AKQA Reviews

Pros

Improved my presentation skills, opened my mind about the creative work

Cons

The copywriters weren't too much involved in film shootings, and production which can be the funniest part.

Pros

Great projects to work on and the team is really amazing

Cons

Salary doesn't seem to be on London average.

Pros

Nice People in data team

Cons

Agency Life is sometimes hectic.

Pros

People who work here are talented and ambitious, everything you get involved with will be beautifully crafted and considered

Cons

Your experience and success depends entirely on who your manager is and whether or not they have influence in the management team

Advice to Management

Treat the amazing people who make this business what it is as humans, not numbers in a spreadsheet

Pros

Knew that no matter the client of brief, the team would nail it and have the courage to be bolder and better than anyone else. The team was like family and the leadership cared. Didn’t want to be anywhere else. But that changed and changed fast.

Cons

The defensive responses to negative reviews say a lot. The london office has gone from a vibrant and buzzing 3 floor office with 2 separate buildings also in use to 2 floors in one building. Sometimes you need to slow down to speed up - sometimes you just need to be honest and accept that whilst the firm talks about creating the future, it needs a different team to shape its own. I hate saying this as I loved the place...

Advice to Management

Bring in the right people to go back to focusing on the people and the work. Ajaz was clear that great people that produce great work takes care of everything else. At the time I felt it simplistic but later found it a powerful truth. I’m not going to make this about individuals but it’s clear which stars still shine and which have faded across the leadership. Change and regain and surpass the mojo of old. I’m still...

Pros

There are still some good people here, but the smart ones fled long ago. At one time there was a commitment to innovation and excellence. Big name clients look good on your resume, but chances are you will do little more than repetitious busywork for them. Most likely you will be recycling the umpteenth iteration of the same work somebody else did years ago for a different client.

Cons

Stagnant leadership stifles change and drives away the talent that could revive the company. Long-term investment in individuals or infrastructure is non-existent. Any pretense to doing serious technical development work disappeared long ago. You will spend half your time working there chasing down a project manager for a billing code so you can get paid, after having worked nights, weekends and holidays with no appreciation...

Advice to Management

Let some new blood rise up the ranks before the aging incestuous old guard drains the last bit of life from what was once a vibrant creative force.

Pros

There are still some amazing people at AKQA. The passion for the work is real, as is the commitment to quality. Lovely offices, good perks like decent coffee, fruit, exercise room, inspiring talks from outside speakers.

Cons

Many of the smartest, most impressive people have gone - the leadership in every department has changed in the last 18 months. There's no sense of purpose other than making money. The political environment has become toxic to the work.

Advice to Management

Work out what the company stands for, at an actionable, concrete level.

Pros

Humble, incredibly talented and driven people, inspiring work, beautiful office, travel opportunities, great investment in development of employees, long list of benefits.

Cons

Can't say I can think of any.

Advice to Management

Keep up the good work

Pros

The clients were amazing. The work coming out of AKQA was exceptional. The work that I was lucky enough to be involved with was inspiring.

Cons

A lot of the people were up themselves, rude, unsupportive; all the way up to the then-CTO. I was made to feel uncomfortable on more than one occasion about my personality because I wasn't "like everybody else".

Advice to Management

Your senior employees are there to mentor your juniors. In my experience at AQKA, this was a massive failure. I am no longer there because I was let down by a senior.

Pros

AKQA is globally renowned for delivering excellence to clients and their end-users. This drive for quality is shared amongst the highly talented team at AKQA, and is contagious to all that encounter it. Talent is fostered through a well-crafted learning and development programme, which has gathered great momentum in recent years with the launch of an internal learning platform to encourage cross-office and cross-functional...

Cons

AKQA is not for everyone. To be successful at AKQA, you should be a team player with a drive for excellence, and a passion for making a positive impact on the consumer.

Advice to Management

Continue to invest in knowledge, both in the learning and development of your people, and being on the cusp of emerging technologies.