It’s pretty much a given that when an agency loses what’s basically its flagship client that a few heads will eventually start to roll. A few sources have been telling us that there have been several cuts made at Pittsburgh shop Yellow Submarine, which was founded in early 2007 by a few MARC USA ex-pats including George Garber (currently YS’s president/CEO), Ed Fine (CCO) and John Harpur (EVP, director of media). We’ve put in calls/emails to all three execs, one of whom at least we’re thinking is a Beatles fan, but Garber’s traveling and the other two have yet to reply.
Anyhow, if official, the cuts, which range from 20-35 according to tips, could be directly related to Yellow Submarine’s loss of AOR duties for Cedar Fair, the amusement park company that shifted its creative and PR account to Cramer-Krasselt Chicago last week. A glance at the work portion of YS’s website tells you how involved the agency was with Cedar Fair, which, according to the Pittsburgh Business Times, essentially helped kickstart Yellow Submarine with $25 million in capitalized billings. We’ll keep you posted as things develop.