DULLES, VA: Amid massive layoffs, AOL will cut back and refocus its in-house PR team.
Tricia Primrose, EVP of corporate communications, confirmed there would be PR staff layoffs, but would not disclose specific figures. AOL announced last week that it would lay off 20% of its staff as it shifts its business profile.
AOL's communications unit will be divided into three teams: corporate, programming and commerce, and products and platforms. Before the cuts, the staff included an internal communications group that has been scaled back and folded into the corporate team. The new corporate team will refocus messaging to promote the new business model, she added.
Primrose said the company does not plan to seek an AOR, but will continue working with various outside agencies on a project basis.
Though streamlining rumors surfaced several weeks ago, AOL employees were officially told via e-mail from the CEO on October 15. The following day, about 1,200 employees were told their jobs had been eliminated, mostly in face-to-face meetings, Primrose said.
