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    Wieden And Kennedy Reviews

    Updated June 17, 2017
    74 reviews

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    Full-time Part-time
    4.0
    Star Star Star Star Star
    Rating Trends Rating Trends
    Recommend to a friend
    Approve of CEO
    Wieden And Kennedy President Dan Wieden
    Dan Wieden
    42 Ratings

    74 Employee Reviews

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    Pros
    Cons

    • Work / life balance can be challenging (in 6 reviews)

    • Long hours, crap pay for juniors (in 9 reviews)

    More Pros and Cons

    1. "Creative Director"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Creative Director in Portland, OR
      Current Employee - Creative Director in Portland, OR
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Wieden And Kennedy full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      Best possible scenario in the advertising industry. Talented people in every department. Everyone is pretty much on the same page and on the same level. No egos. Just a bunch of smart and nice people focused on doing the best work of their lives.

      Cons

      Can get a little clique and it has a defined house-style but nothing that can't be overcome with the right idea/people behind it. Still the best agency in the world.

      Advice to Management

      Management does a stellar job steering the ship and keeping up with industry and client's expectations. Needs to listen to client's needs a bit more though.

    2. Helpful (2)

      "Diversity is a joke"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Creative in Portland, OR
      Former Employee - Creative in Portland, OR
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at Wieden And Kennedy full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Cool clients
      Some cool people
      somewhat Flexible hours

      Cons

      Insane hours
      Very Clique
      Bro-culture very relevant despite all their "diversity" efforts
      Female creatives will not move up unless you're of the "select" few
      Too much old blood (set in ways)
      Seniority out ranks skills
      All the good projects go to the same few people
      No advancement opportunities
      Not a skill based environment

      Advice to Management

      Clean House!

    3. Helpful (8)

      "Don't join if designer/web developer"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Portland, OR
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Portland, OR
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at Wieden And Kennedy full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      - They give you the tools to work hard
      - Constant flurry of awesome people keep you motivated

      Cons

      - Bad management
      - Lots of talent leaving
      - They don't understand digital at all
      - Horrible pay and long hours
      - Clients are mean and unforgiving
      - If you aren't in a clique you will be outcasted
      - Lots of backstabbing from people who know how to suck up

      Advice to Management

      I worked in the Lodge at W+K and wouldn't recommend ever working there and will never work there again. It was a mistake that wasted a few years of my life. I was naive and thought the work was most important. Spent a lot of hours at my desk to impress my team and when I asked for any form of raise I was treated as ungrateful and arrogant.

      I found myself constantly under stress and judgment, work was stolen from underneath my feet and was outcasted.

      If I had to give any form of advice, it would be to look closely at the Lodge. There's a lot of cheap parlor tricks and shams going on there and not a lot of work being done.

    4. "Amazing Culture and the best place to be creative and take risks"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Portland, OR
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Portland, OR
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Wieden And Kennedy full-time (More than 10 years)

      Pros

      Amazing culture, great passion people, thoughtful owners, never the same day twice.

      Cons

      Requires some late nights and weekends.

    5. Helpful (1)

      "Great place to work!"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Portland, OR
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Portland, OR
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Wieden And Kennedy full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      Very smart people and if you're lucky, you'll do great work!

      Cons

      They don't pay well.

    6. "Wk review"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Studio Artist in Portland, OR
      Current Employee - Studio Artist in Portland, OR
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook

      I have been working at Wieden And Kennedy full-time (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      Wonderful place to work. Cares about employees.

      Cons

      Pay is a little lower then industry standards.

    7. Helpful (2)

      "Don't join if you're any form of designer"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Digital Designer in Portland, OR
      Former Employee - Digital Designer in Portland, OR
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at Wieden And Kennedy full-time (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      - Advertising culture (flexibility, dogs, all the booze, occasional free food, and parties)
      - Amazing camaraderie depending on the team you work in
      - Occasionally get great work to work on (For every 10 pieces of work, you get 1 portfolio piece)
      - Resources to spend on the best software and tools
      - Wieden is still seen as a decent agency, still holds credibility as a stepping stone

      Cons

      - Wieden peaked in 2011
      - Promotion past mid-level is near impossible and won't happen until you're at least 30 and everyone above you has moved up
      - Subject to the realities of the industry (ie CMO change, losing clients, irratic deadlines/timelines)
      - Designers are expendable and undervalued
      - Creatives (copy writers) comes first so designers don't get recognition
      - Low pay, Portland is not an excuse
      - Broadcast is still seen as important. The day and age of writers and broadcast generating mountains of gold is over

      Advice to Management

      - Hire a design partner and respect him/her
      - Separate quads to accounts and have producers/account guys/designers/creatives sit with each other again.

    8. Helpful (2)

      "GL Accountant"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Portland, OR
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Portland, OR
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at Wieden And Kennedy full-time (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      Amazing Culture and People, great office environment. Amazing benefits and perks included with the job. Relaxed work environment, dogs allowed in office

      Cons

      Compensation under par, unclear expectations. Sometimes a clouded management structure. Job is directly tied to clients with no control over success or failure.

    9. Helpful (7)

      "Brain drain"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Portland, OR
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Portland, OR
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at Wieden And Kennedy full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Some extremely talented people, many I consider family

      Cons

      The best people are treated the worst. Toxic culture. Less a meritocracy and more a bro-ocracy. All of the talent is running away and the company is running on a reputation built a decade ago.

    10. Helpful (1)

      "hard to leave"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Strategy in Portland, OR
      Former Employee - Strategy in Portland, OR
      Recommends
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at Wieden And Kennedy full-time (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      family like culture, work hard & play hard, love a good debate

      Cons

      hard to get promoted or a raise, not really a mentoring place

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