CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- Fallon Worldwide fired top creative Paul Silburn less than a year after he joined the agency amid lackluster new business results.
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In a statement, Chairman Pat Fallon said, ?Paul is a brilliant creative, international talent, and a great guy, but I am not satisfied with our progress. I needed to make a change and that change called for decisiveness.?
Co-creative director
Also leaving is Co-Creative Director Mark Taylor, hired by Mr. Silburn last year from Crispin Porter & Bogusky.
"Like Pat, I'm not satisfied with the progress at Fallon either," Mr. Silburn told Advertising Age.. "I agree that change is needed."
Fallon hired Mr. Silburn, previously deputy creative of Omnicom Group's TBWA, London, as executive creative director in 2004. He replaced David Lubars, who left to take the top creative post at Omnicom sibling BBDO Worldwide, New York.
Didn't mesh well
Mr. Silburn was highly regarded, but he didn?t mesh well at Fallon, according to executives familiar with the situation. He was seen as overly hands on and would also hold creative "jump balls" on assignments, a departure from agency practice. He was also more reclusive than his predecessor.
Mr. Silburn declined to comment about what preceded the split.
A steady stream of creatives has left the agency since he took the reins. Moreover, Mr. Silburn couldn't help the agency win any significant new business last year as clients including Dyson, BMW of North America and Lee Jeans left. While the agency won creative duties for Vanguard Car Rental and KitchenAid, it fell short in reviews for Heineken Premium Light beer and global duties for Bacardi rum.
Commenting about the rash of departures, he said: "Some people left, some really great people joined." Asked about his future plans, he said, "Probably back to London but who knows."