POP Reviews

Leadership has a tight reign on how things are managed, in a bad way. Their turn-over rate (which they don't like to talk about) is above 30%, indicating that about every three years, POP is made up of entirely new people, with the exception of the leadership. Just look at their executive team, many of them arriving without real industry experience and somehow enabled to stay in position despite significant evidence of mismanagement and being notorious for getting rid of people they simply don't like. It is also know that since POP was sold, they have been suffering form absentee-leadership from Bill who is more focused on his soccer team than truly managing what was previously his agency. Now being outside of POP, I know many previous clients who share that POP is suffering from too much turnover and struggling to deliver on projects. Not a good reputation in a place like Seattle.

Leadership is incredibly manipulative and understands fully how to encourage you to over-deliver and over-commit yourself to an unhealthy degree. Their trick? They are acutely aware of the value derived in each hour you work beyond 40 each week that are perfectly billable to clients. Does your salary increase accordingly, nope. So many people come in, drink the Kool-Aid for a few months and then realize that their nights and weekends are far too valuable and that their commitment to work is questioned if they are not 80-90% billable/utilized. Leadership knows full-well that every hour you work is billable to clients and that they reap all of the financial reward, while you sweat it out. If constant pressure for utilization without the ability to advance in your career (well except for some free Sounders tickets and a free Popsquatch t-shirt) are your thing, then Pop is the place for you.