AMP Agency, the current iteration of which was formed by the 2018 consolidation of Boston-based AMP Agency, Los Angeles digital shop Blitz and Seattle experiential specialist 206Agency, went through a series of layoffs this week.
The agency claims the layoffs are part of a restructuring which resulted from budget cuts and other client shifts amidst the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on many of our clients has resulted in budget cuts and paused campaigns. To adjust our business accordingly, last week we implemented a restructuring across our offices,” AMP Agency CEO Gary Colen said in a statement.
“We continue to have dedicated teams operating in Boston, New York City, Seattle and Los Angeles. Our changes consolidated nonclient-facing functions for a more streamlined operating model and shifted the geographic location of some client-facing roles,” he added. “We were able to place several employees into other open roles across our agency and are eager to rehire the others impacted when our clients reengage on work they have paused.”
A source with knowledge of the agency’s operations said that the Seattle office was hit the hardest by the layoffs, due to its focus on experiential marketing, but that the shop had been able to shift some of the employees impacted by clients’ decisions to other departments, noting more client requests for digital work.
AMP Agency declined to comment on the number of employees impacted by the move. Anonymous sources estimated that over 25 employees and as much as 65% of the offices impacted were laid off as part of the restructuring and speculated that the agency might close its Seattle and Los Angeles offices. 411 employees list AMP Agency as their employer on LinkedIn.
The layoffs follow a strong year for AMP Agency in 2019, leading to it being named to Adweek’s inaugural Fastest Growing Agencies list. In February, Zillow selected AMP Agency as its lead digital shop, following a review.