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Is Microsoft signaling that the company is getting out of the brand advertising business? Its latest round of layoffs sure seem to indicate so.
On Wednesday (July 11), the company initiated an expected round of layoffs with the Microsoft Advertising division, according to the Wall Street Journal. Officials at the software giant did not provide any hard numbers, but as first reported by Adweek, between 15 to 30 percent of the group’s sales force was expected to be eliminated.
What’s interesting is where those cuts were concentrated. According to sources, Microsoft has completely eliminated its mobile advertising team, with the exception of Jeff Plaisted, director of sales and strategy, mobile & Skype Advertising (perhaps indicated that Skype is about to take on a more prominent role in Microsoft’s ad strategy).
Also taking the brunt of the cuts was the Global Creative Solutions team, which housed Microsoft’s much praised branded entertainment business BEET (Branded Entertainment Experiences Team).
