Pros
-Super relaxed dress code -Good PTO policy -Co-workers are usually the work hard/play hard type -Good location with lots of lunch/happy hour options -Ability to learn about other departments if you so choose
Kontras
By now you’ve heard the rumors. You’ve heard the horror stories about that little ad agency in the River Market known as Gragg Advertising. You’ve heard about massive lay-offs and high turnover (true), inappropriate relationships between upper management (also true), and a CEO that runs his agency with a Trumpian-like fist (sadly, very true). To work at Gragg Advertising is to witness a master class in “how not to run a business.” It’s a trickle-down garbage fire that starts with upper management’s lack of leadership and bad decision-making that seeps all the way down to the employees fighting in the trenches to keep their clients onboard in the face of bad results. Greg Gragg makes outrageous, unrealistic promises to land a client, and then client services gets stuck trying to figure out how to spin straw into gold. Essentially, you’re set up to fail from the start. To put it in current political terms, Greg is the one that promises Mexico will pay for the wall, and then his team is stuck figuring out how to actually do that. The only reason this agency stays alive is because it has a handful of high-volume PPL clients that are a.) getting a deal on leads nobody can undercut and b.) are given numerous free perks that no agency in their right mind would offer. We’re talking free creative, unlimited versioning, and various side projects that have nothing to do with the business and aren’t billed, yet Greg insists “fosters a good business relationship.” Employees at Gragg are constantly asking why it’s nearly impossible to get even a cost of living raise. Look no further than all the free stuff that the agency gives away to its flagship clients. This isn’t a rumor or a secret. These clients know that if they give Greg even a hint of displeasure or a sign that they might leave, he starts throwing free stuff at them. Countless billable hours down the drain because upper management doesn’t know when they’re playing a game of chicken. The clients keep almost-firing him and Greg continues to pony up free stuff. It’s a business model that’s been in place for years, which is why you never see this company grow or thrive. It merely survives, like a cockroach. My advice is to work here only if you really need a job. Take it as a last resort. Get in, and then immediately start plotting how to get out. This company has a tendency to make lay-offs if they lose one or two clients in a short amount of time, so you can’t get too comfortable. You also can’t really move up. Gragg Advertising has perfected the art of the lateral promotion. They’ll give you more and more responsibility with very little or no monetary increase. Their pay is so below the average that most employees have a second job just to make ends meet. Don’t get fooled into thinking you can make a career there. This place is on life support. Make sure you’re off the ship when it finally sinks. Other cons: -Terrible company leadership -Very poor health benefits -Very little training; you end up learning on the fly -The environment can be very toxic at times -High turnover (both employees and clients) -Very low pay compared to other agencies -Poor stability -No real opportunity for growth or a career -Being set up to fail on a regular basis -Doing free work to “foster the relationship”
