Burson-Marsteller Reviews

Pros

International, Big Clients, Interesting Issues, Fast Environment

Cons

Old boys network with old boys perspective on where PR is going, sitting at the very top. Main reason for the Google / Facebook Fiasco B-M was facing in early 2011.

Advice to Senior Management

It takes investments to make better consultants out of people. It takes investments to be more efficient. It takes investments not to miss the train to the future of Social PR.

Pros

- Pay is somewhat competitive
- Great working environment (depending on leadership of practices)
- Nice benefits

Cons

- Good ole boy network
- Some upper management individuals are incompetent
- Long hours

Pros

- The company provides endless online learning resources, including templates, presentations, tutorials, etc.
- Interns are client facing and truly have the experience of an entry level employee

Cons

- Long hours are expected, particularly during the final weeks of the internship, and many of those hours aren't billable... Meaning that as an hourly employee you end up not getting paid for your work, working from home on the weekends, etc.
- You are treated as an entry level employee whether you're ready or not. A lot of knowledge is assumed, and time management skills are a must.

Pros

Your success at Burson really depends on the practice or client team you are part of. I was lucky to have been in a great practice with smart co-workers and great management. I learned so much from my time working there and if you are open to it, find a good mentor who will help you further your career and be your Burson advocate. It's about building and fostering relationships, if you have the talent and networking skills, you will do well,

Cons

If you are in a practice that does not value your skill set or talents, try to find a better fit in the company. It's very easy to get lost in the shuffle, you really have to carve out your niche and build relationships with senior management to get noticed.

Advice to Senior Management

Remember that in any professional service agency your people really are your calling card. Nurture staff, you hired them because they are the best in their field, remember that, they are your best and worst brand advocate so treat them well and with respect.

Pros

- Agency name is well known
- Large client names
- Office is in a nice location and current furniture/work space
- Blackberry and laptop are provided

Cons

- Large client names with no budgets
- No Innovative campaigns
- Social media within campaigns and agency is non-existent
- Questionable ethics
- Senior level staff take all the hours for accounts leaving lower level employees with all the work and no hours. Leads to rejected time forms and other issues...
- Crazy clients that are kept around for cash flow
- Clients do not trust B-M
- No work life balance. Moreso than any other agency and not worth the way employees are treated
- Employees with a work life balance, enjoy leading healthy lifestyles and not social enough in the office are looked down upon
-Too many proecedures in place to allow employees do the work that is required during the day
-Required tobe on-call 24/7
- Managing Directors are seen doing work of Senior Associates and Managers (in the office I worked) due to not having enough work and billable hours
- Low morale
- Workload of level not as challenging as other agencies
- Experience required and workload actually given do not match up
- Lots of new business work done, no creativity or strategy behind them. Not much business is won unless poached by an unhappy client
- Old employees were frequently mentioned that left and talked negatively about
- Only employees compliacent with their careers and unable to find jobs elsewhere stayed and have been promoted with no one else to compete against

Overall, a place I would never recommend to anyonee even to just have on their resume.

Advice to Senior Management

Treat your employees with respect and give them challenging work. Create a valuable work culture for people to thrive and not cause a mass exodus.

Pros

- Numerous opportunities to work on high-profile, top-notch clients
- The B-M brand is well respected in the industry and looks great on a resume
- B-M is generally willing to throw money at anything (office technology, high-profile hires, etc.)
- Despite the cons, you'll leave having picked up more experience than you initially expected

Cons

- Saying that work/life balance is non-existent is an major understatement
- Woefully behind the industry curve in terms of internal communications, knowledge sharing and digital capabilities
- Integration across practice groups is a nightmare, particularly when it comes to pitching new business or coming to an agreement on budget - this ultimately affects the overall quality of the final product
- Due to the high profile of the Issues & Crisis Group there is a general expectation throughout the company that last minute emergencies / fire drills are a viable way of conducting business

Advice to Senior Management

MD's are either unable or unwilling to delegate to the staff below them, making it difficult for accounts to function without constant feedback from leadership. Trust the employees you've hired so that they can be proactive about providing solutions to the client rather than being reactive to their requests.

Pros

you have the opportunity to work for some of most important companies in the world. my clients are phenomenal and inspiring and we have the ability to work with huge budgets and accomplish awe-inspiring things.

Cons

You have to manage your own career. It's not a touchy feely work environment, you work with brilliant people who are very, very focused on rising to the top. That can feel a bit intimindating if you're mid-level.

Advice to Senior Management

Pay your junior employees more and spend less time starry eyed over your rock star senior hires.

Pros

Some good / interesting clients.

Cons

Poor support from management - leads to fragmented teams. High employee turnover even in management. A general lack of innovation in the local markets. Lack of compensation for overtime with an expectation to work 10-12hour days. Bad pay in comparrison to simillar (or even lesser) roles internationally.

Advice to Senior Management

Your staff = your strength. Look after them.

Pros

smart people, great teams, exposure to top companies/clients, great reputation, support only if you have a good manager

Cons

lack of employee retention and developing staff; lack of communication with in company and practice, raises and promotions are all by campaiging and having advocated not a systemic approach of where you are and the steps you need to take to get to the next level

Pros

-Solid reputation
-Fair compensation
-Growth opportunities if you are political

Cons

-Long hours with little regard for personal commitments
-Uneven practices among senior leadership
-Emphasis on billability and commitment to working on new business, which leads to managers working 70-80 hours a week
-Inconsistent expectations for levels between different practices
-Tenuous work environment

Advice to Senior Management

Focus on creating a nurturing environment that treats management and junior staff equally. Remember that this is PR, not ER.