Edelman lays off 330 people, stating “everything is interconnected now”
Edelman is laying off 330 people—a little more than 5% of its global workforce, in a restructuring that CEO Richard Edelman is presenting as a “simplification” of the firm’s business model, reports PRovoke Media.
According to PRovoke Media: “In addition to what is the largest single reduction in headcount the public relations business has seen in many years, the move will see Edelman discontinue its Edible (food specialty business),Revere (for startups and innovation), Salutem (health), Mustache (an integrated creative agency), EGA (government affairs and geopolitics), and Delta (brand and strategy consulting) units.”
“Our strategy for the past five years has been in two directions,” said Edelman in a blog post about the restructuring. “We built an advisory capacity to compete with specialist firms in financial, public affairs, employee engagement and impact. Simultaneously, we also have been building our marketing business, emphasizing earned creative based on action, with ideas that connect with the burgeoning creator economy.
“We structured our advisory units as boutiques and positioned creative and strategists as dedicated teams.”
But he pointed to a shift in the market, and said: “Clients now require integration of specialist services into the larger firm for speedy access to our geographic reach, deep industry knowledge and creative ability. We are best when we bring the full force of Edelman to the complex problems facing our clients. Corporate affairs, marketing and government affairs are now all closely aligned on the client side.
“We are skating to where the puck will be—everything is interconnected now.”
More here.
