because I’m personally affected that I’m upset, but it’s advertising common sense that when an agency goes stale, it needs a talent transfusion of new, young blood. This was an opportunity to trim the fat from the agency and what they did was trim the raw, lean muscle. Who are the hack GCDs going to steal ideas from and take credit for now?? And how are they going to lay out my retail newspaper ads without a rudimentary knowledge of such advanced programs as InDesign CS3?”
3. In a response to a post about the agency losing a large chunk of the AT&T business:
Simpla City said: “GSD&M’s creative has been lacking lately, which is, methinks, the reason for the losses. Roy Spence is cornspicuously absent these days. He doesn’t do anything but show his face at political gatherings and put together material for a book, kinda like Pat Fallon. Anyone see a trend here? But most people in the Austin area know that GSD&M has been resting on its laurels for quite a long while. The Idea City folks had better put aside some of that hubris (they do take themselves pretty seriously down there) and actually do some work. You’re not (and never were in the first place) on Madison Avenue, GSD&M, so take your lumps.”