Acxiom Reviews

Pros

I'm challenged to complete this section. Many of the people that are still at Acxiom are great. They have very good data. Good analytics. Big ideas. Good technology. Good exposure to F500 client base.

Cons

No training. No career path. No feedback - good or bad. Constant re-orgs. Attrition rate hovers from 12-15% consistently. HR is a mouthpiece that never delivers. No investment in people or technology. Company's solution to profits is to lay off. People left are doing the jobs of 3-4. Employees are often placed in uncomfortable situations with clients where technology isn't delivering and they need to dance around delivery to meet client needs. Senior management = old boy network. Elitist. They show up in many offices and do not interact at all with any of the employees who are sweating and are making things happen - making things function via work-arounds considering technological deficiencies. No diversity in employees. Very few woman or minorities in any position of power. Employees are thrown into different roles whether they have experience or not. No support for success. And if you fail, you are criticized and demoted. No integration encouraged between lines of business, yet their theme song is multi-channel marketing. Individuals are discouraged from bringing in other lines of business for client benefit b/c that would compromise the profits of that individual line of business. Just plain ridiculous. Oh and they claim to be a marketing company. Just take a look at what the messaging has been at recent shows. No consistency. And no fun. Nothing special for employees. 401k matching cut. Pay cuts for everyone too, with no criteria for attaining again. The only fun we have is employee-driven pot luck lunches from time to time. Company very rarely contributes to anything.

Advice to Senior Management

Roll up your sleeves and get dirty. Talk to the people making it happen. And commit to improvement and keep your word. Recognize your company value is tied to your talent. You ignore your talent, you ignore your opportunity. The big talk may work short-term with F500 clients, but if you don't have a team empowered to deliver, you're nothing. And another lay off won't fix the situation either. Wake up.

Pros

Environment was okay. Interaction between co-workers lighten the load of being held down, when trying to advance in career growth.

Cons

Would like more interaction between upper management and lower management. Communication was not the acceptable for future growth of the company. Compensation not competitive with experience

Advice to Senior Management

Communication will be a big help. Cut out the extra long red tape to get little things done. Open up for more creativity from employees.

Pros

If you're full time, you get medical benefits including dental and vision. Depending on where you are, you may also get 1 day to work from home, but the workload is insane especially when working with a big client like Citi.

Cons

Very limited management interaction. You're manager doesn't even know what goes on or what you do when you work or how late you work especially when you work for a big client like Citi. Workload is insanely large that you are almost required to give your cell phone number so you will be called at odd times or even your scheduled day offs or weekends to do work no matter what you were doing previously. Recognition is very limited. Absolutely no work/life balance.

Advice to Senior Management

Interact with the employees and try to seek out what their concerns are especially with the client. Make sure there is a work/life balance for all employees no matter what job role they're in.

Pros

Acxiom is pretty fair when it comes to work and family balance. You accrue a lot of vacation days each year. They are pretty flexible when it comes to work scheduling. They have an onsite wellness center and the benefits are okay.

Cons

Poor leadership from upper management, lack of direction, lack of career growth. The jobs are dead end and there is no career path. No feedback is given regarding job performance. Management does not like to make decisions and especially does not like to take accountability for the poor decisions that are made.

Advice to Senior Management

Work on better leadership, clear direction, helping associates achieve a career path, feedback on job performance, as well as advancement opportunities.

Pros

Exceptional paid days off and balance between work and home life. The work itself is enjoyable and I feel like I have gained relevant experience

Cons

Employee moral is low due to constant layoffs and forced time off. Management doesn't seem to understand employee needs or wants.

Advice to Senior Management

Management needs to focus more on pleasing employees due to the critically low morale. Stop looking for short term satisfaction and start looking at long term solutions.

Pros

Good work/life balance and knowledgeable and friendly co-workers. Good paid-days-off and work flexibility. Focus is on getting the work done, rather than a 8-5 culture. Good place to start your career.

Cons

Acxiom used to be focused a lot on technology and that has gotten them to their current good standing. The new management is all about marketing and with very little or no focus on the technology. Not a good place now for a Software job. Not a good place to grow, very flat organization and the employee turnover is very low.

Advice to Senior Management

Focus on Marketing that's important, but don't blindly make technical decisions, heed to the warnings given by development groups and value their input.

Pros

Co-workers are knowledgable, honorable and generally motivated. Middle management is trustworthly, and encourages honest feedback, suggestions and interaction. Products are stable, and client-centric, although not really innovative.

Cons

Senior management is too focused on cost-cutting, re-organizing and downsizing, instead of showing leadership by communicating a plan to grow the business, which leaves associates feeling very, very uneasy. Layoffs are constantly underway and piecemeal, leaving associates in a constant state apprehension. It is hard to plan on a long-term basis.

Advice to Senior Management

Practice what you preach to your associates. Address their fears about employee tenure in an honest, candid way. In times of economic uncertainty, offer positive suggestions and provide leadership on ways to move forward.

Pros

Gain experience working with big name clients
Good people
Good lower and mid management
Dress code (you can wear jeans)

Cons

It seems people are being laid off all the time
Now they have mandatory weeks without pay
Morale is low

Advice to Senior Management

Stop moving jobs oversees - it kills morale in the U.S.
Change the "Good ole boy" company culture
Make better use of the resources you have

Pros

Very good vision on multi-channel marketing and in a prime place to execute.

Cons

Too many "know it alls" sitting in Conway who are actually very reluctant to admit that there may be others who understand the online world better. Even worse, some old timers still question the legitimacy of the online world for marketing. Guys - get with the program! The internet has been around for over 15 years and digital marketing is not the future anymore. It is here and happening!

Advice to Senior Management

OK - cost management is understandable and was much needed. What next? How are we going to grow revenues? Certainly not by doing what we have done for the past 20 years. We need to embrace the new world and start executing on that vision. You cannot make an omlette without breaking a few eggs. Embrace Digital!!!

Pros

Acxiom benifts are equal to the marketplace. Extensive virtual training offered. Flexable about taking time off for personnel reasons. Excellent IT support.

Cons

Acxiom is very short term revenue oriented towarded their existing products. Does not approach markeplace in a consultative manner. Nees to improve and streamline processes. Having employees work out of offices is opposite of what big consulting firms are doing.

Advice to Senior Management

Streamline internal processes for trave, expenses, contacts etc. To much overhead and time wasted.