Colangelo Synergy Marketing Reviews

Former Employee – worked at Colangelo Synergy Marketing

Pros – Good flagship client
Dedicated worker bees
Capable and willing production department
They have a bar (unfortunately which is used as a poor excuse for exploiting previously mentioned work bees)

Cons – Incompetent management
• Their response to the recession was to triple, yes triple, top-level management, while whittling their "effective" workforce to a skeleton crew
• 3/4 of those top-level managers, group directors and above, lasted less than 6 months
• Capable employees are then forced to pick-up slack with no hope for relief
Little to no work-life balance
• employees are routinely asked to make-up for poor management decisions by sacrificing any semblance of a personal life
Middle-management are routinely placed in no-win situations
• constantly asked to over-promise and commit to unattainable goals, while not given the tools (proper staff or supplies) to deliver
Expense reports often take 3-4 weeks at a minimum, to be repaid
Bonuses are non-existent
• the recession argument no longer applies here, unfortunately, as its known the group directors and above made out rather well
Zero concept of the meaning of “strategy”
• established strategists, who left for better opportunities are replaced with kids one to two years out of college… not a genius, but I’m not sure this is the best route to provide true strategic leadership
One of the cheapest companies I’ve been associated with

Advice to Senior Management – Step back and re-evaluate your client service model... 5 managing directors over flagship account in 2 years and countless group director turnover doesn't lie. Pay more attention to your worker bees. Your not a high level ad agency who can rely solely on thinkers and no do'ers.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Colangelo Synergy Marketing

Pros – Fun brands, cool projects, great culture

Cons – Too much stock in one big client. Some of the top management in the creative dept. are brash, cocky and try very hard to use intimidation as a motivational tool. Intimidation didn't work on me, and a lot of head-butting resulted.

Advice to Senior Management – Respect and listen to middle management, as well as all other co-workers when creating programs for clients. Top creatives are very talented, but they're not the only ones with talent in the company. Ignoring them is causing serious morale problems, resulting in huge turnover.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Colangelo Synergy Marketing

Pros – • Real contact with real clients/work across the full spectrum of marketing/advertising disciplines
• Pockets of very strong talent and intelligence within all departments
• Minimal micromanagement provides good opportunity for autonomy and ownership, even at junior levels
• Compensation seems somewhat above average for the area, solid benefits through Omnicom
• A decent list of marquee clients that looks nice on the resume
• Quality of agency work varies, but is typically quite good

Cons – • Unsustainable pace set by unrealistic staffing plan across all departments
• Management not open to moving people between businesses/departments for growth, movements happen only on Management's timetable and based on their immediate needs
• High school style popularity contests seems to impact key staffing decisions more than experience, aptitude, or qualifications
• Outright combative environment between some departments
• No shared sense of success between departments/teams
• Overtly complex process developed by those in the agency most removed from it
• Overwhelming sense of discontent and unhappiness from all levels/departments; It's not "cool" to like your job, and if you're caught smiling you're clearly not busy enough

Advice to Senior Management – Remember that your best and most valuable employees require more than competitive compensation. They require opportunities for development, true leadership from Management, and an environment that encourages productivity.

Instead of wringing people dry week upon week, consider investing in your staff (your only asset). The return over time will be greater than the extra 'billable hours' you can squeeze out of someone over a year's worth of Friday nights.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Colangelo Synergy Marketing

Pros – They pay well
Some great co-workers
Good client brand names (though the work is not always that great) for your resume
Can commute from NYC

Cons – Incompetent management that insists on micro-managing (really bad combination)
Arrogant management
No training or resources
Cheap and nickel and diming day to day
Stressful, depressed place - lots of people leaving
LAck of management faith leads to de-motivation - why lead if they are going to tell you how to do everything

Advice to Senior Management – A professional agency requires agency professionals -- hire some and let them do their job
You should not be telling people what meetings they should go to - stop micro managing you are bad at it
Spend money on staffing lower levels

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Colangelo Synergy Marketing

Pros – Strong client base with well-known client list of industry leaders.
Good client exposure.
Competitive or better salary.
Great group of co-workers.
Guiness.

Cons – Too much work, not enough people to do it - leading to missed opportunities, dimished quality and internal tensions.
Short-sighted management with questionable ethics.
Management does a poor job of communicating to its employees; often badgering and/or speaking down to those outside senior management's inner circle.
There is an ongoing, palpable sense of tension in the building.
No career advancement or advanced training.

Advice to Senior Management – Listen to someone outside your inner circle and act on the feedback you get rather than defending against or dismissing it. Treat your employees like people you might actually care about and keep around.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Colangelo Synergy Marketing

Pros – Great clients, excellent projects, excellent teammates

Cons – Too much work, not enough bodies, poor corporate process

Advice to Senior Management – Hire true business professionals to run the main departments

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Colangelo Synergy Marketing full-time

Pros – I met a lot of talented people there, all who have gone on to bigger, better opportunities. You are forced to rely on the talents of your team, building strong relationships (see cons below of stretched workforce beyond reasonable, and company culture discouraging tight teamwork.) Able to work with world class client.

Cons – Problems all start from the top. Senior management is so disconnected from the actual day to day and rely on the department leaders for organizational advice and strategic business decisions most of whom have no professional acumen for their positions . There is a clear lack of identification of talented leaders for these departments. Multiple account managing directors and lead creative positions rotate every year, year after year due to a lack of competence in the individuals placed into these positions. Completely unreasonable workload to employee ratio. Compensation is abysmal. Long nights, weekend work, sweat and dedication for below average salary and successful business years rewarded with embarrassing pittance of a bonus. Any team strengthening was extremely discouraged possibly misinterpreted as threatening. All of this contributed to one of the worst company cultures (or a culture that is completely absent) and possibly the highest employee turnover rate in this industry.

Advice to Senior Management – Start to listen to the employees and not the account and creative department top leaders. The revolving door is clear indication of dissatisfaction and if not careful, may ultimately work its way over to client dissatisfaction.

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

Former Employee – worked at Colangelo Synergy Marketing full-time

Pros – - Some cool people
- Interesting clients
- Free beer (you'll need it)

Cons – - whoever wrote the "great place to work" review is being very generous at best, lying at worst...
- Senior creative management is too neurotic to let talented people do their jobs. The lack of trust in this department is incredibly uninspiring. Thinks nights and weekends are just extra time for work.
- Constant in-fighting between senior creatives leaves the department confused and deflated
- Senior account management is afraid of clients, does not understand how to sell work
- Zero - and I mean absolute zero - work/life balance
- Agency lives in fear of losing their one big account
- Way too many chiefs, almost no indians
- Everything project is the same sad story: Over-think, over-work, over-complicate
- Employees are dropping like flies yet management refuses to see the error of their ways. There's a lot of squandered potential here.

Advice to Senior Management – - Senior account management needs to hire someone with a clear vision and real business acumen. The bricks are there, you just need someone who knows how to build.
- The knee-jerk reaction to deliver a 360 ad campaign every time a client asks for a t-shirt design or window sticker isn't doing anyone any favors. And it's not how great agencies are built.
- Senior creatives needs to learn the difference between working hard and working smart, because the current approach just isn't working at all.

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 Colangelo Synergy Marketing full-time

Pros – Open bar, fantastic individuals, great and exciting clients, location pleasant

Cons – No sense of "Team" in departmental levels. Lots of cliques within certain areas that can be impossible to break through in order to get the work done. No accountability by the individuals that cause problems. Folks will ignore requests, stand up meetings, and then point fingers when things go wrong claiming they were left out of the loop.

Advice to Senior Management – Beef up your staff, especially in areas where you claim capabilities, make transitions/new team members integration welcoming, take workmanship over nepotism.

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 Colangelo Synergy Marketing full-time

Pros – Lots of energy.
Good work environment..
Possibility of fast advancement if you show smarts and drive.
Many good people.
Lots of incentives to work hard.
Good restaurants nearby.

Cons – It's an expensive neighborhood to work/live in.
Trains don't make enough stops here.

Advice to Senior Management – Continue hiring young, smart people, but don't forget the ones who got you here.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend