Cossette Communication Reviews

Pros

Top tier Blue Chip clients and management with loads of expereince lends itself for a great learning experience. Cossette is constantly trying to reinvent it self so it provides an ever changing exciting environment.

Cons

This is a big agency so they are set in their ways and innovation is not a priority. The constantly changing environment can be exciting but it also lends itself to be an unstable environment.

Pros

Some perks
Good benefits
Learning culture
Internal training courses
Bagel mondays

Cons

Nights are frequently worked without notice or recognition from management.
Terrible financial system and time tracking.
No respect for work life balance.
Projects sold through below value.
Not enough staff to do the work.

Advice to Senior Management

Review hours worked and compensate for overtime worked. At least acknowledge and provide some regular feedback to employees. It's a shame this still goes on in a good job market. Fix your reputation.

Pros

Great boss
Great environment
Great experience for me
Had amazing potential
Had amazing talented creative and strategy people

Cons

Closed the office
Not allowed to manage basedon realistic expectations
Economy had big impact on the end result

Advice to Senior Management

Should have created a realistic plan for sucess

Pros

Part of highly professional network, led by strategic marketing pros. Dedicated to growth and stability. Would work there again if possible.

Cons

Top person in direct marketing group highly unstable, irrational person. Alienated entire agency, set horribly negative tone, disrespected employees and management.

Advice to Senior Management

Set positive tone and atmosphere by encouraging free thinking, rewarding both effort and result. Establish forum to truly listen to employees.

Pros

- Some of the people are really nice
- Reps are actually fun to deal with
- Free perks that you get

Cons

- No performance reviews (even though SUPPOSED to be mandatory)
- HR has no backbone - doesn't implement any changes based on feedback
- Pay is BELOW industry average
- Overloaded work
- No room for advancement
- No proper training

Advice to Senior Management

If you want to keep talented people, compensate them fairly and don't overwork them to the point where they quit. The reason why you have 3 to 4 people LEAVING each week at the company is because you expect a person to do 2-3 people's work on their measely salary. Also, you need to provide a development plan or training. Talented people don't need to stay here.

Pros

Casual & fun atmosphere
Able to work on projects with your own personal edge
Staff were encouraging and friendly, inclusive
Good resources for staff available

Cons

Occasional exceptionally extended hours
Poor communication with Global
Little room for advancement or career development
Agency seemed to be struggling for direction

Advice to Senior Management

Agency needed to commit to being a boutique interactive firm in NYC rather than being like regular advertisers as part of the rest of Cossette Global.

Pros

It's a great place to get a taste of advertising

Cons

As with other advertising agencies, there are many wanting to get into Cossette. And the company is very well aware of the fact. Be prepare to stay long if you want to advance.

Advice to Senior Management

Being 'convergent' isn't about having 5 different types of agencies under 1 roof - something different, innovative should be it

Pros

Working here is a great introduction to the world of advertising in North America. You get to see the bowels of a top-tier agency and all its inner workings. You'll either thrive, or fight to survive. Either way, you will know after 1 year here whether this industry's for you, or whether you need to find a cushy government job instead.

Cons

Cossette is an impersonal behemoth that can appear to eat its young.

Advice to Senior Management

Shift your focus from global domination to soulful ad shop, and go back to your roots.

Pros

Large enough to compete with the big guys and win good accounts but not so huge that employees disappear under too many layers. Opportunities for growth that may not be available in the enormous agencies. One of these days they've got to figure out how to translate their strong position in Canada to the rest of the world. Many of the companies they're AOR for in Canada have big operations elsewhere in the world. Not a lot of structure in digital, so you can more or less blaze your own trail if you work on that side. Also, many Canadians have funny accents; "when I was in Ot-tow-waaaah."

Cons

Dominant in Canada but hasn't been able to spread the juice to the US. Definitely not an A-list player in any market.

Advice to Senior Management

Be more aggressive when going after new business. There's nothing to lose by making bold pitches and shaking things up since you're a pipsqueak in the US. Canadian interactive people probably shouldn't be be so prevalent in the US.

Pros

Great environment, nice people for sure.

Cons

Some of the lower level staff aren't too bright.

Advice to Senior Management

Pay a little more attention to hiring better support staff