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Etna Interactive

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Etna Interactive Reviews

3.9

68% would recommend to a friend

(46 total reviews)

Ryan Miller

85% approve of CEO

70% positive business outlook

Etna Interactive has an employee rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 46 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Etna Interactive employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Media and communication industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

46 reviews
2.0
15 Aug 2017

Soul-Crushing Minutia Extolled As Learning New Things

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Weekly happy hour is nice. The "front line" people are generally pretty good at what they do.

Cons

There is no forest at Etna. There are only trees. So many trees. There is a process for everything, everything is analyzed and catalogued to death, and "custom" work is a thing to be feared (because it can't be analyzed or processed or catalogued properly). Leadership dwells on details all day long as the ship continues to sink, and there's no life boat in sight. Turnover — which is exceptionally high — is dismissed as "Oh, so-and-so wanted to move to [the Bay area, Chicago, etc.]", and leadership is simply oblivious to the fact that, even if there are motivations other than work too, employee after employee still chooses to speed up their timelines, uproot, and start anew — because it's better than staying here. The re-organization of the company, while it began with somewhat noble goals like helping us all become more well-rounded marketers, has become more of a self-inflicted death knell. People are doing things they don't enjoy because they were told that they now had to start doing them. So they leave. It's as simple as that. The heartbreaking part about writing all of this is that the leadership really does care a lot. They try so hard. But they just cannot see the forest through the trees. Meanwhile, the culture is being destroyed.

avatar
Etna Interactive Response
8y
Ouch. That hurt. But I want to sincerely thank you for the feedback. It stung, and I wish you had felt comfortable coming to me in person. If you had, I would have validated many of your concerns and complaints. This is what I would have said: You’re right, leadership totally cares. We genuinely want the time you spend at Etna to be enjoyable and to support the advancement of your career. When we embarked on an ambitious re-imagining of our agency eight months ago, the changes in our marketing and social media department structures were intended to give our teams a deeper connection to our clients, more input in marketing planning, and to provide more opportunity for professional growth. Our old model had one type of marketing specialist doing one job – over and over again. In part, the recent changes were inspired by the ideas that varied work is more fun and that our team members will have more professional opportunities – here or with another company – when they master multiple online marketing skills. We think you will be more valuable to us, and any future employer, when you can claim expertise in social media AND search engine optimization, or search marketing AND social advertising. You’re right, we are falling short today in creating the space in the day to deal with our abundant client work while helping members of our team master new skills, and that’s something we will work on. Our processes are intended to help the newest members of our team to successfully complete their projects. They are not set in stone. If a process is holding you back, please talk openly with your supervisor about your ideas for a better way. And if you ever need an update that is slow in coming, or just need more attention or information from the leadership team, our doors are (quite literally, almost) always open. Again, I want to thank you. Your review helped inspire our recent all-staff meeting at which we discussed the positive impacts, rough edges, and unanswered questions that remain following our re-organization. Your feedback, and the input we gathered during the meeting, is helping to bring our attention back to the most important challenges we face in refining how we work and how we support our most valuable asset: our people. I hope that, within a few months, you will revisit your review, either online or with me over a coffee or glass of wine. ‘Til then, thank you for your continued dedication. Ryan Miller, CEO
4.0
30 Oct 2014

You can't please everyone -- but Etna tries anyway

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

When it comes to the day to day, Etna is a wonderful place to work. Overall, employees are bright, funny, friendly, and approachable. I have yet to encounter anyone who is truly hostile, dull, or difficult to work with. There is a lot of integrity throughout the ranks, and people generally aren't afraid to admit when they've screwed up. Each person's individual passion and drive is evident in the quality of the work we produce -- I'm very familiar with our competition, and it's plain to see that our work is head and shoulders above in both appearance and function. In my experience, management is quite flexible with scheduling and differences in work styles. You never feel chained to your desk at Etna. The office is comfortable and fun. There's a weekly cocktail hour on Fridays, a "zen loft" for when you need to rest your brain, a fully stocked pantry, and a monthly luncheon to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. I also really appreciate Etna's support of and involvement with the wider community. Recently there has been a lot of talk about Etna's culture. The truth is, "culture" fluctuates wildly from department to department, and your mileage may vary. Yes, the marketing department is full of bubbly, fresh faced SLO types. But that doesn't tell the whole story. There are a lot of personalities at Etna -- though they may be in the minority, the shy, the geeky, and the eccentric all have homes here. As someone who tends towards the introverted, Etna hasn't always felt like a seamless fit for me. But I respect my coworkers as professionals and I'm consistently impressed by their talents. In return, I feel respected and valued for my skills and ideas even if I skip out on the weekly cocktail hour.

Cons

Other reviewers are correct when they say departments are isolated. There are few opportunities to interact professionally with people in other departments, especially as a lower level employee. This can occasionally make even simple projects feel chaotic. One of the biggest hurdles Etna must overcome is the disconnect between account executives, managers, and clients. Getting everyone on the same page in terms of what makes a client succeed is an ongoing battle. Some AEs can be too quick to sell half-baked, pie-in-the-sky ideas without fully understanding how they'll help or hurt our clients or the demands these promises put on copywriters, developers, and designers. Similarly, spending excessive time and resources on clients who have unreasonable expectations or those who are too passive or unfocused hurts everyone and yet still continues. However, there seems to be some movement towards being choosier about clients, which is a step in the right direction. Finally, finding a balance between the ever-important billable hours, professional development, and personal fulfillment continues to be a challenge.

2.0
19 Nov 2013

Snowballing Down Hill

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Etna was a great mom and pop place to work when I first started a few years back. They doubled there size within a year from 35 to 70 people, a big leap and FAST. They are now experiencing the backlash of that expansion and letting a lot of people go. They used to have a great holiday party, decent benefits and a kitchen full of snacks; since their drastic expansion they are no longer offering these things. Consider yourself warned. I met some really great people in my time working here.

Cons

The work is repetitive and boring. You are predominantly working for plastic surgeons and their visions. They need to get rid of half their management; a number of managers were promoted when the company was much smaller and are unable to handle the responsibility and guidance needed now. It looks like they may be preparing to sell. Just go in with your eyes wide open and ask questions regarding your departments sustainability; how many people have been let go in the last year and why.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 46 Reviews

Glassdoor has 47 Etna Interactive reviews submitted anonymously by Etna Interactive employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Etna Interactive is right for you.