 |
||
|
|
||
| |||||||||||
When the Saatchi brothers founded their London agency in 1970, they had a simple mission statement: "The best advertising brings a single-minded idea alive in a compelling way." By 1979, they were the largest advertising company in the U.K., and soon after, Saatchi & Saatchi became the biggest advertising concern in the world. The early and mid-1990s were turbulent times financially, and the Saatchi brothers left the agency to start another Saatchi M&C. After a series of reorganizations, however, the original Saatchi firm is faring well. Saatchi and Saatchi's biggest clients include Proctor & Gamble, the worlds largest advertiser. It also handles the accounts for Toyota, DuPont, Sony, Visa, and General Mills. The company has created a Pan-African agency to handle its increased business in Africa, away from its African base in South Africa. Saatchi prefers to open new offices rather than acquire existing companies, saying, "We are the guardians and stewards of brand equity. We provide the advice, counsel, insights, and creative inspiration that help clients transform and perpetuate and build their businesses." This has led Saatchi and Saatchi to move offices, such as their recent move of its Prague to Budapest, following the lead of Proctor & Gamble which earlier made a similar move. In a huge proposed move, in June 2000 the company entered into talks with Publicis, when Publicis offered to buy the company for some $1.5 billion in stock. If the deal is completed, it would make the combined comapnies one of the largest advertising firms in the world and catapult Publicis into the American advertising market, the largest in the world.
Saatchi looks for smart and down-to-earth people with "a love for advertising, enthusiasm, energy, and curiosity." A good command of English and PC-literacy are musts. An insider in Torrance, California reports, "If you're interested in working for Saatchi, I would suggest trying to get in the intern program somehow." Applicants for internships in account handling should have a B.A. in marketing-oriented studies, and be available for two to six months. All other positions require at least two to three years of job experience. Applicants for creative should be able to work with word processing and/or graphic programs on the PC, and have job experience through internships or training. To learn more, call Saatchi's job hotline or visit the company's web site at www.saatchi.com. Resumes can be snail mailed to human resources at Saatchi's American headquarters, or you can fill out an online application form on the company's web site.
To each its own As a large and far-flung company, one insider says, "Saatchi is sort of like one big unit consisting of many smaller units. Each of the smaller units vary in size and consist of smaller agencies, accounts, corporate, etc. Each unit has its own little culture." Insiders typically report positive, but highly varied experiences with Saatchi. An employee in the media department in London notes, "It is a good place to work, there is a lot of energy and if you're good, you get rewarded irrespective of age, gender, or race." A Saatchi veteran in Rochester, NY reports, "All in all it's a great place to work. The business is pretty crazy at times, but the environment makes it fun. We work a lot of hours, but also get a lot of holidays off (unless client needs come up)." Another notes, "It's long hours and high pressure but there are great parties as well." Varied hours, varied pay Hours "depend on your department." Though account crunch-times can get rough, prompting one staffer to say "9 to 5 becomes a memory and weekends go unnoticed," the 9 to 5 norm does apply to some. One insider reports, "Some AEs and AAEs stay late, and some graphic artists might also stay late. But it's usually 9 to 5 for all other departments." Another notes, "It just depends on what you do. I'm in media, so I end up with the 10- to 13-hour days. Other units usually work a 9 to 5 job." Insiders turn in mixed reviews on the pay at Saatchi, which, again depends on department and location. A self-defined "webmaster and Mac Systems guy" in the Torrance, California office says, "We all love it here but complain about the salaries. They are not bad, just not what we are worth." A London office insider reports, "The starting pay for a new graduate would not be high, but you can progress very quickly." One employee in the New York office reports, "The pay depends on what you do. I did notice that I'm getting paid on the high end of the scale for my position, although I can't vouch the same for the entire agency." Big company blues Bigger isn't always better, at least when it comes to Saatchi. One insider reports, "Though I've enjoyed my time at Saatchi, I'd rather work for a medium-sized company. Saatchi is still big, and in the end, you're pretty much just a file in the human resources." Another notes, "Like most big companies, the promotions are fairly more structured according to how long you've been there rather than by how well you do your job. It's the usual corporate culture with a hierarchy in the usual top-down fashion. Many of the higher-ups have been there for decades, and unfortunately, may establish a certain status quo within the entire organization." Though one insider trumpets "excellent treatment of minorities and women," and dismissed concerns of unfair treatment, another warns, "that doesn't mean that it doesn't happen covertly." One New York insider reports, "minorities are still a small portion of the workforce. Unfortunately, I heard from my supervisor that, in general, it seems that women still get paid less than men, though I can't verify that, since the women I know in my position receive the same pay as I do ? maybe the disparity comes at later levels." The dress code "ranges from formal to dress casual," depending on your position, though client meetings always require your workday best. Perks include such company-sponsored events as "seminars, health events, and even 'Camp Saatchi,' a day out in the park for everyone at Saatchi."
Human Resources (212) 463-2304
BBDO Worldwide;DDB Worldwide;Dentsu USA;Grey Advertising;Leo Burnett;McCann-Erickson;Young & Rubicam More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
