Vantaggi
Merritt was my first experience in an agency and I'm glad that was the case. Because it's a smaller firm, you get a lot of opportunities to work on projects you may not get to at other, larger agencies. Having minimal PR experience, I was able to come in and learn the ins and outs of the industry in just over a year with the company. The senior leadership, in my experience, lived by an open door policy and were always happy to help you work through anything you might be stuck on.
Also worth noting:
Flexible work from home policies - WFH Fridays + 3 additional days per month
Competitive salary compared to other agencies
Lots of fun activities and charitable engagements to get involved with
Solid PTO policy
Very tight knit group - everyone from CEO down will know your name
Svantaggi
Location was big minus for me, as Tysons Corner can be a pretty unappealing commute. WFH days definitely made this a bit easier though
Promotions felt unclear as far as what it took to get to the next level. And it often seemed like your fate was pretty much resting solely in the hands of your dedicated manager.
Middle management often over-delegates tasks to junior staff
Staffing - Saw a fair amount of turnover while I was there, and filling the void left by former employees generally took several months.