The product simply isn’t “sticky”; brands don’t need ExpertVoice, they can easily run a pro deal program or gather reviews on their own. The product is far from revolutionary.
The only major differentiator is its “vetted” audience, which is far less exclusive or difficult to access than the company markets it to be. During my time there, the company was acquired by private equity after two consecutive unprofitable years, and the culture shift was almost immediate.
Leadership told employees they were not planning to bring in a bunch of people from RetailMeNot (the CEO’s previous company)… and then did exactly that. A significant number of long-tenured employees were let go and replaced by former RetailMeNot hires, which dramatically changed the internal culture.
Company all-hands were always uncomfortable, as Cotter consistently avoided hard questions and deflected instead of offering meaningful or transparent answers. Even strong leaders internally seemed restricted in what they could say or do, operating under a very tight level of control from the new executive team. Compensation was well below market (unsurprising for a company struggling to break even), and end-of-year performance reviews felt like a box-checking exercise. Regardless of performance or over-achievement, employees were almost always rated as simply “meeting expectations,” which made advancement and recognition feel unattainable.
