 |
| Tom Goodwin |
Publicis Groupe has fired Tom Goodwin, who took the head of futures and insight post earlier this year, following his controversial tweets about the COVID-19 pandemic and exchanges with other ad people.
Goodwin tweeted Aug. 2 "that he found the "the total obsession with Covid deaths over all other deaths entirely gruesome."
He noted that "7,500 Americans die every day but only the ones with this precise new Virus matter."
Goodwin's tweets generated a fierce backlash on Twitter though many people defended his right to express his personal beliefs about the virus.
Publicis released this statement:
“Since the beginning of this pandemic, Publicis Groupe has taken decisions and actions led by the principles of unity, empathy and humanity despite the collective hardships.
“These posts and exchanges by Tom Goodwin this week on social media do not meet the standard of conduct we expect of our company’s employees and were not aligned with our values. Publicis and Tom have parted ways.”
Why CEO visibility is no longer optional as a communications tactic.
The “waiting period” that was once set aside for CEOs to develop their strategies before facing media scrutiny may be better used for corporate comms leaders get to know their CEO and what his or her short-term priorities will be.
Senior-most communications executives in the Fortune 500 earned between $50,000 and $100,000 more this year than they did two years ago, according to a recent survey of chief communications officers.
