Pros
People are nice at Connelly Partners. The environment is very friendly and positive. Nobody is forced to stay and work late. Weekends at the office are a rarity. The space itself is also great. Beautiful wood floors and brick walls. People make friends easily here. Music day is also an interesting touch. People bring in their iPods and get to play their tunes for the day. There's an annual trip to Disneyworld in Orlando. Great for families. Very family-friendly place, in terms of hours and environment.
Cons
This review is only for the CP side of the agency. The Connelly Partners account team is ill-equipped to manage projects, build relationships with clients, or sell in work. The younger account people haven't worked at any major ad agencies, and the more senior account people are often absent and unfocused. None of them seem too concerned about the quality of the work, from my experience. The strategy team is weak. It is one account guy plus some research people. They don't develop industry-caliber strategies or insights. They don't try to inspire the creatives. The creative team is a mix. The top creative leaders of the company seem to lack creative taste. They've been disconnected from the greater ad industry for so long. It doesn't seem like they have trust in their employees' creative abilities. Other members of the department range from complacent to agitated but unable to change anything. Agency diversity is also an issue. There have been some hires from different backgrounds with different points of view and approaches, but they don't tend to stick around. This affects the work. Lastly, there are too many small, regional clients. People can't make the work better because it's just one rush job after another. Again, this review is only for the CP side of the agency. I left before the merger with ISM was solid. Based on my conversations with people still at the agency who are unhappy with the way things are, the ISM team is great. This includes account and creative folks.