Now Mazda cuts back at WPP
Another sign of the tangled skein WPP CEO Mark Read is trying to unravel: WPP is making cutbacks to its Orange County-based Garage Team Mazda (didn’t know it had one) which looks like a smaller version of its Global Team Blue for Ford (Ford used to have a big cross-shareholding in Japan’s Mazda.)
According to Adweek the dreaded “scope of work” has reduced. Car companies across the globe are cutting back as the diesel disaster hits and most of their investment is going on electric cars and the like (even though they make far less money from them than conventional models.)
Here’s the Garage Team’s latest big effort.
You can see why Mazda is cutting back, perhaps.
Bespoke agencies no doubt seemed a good idea at the time but the trouble is, what do you do with them when the client walks or cuts back? WPP’s much bigger GTB is re-adjusting to life without Ford creative, possibly grappling with life support.