Pros
Nielsen really cares about providing value to its clients. It is NOT about billing. The culture is, "If the work adds differentiated value, new work follows." All levels of the organization get client interaction and the project teams encourage active participation from all team members - no matter what level they're at. Teams are lean, so there is a lot of delegating, which provides ample opportunities to learn and stand apart from your peers. Work life balance is tough - hours can be long, but they are flexible. Colleagues can work from home, take a day off, etc... as long as the work gets done on time and with the necessary content. Sr. Leadership is brilliant and focused on growing the overall business.
Cons
Salaries are low vs. comparable roles at a client organization or with other consulting firms. Bonuses are stupid low. Embarrassingly low. Despite being a publicly traded company, there is no stock option plan or employee purchase plan for anyone other than the very, very select top management team. As a result of this, there is a high turnover as more lucrative offers are very easy to come by. With numerous verticals (lines of business) it is difficult to gain cross-functional experience, as there is a strong push to keep people in one vertical, rather than move them and have to train them on new things.