Advertising Roundup -- 80 Laid Off at Starcom; 26 Laid Off at Ogilvy; Lamar Debt Makes Hedge Fund Rich; More ...

Layoffs at Starcom — Chicago’s Starcom MediaVest laid off 80 staffers yesterday, AgencySpy has learned. A Starcom representative confirmed the cuts today, stating that the current economic climate is to blame. [Source: AgencySpy]

26 laid off at Ogilvy Group UK — The role of Bo Hellberg, the creative director of OgilvyInteractive, was made redundant alongside 25 other jobs from across the group. Out of the 26 redundancies, it is understood that 11 come from Ogilvy Advertising and ten from OgilvyOne, with the others spread across the remaining group businesses. [Source: Brand Republic]

BNET Ad Agency Layoff Counter now stands at 6,827 jobs lost in recent months. [Source: BNET]

Lamar debt is making hedge funder rich — JHL Capital accumulated positions in the short-term bonds of The New York Times Company and convertible bonds of the outdoor billboard owner Lamar Advertising. While the credit crisis has caused the value of most corporate bonds and leveraged loans to fall to unheard of levels, JHL Capital narrowed its focus to companies that were looking to pay off debt in the short term. Other investors are also maneuvering with Lamar stock.
[Source: NYT]

Lamar fights the good fight for digital billboards — The debate over electronic billboards that transfixed (!) Pittsburgh government last year has moved into a new phase, in which the courts and council will decide how the trend in outdoor advertising should be handled locally. Last week, a few dozen people gathered Downtown at the city Planning Department’s invitation to talk about proposed new rules for light-emitting diode billboards. The next day, Lamar Advertising filed a Common Pleas Court appeal of a zoning board of adjustment decision that stopped it from finishing a controversial LED sign on Downtown’s Grant Street Transportation Center. [Source: Post-Gazette]

Illinois Lottery Picks Energy BBDO — The other finalists were Marc USA and WPP’s JWT. Sarah Cummins, marketing director for the Lottery, said. [Source: Adweek]

Saatchis in SA get wider audience for Guinness ad — Following completion of a recent Saatchi & Saatchi South Africa commercial originally destined for Guinness’ African markets only, client Diageo soon recognised that the commercial had international merit and appeal, and decided to run it in other markets internationally. The TV ad for Guinness beer began rotation on European TV networks in Q4 2008 and will soon screened on other continents. This is the first time an African commercial has been picked up in other parts of the world for Guinness. [Source: BizCommunity]

Saatchis wins London post-Olympic biz — Saatchi & Saatchi has scooped a brief to promote the enduring positive effects of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The agency won the account, which has been termed a “legacy brief”, following a pitch against undisclosed agencies. [Source: Brand Republic]