Arnold Worldwide Reviews

Pros

Very creative environment and comfortable working environment.

Cons

Was told that there is a strong hierarchy which may or may not be accurate.

Advice to Senior Management

Seem very knowledgeable, but not necessarily easily accessible.

Pros

There is a gym next door.

Cons

Salaries tend to be below average.

Advice to Senior Management

Many people have been leaving because salaries are no longer competitive. Perhaps it's time to change that.

Pros

Good management, compensation, and great working atmosphere and employees at Arnold in Boston

Cons

Sometimes work was not related to job title

Advice to Senior Management

Continue to provide guidance and a mentor like leadership role

Pros

Decent pay. Good benefits. Very family first focused.

Cons

No support from top management for the people or the work. For all the talk of 'great work works' their actions show 'mediocre work keeps the client'.

Advice to Senior Management

Walk it like you talk it.

Pros

Great Benefits. Great People. Good Place.

Cons

Bad cutbacks. Bad Economy. Bad Times.

Advice to Senior Management

Let us know what's up.

Pros

They want you to succeed, not just the company.
They really care about good work.
I had great advancement opportunities.
Coworkers were bright, fun and down to earth.
If you earn management's trust, you can really chart your own course.
My boss was super-critical about the work, but I never felt the criticism was aimed at me personally. So I was pushed pretty hard while keeping my pride intact.
Decent holidays/vacas/benes.
They're motto when I first came aboard was "Smart, creative and nice." I found that to be true.

Cons

I'm probably underpaid.
Digital has seen a lot of turnover from C-level on down.
Felt the effects of being owned by Havas—'meeting the numbers' is omnipresent and we tended to be held back in areas such as media.

Advice to Senior Management

Not sure if it's feasible but I wish they could've tried to run the company as if it weren't owned by a media-centric holding company.

Pros

Smart and talented people, good benefits, strong creative work overall. Relative lack of drama in account and creative team relationships which is a refreshing change of pace.

Cons

Top level management tries to be way too involved in the day-to-day and things really don't work well that way. Claims commitment to digital but still doesn't seem to understand exactly what that means (and constantly lose great talent as a result). Salaries are low compared to competitive agencies.

Advice to Senior Management

Need a stronger focus on developing and mentoring junior level talent. Truly get serious about digital - we really need to learn how to deliver. Practice what you preach about process/chain of command and let the smart, talented people you've hired do their jobs and handle the day-to-day work without interference.

Pros

Incredible group of talented and fun people.
Good clients and good place to build your book.
Great work/life balance and great working environment.

Cons

Next to impossible to get promoted, and the pay is terrible.
Next to no mentorship for young creatives. You have to find your own way here.

Advice to Senior Management

Start paying and recognizing your talent with more than free booze if you want to retain some good people. Other than that very competent and actually nice people.

Pros

You can make changes.. and impact management style and great work is encouraged.

Cons

Very bad behavior by senior creatives goes unchecked.

Advice to Senior Management

That is not just about the work.. but how the work gets done.

Pros

The best reason to work at Arnold is because of the fact it is in Boston which is a great city to live in. It is a pretty cool advertising community, but pretty small as well -- not a lot of options. Arnold was once one of the best in the country but they have gone way downhill since. But the benefits are great. Some of the people are terrific. I understand that it has gone down hill since I left. But there are a few accounts that still are pretty cool. Finally, it is a pretty good name on your resume -- just don't specify which years!

Cons

Unfortunately, they are over the hill. Back in the days when they had some great accounts, the best of which was Volkswagen, they were on fire. Great leadership, great creative, great reputation, and great people to work with and work for. The vibe was so much better at that time. But once they lost that account, everyone got bitter. it was every man for himself and lots of back-stabbing. The best people were systematically drummed out. The work went downhill. They can't win any new business. It is a shame, but they are now just another little local agency.

Advice to Senior Management

Feedback to senior management? get rid of 75% of the senior management and their big salaries. stop walking around like everything is good and going to be okay. take a serious and critical look at how to move the agency forward. And stop pining away for the good ole days -- they are never coming back.