So AKQA has had a nice string of wins recently: just this week, the agency expanded its digital role on the Verizon account. Last month it became Volvo’s lead digital agency, and in April it named three members of its global creative team to ECD roles.
That said, something seems to be happening to the agency’s Glassdoor profile.
Just this week, several people who identify themselves as current employees shared their conspiracy theories:
Where are these “fake” reviews?
Does the agency not “appreciate its employees”? Is it not “inspiring?” Can it not be “rewarding and challenging in equal measure?” Does working at this particular shop not allow one to make “friends for life?”
We will choose not to disbelieve these sentiments, but some employees doubt the sincerity of the five-star reviews, classifying them as the ad agency equivalent of “astroturfing.”
This is not an uncommon practice in many industries! Take Edelman, the world’s largest PR firm. Not only does it have more big-name clients than its competitors…it also happens to have a whopping 1,100 reviews on Glassdoor–the vast majority of them suspiciously positive given what we’ve heard from former employees. It often appears on the “best places to work” list, and in 2014 its chief was the third-highest rated boss on the site.
Coincidence? Probably.