Cool Work, But Rough Employee Experience - Director Kantar Employee Review

3.0
Jul 23, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Kantar is a great place to learn about the digital advertising space, get exposure to large/exciting clients, get autonomy early on, and learn incredibly valuable research and client management skills. Kantar sits on a ton of historical research and has a vast amount of research resources for employees to access. It's a large team, so as people inevitably move on in their career, your professional network grows exponentially. You will learn how to speak about research, present to clients, and handle tough client conversations at an early time in your career. You'll be constantly challenged and have opportunities to learn something new.

Cons

There is a huge exodus of talent right now that will make the next while at the company difficult as current employees are forced to cover work when the company can't hire fast enough. Having teams well staffed was an issue even before the pandemic, so it is now at a breaking point. The company does not offer competitive compensation, even for talent who have been with the company for a while. Kantar used to offer a really awesome one-week new hire bootcamp in New York, but now a training program doesn't exist and team members have to train new hires on top of their already busy schedules. Work-life balance is pretty skewed for a decent part of the year (12+ hour days), though other times you can take off early. Middle managers will carry the bulk of the workload (though this can build your resume). While the company does "promote a culture of continuous learning" this isn't always a good thing when you don't have time in your day to learn something new, or learning something new means even more work for you. There's been high turnover in the C-Suite over the last few years that really doesn't look/feel good internally or externally.

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Explore other reviews about Kantar

5.0
Jul 7, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Nice company to work for

Cons

Pay could be better for this role

2.0
Jul 18, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Kantar has talented employees, well-known clients, and strong research capabilities. I had the opportunity to work with knowledgeable colleagues, contribute to major accounts, support internal initiatives, promote the brand, and share expertise across teams. There are many people inside the company who genuinely care about the work and try to help others succeed.

Cons

My experience was ultimately overshadowed by what appeared to be deep favoritism, inconsistent leadership decisions, and a serious lack of transparency. Employees with decades of experience, strong performance records, valuable client relationships, and critical institutional knowledge were laid off in the name of profitability. At the same time, the company continued hiring new people into the same or very similar positions. This makes the claim of role elimination or cost reduction difficult to take seriously. It was particularly disturbing to see highly experienced employees removed, only for the business to spend money recruiting and training replacements to perform work that clearly still existed. In some cases, former employees or people with close relationships to leaders appeared to be brought back, promoted, or placed into stronger positions. This created a clear impression that personal relationships and internal connections could matter more than performance, loyalty, expertise, or contribution. Strong performers who consistently volunteered for initiatives, promoted Kantar’s brand and tools, shared knowledge, supported important client work, and went beyond their job descriptions were still treated as expendable. Remote employees and people from diverse backgrounds also appeared to be disproportionately affected. The overall message to employees was damaging: performance may not protect you, loyalty may not matter, and institutional knowledge can be discarded while leadership continues hiring elsewhere. This destroys trust, weakens morale, and sends the wrong signal to employees who are still expected to give their best.

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