Catalyst Online Reviews

Current Employee – been working at Catalyst Online full-time for more than a year

Pros – I've loved working at Catalyst. They have a nice, open, laid-back company culture, and it has been a huge asset to my career. I have learned a lot and have had the benefit of working with some amazing clients.

Cons – There is always a lot of work to be done, at times overwhelmingly so. However, on our team I feel that we do a great job of managing expectations.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Catalyst Online full-time for less than a year

Pros – The resources available to Catalyst employees is my favorite benefit. You can connect & network with online marketing experts from all over the world as part of the Group M family. We are all encouraged to connect and share knowledge and learnings.

Great vacation policy; the offices all close from Christmas to New Years (so no fighting over who gets to take that week off), you can take up to 6 Fridays off in the summer as long as you make up the time during the week, plus the typical vacation days, personal days, and sick days you get at any established company.

Fun, friendly staff. We get to drink in the office on Thursday afternoons.

The management at Catalyst is really awesome to work for (I can only speak of the management in the Newton / "Boston" location). They are constantly asking for feedback on how to make things better for employees and how to improve their processes. It's nice to feel like your feedback matters. I've only been with the company for about 6 months and I've already seen big improvements since I've started here. You are encouraged to participate in the company blog, in creating new product offerings, and improving the company through innovation.

You get to work on large brands that your friends and family will recognize when you talk about what you do for a living. You get exposure to all aspects of online marketing and working in an agency environment. Sometime the clients treat employees to cool stuff, free tickets to events, food, schwag, etc.

Cons – No holiday bonus pay. (at least, I didn't get one)

Sometimes there are long hours if there are deadlines for important client deliverables. This is why the company is hiring right now, actually (see, they listen to us!).

There is room for improvement with some of the company processes.

Advice to Senior Management – Keep asking for feedback from employees and continue to make the improvements you've been making. It's good to be part of a growing company that cares about employee satisfaction and retention.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Catalyst Online full-time for more than a year

Pros – Working here has given me the opportunity to contribute to the success of some of the largest brands in the world. Before Catalyst, I did not work on big brand name/budget accounts so it is pretty exciting to see, first hand, how Search Marketing plays a vital (and growing) role in their overall digital/online strategies.

I am very happy walking into the office each morning, and a big reason for that is due to the laid back, but professional atmosphere. I have made many friendships here that extend beyond the office and am very fortunate to be working with some very bright folks.

Cons – The newton office is pretty drab in comparison to that of the NY office. Recent re branding efforts seems like we are moving in the right direction, and I am eager to see what exciting surprises the marketing team has in store.

Team restructuring during the Summer caused a few confusing/tense weeks, but in my opinion, nothing outside of what I expected. I like where we are headed.

Advice to Senior Management – Improve the employee recognition program with rewards that will help us grow professionally and personally.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Catalyst Online full-time

Pros – Awesome Enterprise level clients through GroupM. Great resume builder for that reason.

Cons – Leadership has remained the same for the life of the company and they've reached a point of growth where they should bring in some leaders with more experience at the level they've grown to. With the exception of Benjamin Spiegel, none of them have any real clue about SEO in 2012 or innovation, despite their attempts at re-branding and throwing that word around without anything behind it. The innovation they are claiming is stuff every other decent Search agency has been doing for 2 years by now. It's embarrassing to work there if you care about being the best. With the exception of a dedicated few really great people, most people who work there either don't care because they have been beaten down by frustration, or like going to work to chill and getting away with it. Sadly, there is a very limited career path for those talented people they do have hence their issues with turnover, particularly in the NYC office. *Please note, the positive reviews on this site are a direct result of a concerted effort to solicit them internally to do damage control for the negative real ones.

Advice to Senior Management – Become more educated, relevant and involved in the industry you are in so you will both better appreciate, and be able to see through, some of your current talent. This would lead to real innovation instead of just talking about it. Also, listen to the unified feedback from the people doing the work and make some necessary changes to the leadership team to bring in some leaders to take you to the next level instead of just moving people around and changing their titles. You have some really talented people carrying the leadership that you will certainly lose as no one likes to keep working for someone they cannot learn from.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Catalyst Online full-time for more than a year

Pros – The people at Catalyst are great to work with, very smart and innovative. You get the chance to work on a Portfolio of Brands that are nothing short of fantastic. The exposure to brands like theirs is a huge boost to your career, resume and experience. They are also very good about rehiring people that have worked for them before.

Cons – No Restaurant/Cafeteria in the Boston Office
Massively high cubicles in the Boston Office

Advice to Senior Management – Move to an open workspace approach

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Catalyst Online

Pros – There is opportunity to work with some significant big name brands that the agency gets through a partnership with GroupM.

Cons – The biggest con of working here is the extremely high turnover amongst employees which results in nothing ever really getting done. Turnover is above average in the agency world but it's unlike anything I've ever seen here. An ad agency is about working in teams to best serve the client, and when people leave every few months, good work is impossible to get done. I almost feel bad for the clients.

Advice to Senior Management – Treat your people like people, not work horses. Cultivate a positive morale amongst employees and consider making management changes.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Catalyst Online full-time

Pros – Nice people make it easier to join the group but the lack of process and training plans seem strange. Client portfolio is strong and inspires the teams to do their best (from what I've seen).The vacation schedule is great and allows a nice work life balance as people have said.

Cons – I have overheard several conversations about 'planning' and 'reporting' that have been very negative to the point where I hope I am not held accountable for projects involving these. Also overhear employees side chats about specific members of management lying to a couple teams, which of course scares me. Cannot speak to growth or opportunity but I have talked to a few that have been here over a year or two and have not even been formally reviewed.

Advice to Senior Management – Be transparent and work with the leaders of each team so this open communication format flows downward to the 'doers'.

Current Employee – been working at Catalyst Online full-time for more than a year

Pros – There are some really great people that work here or have worked here. Unfortunately, the more competent they are, the less time they're likely to stay.

Cons – A fun yet professional culture is supposed to take the place of competitive salaries, but this place is neither fun nor professional. Zero training of any kind is provided. There aren't enough people here to do the work nevermind manage new employees and set them up for success. Even if all current open spots were filled, we're still grossly understaffed. Some departments have people doing twice the work they should be just so GroupM can save on a few salaries here and there. If you're looking for a job that teaches through negative reinforcement, allows the account team to override the decisions of everyone's actual manager and act like your boss even when they aren't, and sets you for failure from day one, then this is the place for you.

Advice to Senior Management – Understand what your employees actually do. You seem to have no clue and only care about what clients ask for then demand that others make it happen regardless of if it's possible, if we're properly staffed for it, if we have the right processes in place to do it correctly, etc. Also, stop having people post fake reviews here to counter the bad ones. It only speaks to the interest you have in looking good but not actually being good.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Catalyst Online full-time

Pros – --Most employees don't have to work long hours to get the work done
--1-2 years of experience is all you need, politics and creating fictional strategies with zero base line will get you a new title in no time!
--Some very cool people
--No training so you can do your own thing

Cons – --Weak leadership team. Nice people but its clear that communication is broken and focus is scattered
--Even weaker account team, communication is great, yet knowledge is poor
--Embarrassing output and strategy, PowerPoint can only get you so far
--Empty claims for improvement. Note - changing a logo is not considered improvement
--Poor execution on every level causes chaos

Advice to Senior Management – If it isn't obvious, please take the time to learn the business before proposing anything to current or prospective clients. Talk less, listen more. Think realistically.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Catalyst Online full-time for more than a year

Pros – - The ability to work on some large, national accounts
- While no one in the industry knows who Catalyst is, their alliance with Group M helps establish some credibility (or at least it used to, Group M has gone to sh*t recently)
- While I was there, worked with some really amazing people (upper management excluded)

Cons – - Lack of resources makes working there beyond stressful and puts you in a difficult position with the client where you aren't able to do your job effectively
- Upper management - more specifically, the 3 people at the top - can't be trusted both personally and professionally
- Extremely high turnover because of aforementioned issues coupled with the lack of resources will literally destroy a team when a member leaves

Advice to Senior Management – Reading Rockefeller business books doesn't put you in a position to run a company.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company