Periscope Parts Ways With Staffers Amid Shift Toward Digital

By Patrick Coffee 

Minneapolis agency Periscope, which recently named former IPG global marketing chief Liz Ross as its president and CEO, confirmed today that it parted ways with a group of employees last week.

An agency spokesperson framed the move as part of Periscope’s desire to increase the focus on its digital offerings, describing it as “a general operational shift” that affected less than 5 percent of total staff at the shop’s Minnesota headquarters (it also has offices in Hong Kong, Delhi and Toronto).

The spokesperson said, “We are still in growth mode because we want to deepen our digital capabilities … we are hiring in several different places” including accounts and creative. Current listings include account executive, intern and Future Periscopian.

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Periscope did not elaborate on totals or departments affected, but sources close to the matter tell us that the number of departures was in the 25-30 range. The agency also says that no single client served as the cause of this move, though “It’s true that we have clients that are shifting their spending and their priorities.”

Tipsters claim that those clients include Buffalo Wild Wings and Target.

When Ross first got the job, she said that her goals included hiring a new chief creative officer and focusing on pitching new business, but Periscope has not at this date announced a new creative lead.

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