Vantaggi
I worked alongside some of the most incredible talent in my career, who either jumped ship or were let go. The company is a great resume builder for some of the younger talent, who as a result have some of the highest churn rates I have ever experienced in an agency. The company and its employees are welcoming and warm-hearted, and the agency can become your second home if you click with your co-workers. Employee benefits are unbeatable, especially for working mothers. Pay can be great for talented individuals, but only if you ask for it when you are hired or threaten to quit.
Svantaggi
Where to begin? From a 5-year business perspective, this company is in trouble. Layoffs have quickly become the new norm, and the company is increasingly unable to afford (and keep) the talent they so desperately require to turn this ship around. Even if they could, I have zero faith in upper-level management to structure the company in a way that puts the client's businesses first. It's one thing to have a company vision, but it's another to be realistic in bringing that vision to life. The types of clients and work that new management wants so desperately to bring in (think $5-10M+ accounts) are challenging for a company with a portfolio that, in all honesty, does not fit within that vision. In management's pursuit of their big creative pitch, they have completely and brazenly ignored the accounts that originally made Periscope a workhorse of the Minneapolis ad community. Through layoffs, let-gos and insane employee turnover, many of the accounts that they still have are hanging on by their final threads. Management continues to pressure account teams to "save" these accounts, by pitching them big (expensive) ideas that they didn't ask for and that their staff can't deliver. Two things always happen: 1. The client bites, and internally we have no resources to get the job done—especially when it comes to anything that lives on a screen. The project is usually contracted out, over budget, and seriously disconnected/completely pointless. This is true for almost any project that lies outside the scope of traditional media or print projects. 2. The client doesn't bite, and we've wasted hundreds of hours of work while the core business of the client falters. Meanwhile, management continues to act like nothing is wrong while they (rightfully) lose client pitches to film television commercials. Working here is exhausting, and 90% of the work you do will be in vain. Management consistently provides false hope, and I've witnessed over 10 close employees resign without another position lined up. That's alarming!