Peter Mayer Lays Off 20% of Workforce

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Local advertising firm, Peter Mayer Advertising, laid off 20% of its staff on Monday, Oct. 13, according to Katherine Sayre with The Times Picayune.

         She reports the layoff of 40 of the firm’s 200 employees occurred after they lost a major account that her sources identified as mega-telecom provider CenturyLink.

         Peter Mayer is an independent advertising, marketing and public relations agency founded in 1967.

         In a statement, Mark Mayer, president of the New Orleans ad firm, confirmed the layoffs, but didn’t confirm the client who left.

         "In the lifespan of any agency, there are times when client needs generate significant growth and other times when the business contracts," Mayer said in the emailed statement to The Times-Picayune. "Therefore, we are in the unfortunate position of having to rebalance our workforce to meet the needs of current clients. This is a painful thing to have to do. Our employees are the most talented, hardest-working and creative professionals in the industry."

         The Times-Picayune reported Peter Mayer will provide severance payments and help find jobs for laid-off staffers.

         Peter Mayer’s website still shows the Century Link logo under their Clients tab, along with Community Coffee, GE Capital, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, The National WWII Museum and Whitney and Hancock Banks.