Vantaggi
Some of the smartest minds in media work at Essence. The work feels well thought out and it’s exciting to plan campaigns for clients like Airbnb and Google. You can move easily between disciplines if you want to try something new, for now. Many agencies claim mobility while Essence practices it.
Svantaggi
The company is bleeding good talent as it converts from a small scrappy agency to large multinational corporation. The trajectory is not unique to media agencies that seek to scale, but it’s sad to see it happen to Essence. You know the work and workers were once top tier as many legacy employees go client side and hesitate to leave for another agency. The thinning and approach used to be more holistic while now they are moving to more specialized employees with a one track mind for their discipline. There is no culture to speak of and leadership is impersonal and distant. The agency always felt outside of the “industry” (whether that was true or not) but not it’s very corporate and sterile. Benefits have also gotten worse but are comparable to industry standards so newcomers won’t notice.