FCB Chicago Cuts Staff Following Loss of Pfizer Account

Earlier this year, employment numbers in the advertising world were up across the board. Unfortunately, that parade of good news has hit a bump in the road. FCB Chicago has laid off 9% of its staff as a result of losing the Pfizer creative account, Ad Age reported this week. The Windy City office employs more than 800 people.

“As a result of a recent decision impacting creative assignments, we have had to make some changes to align better with client work,” a spokesperson for the Interpublic Group of Cos. agency said in a statement. “This was a tough decision and equates to approximately 9% of our people in Chicago. Our focus now is on supporting everyone through this transition and winning new business to replace the lost revenue.”

The layoffs come two months after Pfizer moved the majority of its creative brand duties from IPG to Publicis Groupe. The surprising move came less than a year after IPG was named Pfizer’s lead creative partner.

The Windy City hub should still have plenty of work to keep their team busy. FCB Chicago’s existing clients include Clorox, Kimberly-Clark and Cox Communications. FCB also recently won creative work from Kenvue, although that account is led from New York.

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