Last week I wrote a blog post about the abrupt departure of the entire management of the Zurich-based Young & Rubicam Group. I compared this process to a magnitude 9 tectonic earthquake. This assessment was probably correct. It's just a shame that no one outside the industry noticed it.
The departure of CEO Andreas Widmer and his colleagues was not mentioned in the business pages of Swiss newspapers. What is surprising is that the Young & Rubicam Group, with around 120 employees, is the fourth largest agency in Switzerland and was considered the hottest creative hotbed in Switzerland until the turn of the brazil rcs data millennium. The exodus of top employees could provide the international WPP network, which is based in New York, with an ideal excuse to make unpleasant changes at the Swiss branch.
This scandal shortly before August 1st has a patriotic note: the Swiss management team was thus defending itself against the paternalism of the American parent company. It is a little unpleasant that this William Tell act (to stay with the patriotic imagery) left not only the customers but also the employees in uncertainty. The fact that
our media ignores this unusual event is an indication of the low status of our creative industry. Every change of landlord or other business receives more journalistic attention. This is really unfair. The communications industry employs around 20,000 people across Switzerland and generates a total turnover of 7.6 billion Swiss francs. This is almost the same as the energy supply. But wind turbines naturally generate more wind.