Pros
If you're liked, you will move up FAST. Favoritism can be a perk! ( eye-roll) Agency has great benefits, wonderful health care, lots of vacation and 4 day long weekends. Some really good clients but those accounts are hard to get on.
Cons
Sadly only once you get into the agency do you realize that the whole company is one big political house of cards. The men leading the company have been there for ages and have given up creatively or just keep reusing the same 2007 idea over and over again. If you bring something new and dont follow their game - you're out fast. No conversation - anomaly fires instead of helps. Account and production are basically ignored. No triple bid. Very limited diversity. Fast turn over or you stay 10 years, nothing in-between. Leadership still wishes they were a drinking agency. Lifers (and there are a lot of them) look out for themselves and each other. Huge egotistical enabling. As a junior you will get not support, but if you're senior- you can basically just run your own show ( as long as you suck up and compliment the important people). LA office / Berlin make the best work. Finally - some of the worst girl on girl backstabbing enabled by old men. Dont trust anyone at that agency. Women's pull the ladder up behind them.