Digitas Reviews in New York City, NY Area

Pros

Great benefits and really smart people to work with. Lots of opportunities for learning and development. Does well with providing employees opportunities to experience different types of projects and client accounts through rotations.

Cons

No work-life balance even though management makes a point of saying there's a way to have both! Compensation increases for people who stayed with the company more than 2 years were not on par with the rest of the industry.

Advice to Senior Management

Need to work on retaining talent that has shown loyalty to the company. When your superstars reach out for help - please make a concerted effort to follow through. They'll be more loyal to the company in the end.

Pros

at the forefront of pushing digital advertising. everyone in the industry is trying to be Digitas. but being at the forefront means that you are constantly in unchartered waters.

Cons

the experience is as good as you make it. its not your typical plug and play agency

Advice to Senior Management

the agency is as only as good as the talent.

Pros

They actually do care about how employees feel. They want you to have a life outside of work. Location is great too - dont have to be in midtown or way on the west side.

Cons

It's a marketing run organization, so there isn't a ton of investment in deep knowledge or insight. Some in upper management are insane, and everyone knows it, but since they sell well they are kept around.

Advice to Senior Management

There's a small handful of senior people that everyone has a problem with. Please deal with those people. Value smarts sometimes more than the sale.

Pros

Great Benefits
Smart People
Fun Activities
Team Participation Encouraged
Participation in community service events where it was possible to make a difference
Worked with some really great people who I was able to learn great deal from.

Cons

Promotions are based on peer reviews instead of just solid performance
Salary was a bit below average
Navigating politics while learning what you need to know in order to be successful can be difficult.

Advice to Senior Management

Focus more on learning and development of existing employees.

Pros

+ Great, vibrant, and energetic culture
+ Very smart group of extremely talented professionals
+ Fair benefits, both hard and soft
+ Fluidity across disciplines - if you decide you want to try on a different hat and you've demonstrated you're a rockstar, they will make room for you to explore another capability assuming you have some foundational awareness/knowledge
+ Lots of employee recognition for top notch work
+ Packed full of extremely hard working and dedicated people

Cons

- Very matrix heavy - the hierarchy and chain of command is often unclear, muddied, tangled, or non-existent.
- Lots of ego. Big gigantic egos.
- Senior management often rests on laurels of their reputation without engaging and evolving their business strategy. Lots of kings and queens of knowledge - very little acknowledgment that learning is evolutionary. It doesn't and shouldn't ever stop.
- Senior leaders are too stretched and have very little time to focus with 100% attention - if they do, it's often after normal business hours.
- Easy to get lost in the shuffle. I have known several instances of people lost in the company without managers, or growth & development plans to ensure success and maturation within the company.
- Personal/Professional touch is missing. Very messy internally.
- Discontent among the different disciplines is rampant. Collaboration is rare, but when executed well it can be inspiring and flawless.

Advice to Senior Management

In order to inspire, you must align.

Pros

-Strong and diverse L&D programs
-Not pompous
-Good feedback from your boss
-Great culture

Cons

- Digital advertising is Digitas's main service, so if you're looking for traditional advertising (TV, print, etc.), you should look elsewhere.

Advice to Senior Management

N/A

Pros

Fun Environment, Support during any personal difficult times, Learning opportunities if only you were lucky to have a supportive manager

Cons

Have to be politically savvy and connected to get the growth and promotion. Some Managers are insecure and try to take credit of your work. Also create extra work knowingly during review and rewriting of work to create the billable hours. Unethical, yes, but happens truly.

Advice to Senior Management

Get a better understanding of how new employees are faring at the company, know what is actually happening at that level. Just budgeting and having fun environment does not help completely. How much growth opportunity is being provided..?

Pros

- You can disappear when you want to because the office is so large
- The actual people on the teams are usually awesome. Very down to earth
- Great benefits

Cons

- Small fish in a big sea
- Some crazy senior management, with either a lack of care or a temper

Advice to Senior Management

Recognize your team's work

Pros

High recognition in Digital Marketing field, Easy to get recruited from
Lots of very smart, talented, and friendly people
Flexibility to do what you need to do (may depend on your team / boss)
Always looking to educate employees on the latest trends in the industry
Lots of off time / paid holidays
Team building exercises, outings, and parties are a nice plus for the company to get to know one another

Cons

Can be a difficult place to navigate
Lots of cooks in the kitchen
Sr Management isnt always on the same page
Media, Marketing, and Creative teams dont always work together (depending on client) even though they should
Pay could be better

Advice to Senior Management

Reward and recognize your employees, most work hard, and should be recognized, even privately. Improve pay scale.

Pros

Digitas is a very Marketing savvy company. Every discussion is a deep analysis. If you are not prepared to theorize every angle, this may not be a good fit. The evaluation process is intense, which is both good and bad. They really take it to a new level. Tough graders.

Cons

After being told Digitas supports work/life balance, this has not proven to be reality. There have been lots of late nights, even weekends. It may be specific to the account, but either way, it's far from ideal.

Advice to Senior Management

The leadership team should really prep people on what they are getting themselves into. They need to be honest and straightforward on the position to help the candidate determine if it will be a good fit.