A big time Ad blog takes apart the Kansas City Interactive agency . . . I couldn't really offer anything insightful on the merits of the criticism but I will note that there aren't enough scantily clad broads when it comes to webby advertising . . . Great design is certainly captivating but only when it involves cleavage.
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ReplyDeleteKnow what's also a stich? VML's CEO is a HUGE advocate of cancer research (specifically, the brain variety). VML goes out of its way every year to show the community they are concerned with cancer by calling on volunteer employees to shave their heads and run in a 5k, for which they raise tens of thousands in pledges.
ReplyDeleteWhat they won't tell you is that Phillip Morris is a client of theirs.
I just rolled up on this blog and I followed the thread -I worked for VML for 5 years and it was the worst experience I have ever been exposed to. Since they got bought out by WPP, they will do anything to make themselves look profitable. Including kill their employees. I can't really say that I "hate" anybody, but there are a few people there that come close - "despise" is a better word for it. I hope it has gotten better over there, but inside sources tell me otherwise. I am glad I got out and don't miss an opportunity to tell other people that if you rub to much on their shiny exterior, you will find a big fat stinking turd that steals your soul and eats your heart. VML Stinks.
ReplyDeleteKansas City is a midsized community but has a tightly knit ad community where everyone knows everyone and all agencies dirty laundry is known to some degree or another.
ReplyDeleteAfter a decade here I am still amazed at how agency people separate VML from the rest of the pack...when it comes to emotions. VML seems to be on everyone’s bad, bad, very bad list.
Most agency people who have been around the KC agency scene gripe about "disliking" their former employer (if they have had a bad experience) but they seem to move on. With VML, there literally is hatred…a blood feud former employees hold on to – like a sticky goo they can’t seem to get off of their hands no matter how many times they wash them.
People do not forget this agency and how it spurned them...go ahead ask your peers. I bet they will say (of another agency) “oh agency x, my old shop, lost an account…too bad" or “screw them” or "hey I would never work there again but that was a good campaign/idea/piece of work.” This simply is not the case with people who have been touched by VML.
VML is described as "evil" and even one blog post (the daily ad biz) had a commenter call the place a “cluster f*ck" and others say it is a “shill.” The question is: When does VML kill-off enough employees to meet their bottom line to get out of another fiasco they kill themselves? Let me be the first to say Bravo! for surviving and seemingly living off of your 9 lives. You have some kind of magical PR machine churning out the BS that has someone outside of us agency folks believing in you.
How far over budget and timeline do you think you will go on Hersheys? They too like Cadbury’s will certainly (and pardon the pun) give you the "kiss of death" when you feed them (again sorry for the pun) your lines about why the site/s are not up and why costs have rocketed 60%.
So why this nasty little blurt. Most likely you have found this page because you are researching VML possibly for a job or you are still spurned by them. For the former, THINK REALLY REALLY HARD ABOUT GOING THERE. THE RUMORS ARE TRUE – AND NO THEY ARE NOT TAKING STEPS TO MAKE IT BETTER NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY! And for the latter group, I am sorry for your experience…I am sure it was quite crappy.
As for me, no, I don’t hate VML but I will “dance on their grave” if the time ever comes!