FLY is a great place to begin your advertising career. Enthusiastic (and competent) employees are rewarded with every opportunity to learn the industry inside and out. Wide range of clients and project-based work, so day-to-day never gets boring. Culture is great, full of extremely talented people, but still an incredibly young environment.
Cons
Lack of structure is sometimes difficult, but teaches you to think quickly and create your own management style.
Too many to list, but here are a few:
- The office politics were off the charts. Lots of management throwing people under the bus and setting individuals up for failure.
- Management without a spine and leadership skills, with exception of the Creative department
- Self absorbed owners who micromanaged and as a result sabotaged their own campaigns
- Pay is incredibly low
- Account management is placed on a pedestal while everyone else is neglected.
- Account management actually managed all the other teams rather than teams being managed by their own managers.
- Owners are stuck in the 80s and old mentality of marketing. Think sexist beer/sports ads and awning infomercials. Aka the campaigns you'll be working on are more or less conceptualized in poor taste and execution.
- Bonuses and raises were a joke. Pretty much non-existent.
- High turn over and low job security
- Benefits are awful
- Culture is non-existent
- Long hours without comped time/overtime
TLDR - It's a toxic environment that will not provide you with anything beneficial... anything.