Ad agency Wieden+Kennedy cuts 90 jobs from Portland workforce
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Ninety people at Portland’s best-known advertising agency have joined the growing list of employees affected by a recent string of layoffs in the area.
Wieden+Kennedy, the company behind Nike’s famous ad campaigns, announced the decision to cut more than 20% of its 440-person workforce on Wednesday.
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“Layoffs are terrible. There’s no way to sugarcoat it. But, we’ve gotten to a place in Portland where we need to make changes to align better with how our clients work,” Jason White, president of the Portland office, said in a statement. “Saying goodbye to any of our people is always a last resort, and we never make that decision lightly. Our focus right now is supporting everyone through this transition.”
The announcement follows a recent trend in local workforce reductions in the area, including layoffs from Nike, Columbia, and UPS.
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On Feb. 16, Nike confirmed their plans to cut approximately 2% of their international workforce in what the company calls an attempt to “right-size” the organization. According to Forbes, Nike had 79,100 workers, meaning the layoffs would amount to roughly 1,500 employees.
A letter sent to Nike employees that day said the announcement launched a first phase of layoffs. A second phase will be finished by the end of its fourth quarter.
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