Very decent employer - Terrible marketing department
Pros
They spend a lot of money on merch and other useless things that give you a sense that they care but mostly serve to create a sense of community and belonging. I guess it works for some. People are generally nice and professional. It feels like there is a lot of structure (too much actually which results in siloes) and your job will be clearly defined. When the office is open, there is a small gym and cafeteria with a chef (the food is really bad, but to each their own). The meals are subsidized as well, so thats nice. There's a lot of traveling involved for some, especially if you work in events. You'll stay in ridiculously luxurious hotels and have decadent meals - all on the company's dime. Unfortunately, all of these initiatives are why the pay is not competitive at all. Money is being bled elsewhere, for the chosen few. Last pro: The bonuses are good. Sometimes you'll get more than one within a year.
Cons
It's not marketing. Very little decisions are based on data and facts. Yet they constantly try to brainwash you into thinking that this is such a high performing, innovative team....nothing that's being done is extraordinary. There is very little visibility, every team works for its own goals and it happens quite a few times that the same work is being done by several different teams - unbeknownst to them. There is a lot of overlap. And it makes you question: who runs the show? There is a lot of petty beef with some managers being very unprofessional, some not wanting to even work with each other, and they'd rather restructure teams to separate foes than address the actual problems. The marketing team is very clicky. Its honestly like high school. You want to be liked by the cool kids. And your comfort, job security or respect that you will be afforded may just depend on it. I know people who, because their boss didn't like them, were bullied about their mental health issues. There is a lot of nepotism. Oftentimes people are hired through references, are dating someone, have siblings that work there. If you're not part of the gossipy squads, you might be left out. You might not get the same promotions. A lot of people have no marketing background. A lot of people have no management training, The rule is generally that if you're there for long enough, you might just climb to a managerial role - whether you have skills to back it up or not. In a lot of cases, there is a lot of chances that your manager has no understanding of what you do because there is no continuous learning and professional development. The department is aging and it shows. And the reason most of it is not being looked into is because, well, the sales team is really good and that reflects positively on the deficient marketing team. There is a lot of turnover. Top talents don't stay...because this is not where you stay to grow and learn. It's a steady and comfortable job and you'd have to really really really be terrible to be fired. This is not where you go to be mentored in anyway. Don't go to HR. A lot of people are in cahoots and nothing changes. When I left, I told them everything that was wrong with the marketing team and the answer was: "yes, we know, you're not at all the first person to tell us any of this - we've heard it many times before. " In which case, I ask, where is the change?
