Edelman Account Director Reviews

Pros

Great accounts, which is great if you're starting off in your career Stable agency - strong and steady growth Really smart people Very creative individuals willing to come up with inventive ways to solve client problems

Cons

Junior members of staff work incredibly long hours Hiring seems to be concentrated on really senior individuals, or 'vanity hires' - who sometimes do not add much value to the organisation Although the policy has changed, there was a conflict between the accounts the firm represented and its own values

Advice to Management

Reward junior and middle management staff better

Pros

Interesting work; high profile clients Nice work space; good canteen Free breakfast Nice clients - apart from PayPal Honestly that’s about it

Cons

Very long hours (7:30am - 9pm) and often working on weekends Blame culture with no support Low pay compared to competitors Over servicing by up to 300% leads to ridiculous expectations both from clients and senior team Pretty bad leadership in Brand

Advice to Management

Nurture staff - they’re your best asset

Pros

Amazing client briefs, international opportunities, growth/development opportunities

Cons

Salary, limited work life balance

Pros

There is room for entrepreneurial spirit as long as it does not interfere with senior management agenda

Cons

Petty politics get in the way of producing good work

Advice to Management

Do not give talented employees for granted. A meaningful reward scheme should be put in place based on performance rather than networking.

Pros

Great place to get stuck in and learn, because if you show that you're good at your job you'll end up being treated like a carthorse. The people you work with on a day to day basis within your team is the best element - I made some lifelong friends, I was sad to see many of them made redundant recently.

Cons

The senior team are arrogant and not supportive. You enter a sink or swim culture that doesn't reward you, even if you do swim. If you're deemed not good enough, you're left to flounder with no help. As a mid level member of the team it astounded me often people wouldn't receive support. The work life balance is appalling; you can push back as much as you want, but nobody listens. You'll easily end up doing 70h+ per...

Advice to Management

You are not a 'creative agency', you are a corporate PR agency. Stick to what you know and show some humility to your staff; without them you'd be nothing.

Pros

Leadership, Values, Intellectuals, System & Processes

Cons

Expensive Agency for a lot of Indian client perception

Pros

Truly global business, mobility for talented people, trend setters, rooted in ethics and best practice. Moving towards an integrated model, successfully. Smart people. Efficient and lean business, no room for wastage and laziness.

Cons

Competitive, people don't form deep friendships or socialize at work, can be difficult to keep ownership of account and shine, unless you're prepared to work a 50 hour week. As in all agencies I'be worked in management focuses on consumer and more corporate led practices take a back seat. True thinkers are often shouted over.

Advice to Management

Prioritize areas such as healthcare and focus on the people in that business too. Understand that not everyone has a brand and consumer trajectory. Respect and reward academics and intellectuals as much as extroverts and self-promoters

Pros

Edelman globally has great clients and exciting projects, incredibly talented and passionate colleagues with a high level of professionalism. The bigger idea that Edelman stands for is why I am giving 3 stars.

Cons

I wish the German management were more professional, less opportunistic and had a clear vision. I get assigned to totally random accounts and feel like I am wasting my talent. The merger with ergo was handled very badly. The work cultures don't match and we have a very different understanding of client service. This has led to a disastrous impact on my work life balance and colleagues on both sides are fleeing the company.

Advice to Management

I would highly recommend Edelman but not in Germany.