It would appear that someone who either works within the Saatchi & Saatchi New York office or has a very deep knowledge of the organization is not happy with recent decisions made by agency management.
Today, the shop apparently let creative technologist Steve Nowicki go after almost four years — and someone who uses the pen name “Vox Saatchi” and writes in the royal “we” expressed his or her displeasure in a rant that went out to everyone in the office under the subject line “Sinking Ship.”
It’s more than a bit brutal in addressing CEO-since-2013 Brent Smart:
Dear Brent and the Rest of the Peanut Gallery Senior Management,
Today you fired one of the best employees at Saatchi, Steve Nowicki. Steve was energetic, intelligent, kind and incredibly helpful. He was one of the best parts of Saatchi New York. He worked tirelessly to help each and every account. He would lend a hand whenever you needed him. He was, quite simply, the best.
It makes sense that you let him go, however, because you have no idea what you’re doing. You’re leading the agency into the ground. We hope someone, anyone at the agency can forward this to Kevin Roberts and Robert Senior.
Several weeks ago you told us that the new normal is being overworked and that there is no help on the way. That you are tired of hearing people complain. You said if we don’t like how things are at Saatchi, we should leave. That this is “the new normal”. You point fingers and place blame on everyone while not taking any responsibility for losing (lots of) business and losing (fantastic) employees. A great CEO would inspire us to greatness, yet the opposite is happening.
People are leaving on a daily basis because you’re causing this ship to sink. And instead of turning things around, you let go one of the best employees we’ve had in years.
Saatchi has a great name. And at one point it created great work. But not under this leadership. And it’s clear now that we’re definitely heading in the wrong direction. And you’re right, no help is on the way. Not with you in charge.
We hope things change soon! We really do. This place could be fantastic. We need someone to turn it around, and fast. We’re hopeful. We work hard everyday. We need someone who works hard for us.
Sincerely,
Vox Saatchi
It’s not clear whether “Vox” is addressing the creative shakeup that hit the agency last Summer and preceded the hire of Droga5’s Paul Bichler and CP+B veterans Chris Moreira and Mark Schöller as ECDs. But the anonymous writer claims to speak for the employees and is definitely not the same person who runs the internal “day-to-day life” Hudson/Houston account.
In short, someone is pissed.