Halifax-based agency Extreme Group has implemented a restructuring initiative that includes a staff shuffle and a change in philosophical direction.
Among the changes is the promotion of former creative director Shawn King to the new position of chief creative officer. Former associate creative directors Anthony Taffe, Iain Deans and Matt Syberg-Olsen were also promoted, with Taffe and Deans becoming co-creative directors in Halifax and Syberg-Olsen taking over the creative director position at Extreme’s Toronto office.
The agency also recently added digital strategist Paul Crowe to its Toronto team.
However, the agency also laid off seven employees, including associate creative director Cliff Thompson, from its Halifax shop. Extreme Group executives cited personnel redundancies and stagnant growth in the East Coast market in explaining the moves.
“What we tried to do was, in as positive way as possible, reposition the agency and have the right people here to do that,” said Andrew Doyle, president of Extreme Group.
Specifically, Doyle said the agency needed to ease its overload at the ACD position and streamline client communications by paring back redundant points of contact.
Doyle, King and agency CEO Paul Leblanc stressed that the layoffs were part of a broader change in direction that has been in the works for the past several months. According to King, the changes are meant to change the way the agency defines itself both internally and externally.
“The big bomb that we sort of dropped on people was that we’re not an advertising agency,” said King. “From a client’s perspective, they come in with a problem and the expectation is that advertising will solve that problem. But for the most part, it won’t.
“We want to position ourselves as a branding and consumer interaction agency, and that means we’re more of an interactive agency than an advertising agency,” said King, who added that the agency’s definition of “interactive” was not synonymous with digital.
According to Leblanc, this shift in philosophy puts creative responsibilities at the feet of all staff members.
“Creative is for everyone in their job roles,” said Leblanc. “If you’re in I.T. or reception, you need to think hard about how you’re contributing to a creative culture.”
Extreme Group now has 39 staff in Halifax and 15 in Toronto.
