One Ad Agency’s Way Of Getting Clients To Pay Their Bills: Pick Whom To Fire

Brussels advertising agency So Nice sent out an email to its clients saying they need to shrink their staff, and asking the clients to choose which employee should go. The email had a link to youchoosewefire.be, where each of the prospective ex-employees lists their strengths and weaknesses.

The small 10 person agency has apparently been financially squeezed by it’s clients paying their bills later and later. Co-founder of the company, Laurent Duffaut, said the email was a “scandalous and provocative way to get a reaction from our clients”. But the email has generated a ton of interest outside of just its client base. In five days, the site has had 30,000 unique visitors casting 17,500 votes.

So with one simple email and website, they encouraged their existing clients to pay up, and spread their name around to new potential clients. Nice move. Unfortunately, it seems a little like holding a kitten hostage to me, appealing to your customers empathy…OR ELSE. It leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.