Today The Martin Agency of Richmond, Virginia–which recently won some new business and hired/promoted several creatives–confirmed that it parted ways with a small group of employees last week.
An agency spokesperson tells us that the change affected approximately six employees in Richmond, which amounts to just over one percent of the shop’s total staff.
The Martin Agency notes that these changes were part of the standard ebb and flow of agency operations, attributing the cuts to the evolving needs of unnamed clients and telling us that the scope of future work and other factors played a role in the decision-making process. The company’s spokesperson also said that all affected parties received an offer of placement services, severance packages and extended healthcare coverage. The agency did not provide specifics regarding which departments were affected.
In other Martin news, the agency recently released its first campaign for new client Tic Tac, which it won last December after a six-month review (the account had been with Merkley+Partners for a decade). Two months before that, the agency won Ritz crackers; it followed by launching the brand’s first campaign since 2007 in April. This spring, the agency told us that it would be ending its relationship with B.F. Goodrich, which is now owned by Michelin, after nearly 10 years.
Tic Tac isn’t The Martin Agency only recent new business activity. The shop has been involved in several recent pitches including McCann’s ongoing defense of its American Airlines business, and Martin added classic butter brand Land O’ Lakes to its roster earlier this month.
On the staffing side, recent changes include the promotion of Andy Azula to ECD and the addition of three new creative directors in July.
ICYMI, earlier this month creative directors Steve Bassett and Wade Alger spoke to More About Advertising regarding the formula behind GEICO’s 21-year run. They said, “[Maybe the secret is] as simple as ‘we like hanging out together.'”
Maybe it is.
We hear that The Martin Agency will soon release some holiday-themed work for at least one of its clients.