{"id":232159,"date":"2025-05-09T05:50:20","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T05:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/advertising\/wpp-media-begins-layoffs-after-groupm-rebrand\/"},"modified":"2025-05-09T05:50:20","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T05:50:20","slug":"wpp-media-begins-layoffs-after-groupm-rebrand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=232159","title":{"rendered":"WPP Media Begins Layoffs After GroupM Rebrand"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Layoffs at WPP\u2019s media buying unit have hit, just days after WPP reportedly rebranded GroupM as WPP Media<\/a>, to unify its media agency operations, multiple employees told ADWEEK.<\/p>\n

ADWEEK was unable to confirm the extent of the cuts.<\/p>\n

A GroupM spokesperson declined to comment.<\/p>\n

While employees had expected leadership consolidation and operational restructuring, multiple employees told ADWEEK there was no warning that layoffs would follow just days later. <\/p>\n

GroupM CEO Brian Lesser acknowledged impending layoffs in an internal memo this week, according to a report by Ad Age.<\/p>\n

These cuts appear to span multiple WPP media agencies, according to multiple people.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy bosses texted me right afterward, saying, \u2018Hey, we had no idea. I\u2019m so sorry. No one informed us of this,\u2019\u201d said one person who was laid off.<\/p>\n

That staffer joined a meeting on May 7 at 3 World Trade Center, for an invite labeled \u201cConnect.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was like, \u2018Okay, well, this probably isn\u2019t great,\u2019\u201d this person told ADWEEK. The walls were glass, and this person recognized an HR executive sitting in the room. \u201cI walk inside, and then they say, like it\u2019s just business as usual, that my position no longer aligns with the strategic needs or business needs of the company.\u201d<\/p>\n

The person asked to say goodbye to their team, but was told to leave immediately.<\/p>\n

There was time for a final goodbye. Before being \u201ckicked out,\u201d this person stood by what was once their desk, and told colleagues: \u201cHey guys, I\u2019m being laid off. They\u2019re not letting me talk to you guys. Sorry it\u2019s so quick, but, you know, pleasure to work with you guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
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\"groupm
<\/a> <\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

A second recently laid-off employee described a workplace filled with silence and anxiety.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been joking with people that it\u2019s kind of like the Soviet Union, where people are getting disappeared, and you\u2019re just supposed to pretend it didn\u2019t happen,\u201d the person said.<\/p>\n

Both former employees, from two different WPP agencies, told ADWEEK they were immediately locked out of their email accounts following the meetings. Without an official list or internal communication about who had been let go, they discovered others had been impacted only through bounce-back emails.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A third source who was not laid off told ADWEEK that their agency also suffered layoffs hitting \u201cat every level\u2014associates, managing partners, directors,\u201d and that the agency\u2019s HR lead and chief strategy officer are no longer with the company.<\/p>\n

The former employees believe the layoffs are tied to recent account losses\u2014including Coca-Cola<\/a>\u2014and broader dissatisfaction with leadership.<\/p>\n

A fourth source familiar with WPP Media did not believe the layoffs were mostly due to client losses. The person suggested that the media unit had grown too big and hadn\u2019t changed because GroupM has long been the industry\u2019s top media-buying agency. This person said the layoffs are meant to help WPP Media become more software- and AI-driven.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s little comfort to the employees who were surprised by how suddenly they were let go.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s crazy how, just because of title, they\u2019re not kept in the loop,\u201d said the second source. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Layoffs at WPP\u2019s media buying unit have hit, just days after WPP reportedly rebranded GroupM as WPP Media, to unify its media agency operations, multiple employees told ADWEEK. ADWEEK was unable to confirm the extent of the cuts. A GroupM spokesperson declined to comment. While employees had expected leadership consolidation and operational restructuring, multiple employees […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":232160,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12023],"tags":[54343,15467,18018,1305,50797,30059,10999,19416,21276],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-232159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advertising","tag-advertising-news","tag-agencies","tag-begins","tag-exclusive","tag-groupm","tag-layoffs","tag-media","tag-rebrand","tag-wpp"],"yoast_head":"\nWPP Media Begins Layoffs After GroupM Rebrand - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=232159\" \/>\n<link rel=\"next\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=232159&page=2\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WPP Media Begins Layoffs After GroupM Rebrand - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Layoffs at WPP\u2019s media buying unit have hit, just days after WPP reportedly rebranded GroupM as WPP Media, to unify its media agency operations, multiple employees told ADWEEK. 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