Pros
It's located in Chicago. The benefits package is above average in today's marketplace though nowhere near what it once had been. The elevators work (even if they remind you of the buffet at TGIF circa 1988). If you like a culture that doesn't care or take pride in its appearance, this is the place for you. Nobody picks up after a meeting in a conference room or any public place.
Cons
(From someone who worked at Burnett when it was at the top agency in the world, was rated a very solid "1" and was recruited to return and sadly experience its present day form ...) Burnett is a shell of once it once was yet it continues to thrive solely on its reputation of old. In fact, Leo Burnett the man and founder would be appalled at what the agency has become today. There's a film clip of Leo himself entitled "When To Take My Name Off the Door" that specifies when his name should be removed from the door and apples shoved own the elevator shaft. The removal should have been years ago when the leaders sold out to Publicis. (Shame on you Rick Fizdale). It all starts with the executive team and their reputations in the business (and former colleagues and peers of mine). Rich Stoddart is known for managing up incredibly well. Not a lot of substance with Rich as he went to the right school (Dartmouth) and he's quick to take credit for other people's ideas as well as engage in sabotage. Rich is as political as it gets and leads Burnett with form over any real substance. Susan Credle is a lackluster creative who self-aggrandizes her work and background. I was unimpressed by what she brought to any meeting. Rumor has it that her award-winning campaigns from her NYC agency days weren't even her concepts but ideas of the vendors with whom she worked. Bill Rosen is an original Frankelite which was a d-league agency that became Arc – still a d-league business unit whose leaders are 5 years behind the digital space and quick to provide excuses rather than produce quality work in a timely fashion. There's never been any there there with Bill. Like Rich, Bill succeeds by not rocking the boat above him, looking the part, and failing miserably as a manager/leader to his subordinates. Add Nina Abnee to the mix and you've created a hot mess of a leadership team. The terms "mean" and "nasty" were descriptors of Nina's reputation back in the day and it's still true that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Nina likes to hear herself speak. Spend time with these leaders at the same time in a conference room (like I did) and you'll understand why the agency has become so dysfunctional. Sit back and watch as each tries to out-talk the other with absolutely no listening or collaboration happening between them. Yes, it's clearly a clash of the self-important egos with this bunch. "Reaching for the stars" are empty words here as striving for excellence is nowhere to be found here. The quality of the current work would get laughed out of CRCs of old. The head of HR actually refers to the culture as "soft" and pushing for excellence isn't even close to being a standard. Employees well-known as "viruses" and those fired from other sub-par agencies persist at Burnett. Some actually openly use their ethnicity to prevent from being fired (i.e. threaten a lawsuit if fired). If you're a true rock star, this would be nowhere near my list of target employers. (Note: By the way, you will no longer find the "When To Take My Name Off The Door" film clip anywhere at Burnett.)