He promises to keep your name and personal details completely confidential. But he would like you to let him know approximately how many people have been made redundant from your agency in 2009. This is M&C Saatchi Asia CEO Chris Jaques we're talking about, and he made this request in a recent blog post on Brand Republic.

Everyone needs to know the truth: the real facts, not the agency management's PR-controlled bullshit.

Because agency management throughout the region are lying, and it's the agency staff who are suffering. Management are telling the media that they have made no redundancies, so that they can preserve a false image of success and resilience.

Which means that they are happy for their staff to suffer for the sake of their own reputation. Which makes me screaming mad, for one critical and undeniable reason:

If agencies are denying that they have made any redundancies because of financial reasons — then those people who have been made redundant, must have been fired because they are not good enough. Which, in most cases, is simply not true. I've personally interviewed many, many talented people this year who have only lost their jobs because their bosses are losing money.

These lies could ruin careers. Possibly damage lives. And ultimately undermine the future of the industry.

It's unfair. It must be stopped. So we need to know the truth.

So please — please — let us know how many people you believe have been fired from your agency this year.

So that we can share the truth, begin rebuilding people's careers — and start resurrecting our industry.

Well I can't imagine any other reason an agency CEO would want to know how many people other agencies have laid off, can you? So here's what we're thinking: continue telling us about the layoffs if you please. All we're going to do with that info is vet it and post it here for your commenting pleasure.

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