brand ambassador

brand representative

account executive

retail sales associate

account supervisor

GMR Marketing

As a Brand Ambassador, one's responsibilities are to promote the client's product while maintaining perfect compliance to various regulations imposed by the company as well as outside auditors. During my time here there were two teams, one worked for MarkTen and promoted their new e-cigarette while the other was involved with Marlboro Night Life and distributed butane torch lighters. A typical night at work goes as follows; the BA meets up with his/her manager at the location he/she has been designated to work that night, the manager gives the BA the tools for the job (tablet for conducting surveys, bag full of promotional inventory) and the BA enters the bar. For the duration of his/her shift, the BA must conduct interactions within the bar with "qualified adult smokers" while maintaining compliance to FDA and company regulations. There is a general script for these interactions and maintaining compliance but some improvisation is required in order to have any real success. I have found the easiest way to conduct interactions is to introduce the promotional product sample at the onset of the conversation to maximize participant interest. There is a target goal of 50 interactions per night or 7 per hour which I have found to be extremely difficult to achieve, however I consider myself something of an introvert so perhaps a more outgoing individual would have an easier time of it.

Where to begin with GMR? Well, I worked for GMR for over 10 years as a field manager. This involved 100% travel and many long hours, well over 60/wk average. Certain programs and teams are good but it's honestly luck of the draw. As a tour manager, you have zero idea what sort of program you're getting involved with until it's too late. This can include negotiating for a pay rate based on a certain role, and then having all the details of that role change without being able to renegotiate pay. They get away with treating field staff as disposable because they pay cash per-diem, so if you're smart you can spend a little on lodging and food and save the rest. As far as the managers in office, most of them are underpaid and undervalued and it shows. There is very little accountability for what happens out in the field. I racked up so many dangerous situations driving big trucks for this company and building event footprints that if OSHA or DOT were ever aware, the fines would be enormous. Drivers are encouraged to get to the next market even if they've been up working all night. There are no safety standards and I've been in very dangerous situations building out pods, towers, and stages for this company. Think teams of guys who haven't been properly trained using power drills 15 feet in the air not strapped into anything. Think shipping container walls crashing down without warning because the custom pod wasn't designed properly and the weight wasn't taken into consideration when picking winches. As long as the client seems happy, the office folks don't care about anything else. I had an issue with a coworker and reported the harassment to HR, only to have it fall on deaf ears. Benefits are a joke, and the people running the benefits department can't do their jobs enough to ensure your benefits aren't wrecked. I know it seems I have a chip on my shoulder, but trust me, my experience isn't out of the ordinary with this company. Stay away if you can. They routinely lay off people as a cherry on top.

In my opinion, the strategists within the corporate office fail to design programs that meet the specific demands of all markets covered. Small towns and big cities are expected to execute under the same parameters which leads to logistical problems. 

Sometimes, the overlays and performance expectations are unrealistic in ANY market for the specific product I promoted. In the field, it is common knowledge that some "successful" teams lie and cheat to meet their required performance numbers. This skews the numbers for everyone.

Running a legit program in the NY market means working much harder and much longer hours than most. This has an extreme negative effect on work/life balance. This means your staff must work harder as well.

Regardless, the corporate powers that be may decide to change the rating system at any given time to highlight the markets they want to achieve and/or expand. It would appear that these decisions are not necessarily based on their client's vision, but on the desires and plans of the corporate office (company "insiders"). For example, a Regional Manager may hail from a particular town and want to return. So, this town may show up as a recommended market.

It is not uncommon for corporate staff to use the audit system to visit markets that are tourist attractions or visit family or run a marathon, etc. Perhaps, this happens within many organizations. However, it becomes increasingly frustrating when the same decision makers visit your market (one after the other) and continue to ignore the realities of executing their programs in your city.

What is the best part of working at the company?
I always felt like I was part of a team 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part of the job was making sure my team was reaching their KPIs but those goals were actually not difficult to reach, as long as I had a good team in the field 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It was a strong team effort and management staff was always looking out for each other.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
In my division, it was field marketing. I would manage a small team of customer facing retail experts who would engage with appropriate, potential customers and introduce them to our product. The ultimate goal was to get the customer to try and then purchase the product. My role was meet with and support 3-5 team members a day, helping with developing customer engagement skills and making sure the team members were adequately prepared to serve customers.

Working for GMR Marketing has to be one of the greatest jobs I have had so far. I am a person who enjoys interacting with customers, clients, and guests so it was an ideal position for me. I have gotten to meet so many fantastic people who also gave me great advice on my career choices, I got to meet some amazing celebrities, and became part of a team that loved what they were working for. I enjoyed working with my groups and also managing some of the events. Although I have had an overall good experience with GMR there were some things that I would have liked to have like health insurance. I know that being a brand ambassador doesn't guarantee a job in the future but the people who have worked for so many year should have had an opportunity to enroll in some type of healthcare program. Other then that I have no complaints. It is a pleasure to work for the company.

The travel was amazing, getting to see new places and meet new people and experience the different promotional events we served. Unfortunately the job doesn't have any kind of security for ambassadors and basically isn't guaranteed from event to event, a lot of butt kissing has to be done in order to get on with any good promotional campaign and an intense amount of favoritism is shown which is a horrible business practice. If the company would truly commit to it's BA's and give credit where credit is due the company would be a lot more successful for its clients and recieve a lot more return on investment. It's quite appalling the amount of hoops one has to jump through, even if your a great BA, just to get another job with this company.

GMR is an amazing company to work for! I've worked as a consistent temp (over 7 years) on various events and they treat their employees just like they treat their clients! Very professional and make each event an experience to remember! Coming to work is fun, organized with daily challenges to keep you on your toes.The team work and the staff is what makes completing each task a lot easier! Even on the most difficult, challenging and hectic days the attitude and smiles of the GMR management team is what keeps you going. If you are blessed enough to get hired be prepared for a fun journey and be ready to grow and expand your mind. Everyone here is passionate about what they do which makes working as a GMR employee, just the same as it is when working with their clients...:An Amazing Experience!

A position with a catch 22: every silver lining when it comes to the work from home/remote factor but little else in terms of career advancement opportunity, healthy work-life balance and genuine care from corporate management. There is great opportunity for GMR Marketing to enhance these characteristics, but the company as a whole seems far more focused on the bottom dollar line than investing in it's overall employee health and well-being. Hard to work for a company that you feel has little care in it's hard working and dedicated employees.

Don't waste your time. The agency is run by an extremely unprofessional management team who don't give two hoots about you or your career.  For an agency that is always bragging about integrity and empathy, it's really laughable. This agency only cares about one thing, the Omnicom numbers, and if your position doesn't fit into their budget, it's bye bye without a simple 'thank you'. 

They also claim false perks on their website. There are no flexible hours within most jobs and the Anyplace Workplace is a joke.  Changes move extremely slow there and the agency does not give you the freedom to be the a creative. It's a little difficult to be a "StoryMaker" when management doesn't believe in you.

What makes GMR great is its people and its culture. What makes it challenging is the low pay, lack of work life balance (dependent on manager) and the constant dumping of work onto already stretched thin employees. Raises are inconsistent and infrequent and bonuses are virtually non-existent if you’re not in client services. Agency rolls over for clients so a lot of work is done that goes absolutely no where. Creative and client serves rule the roost and support teams are overlooked. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Brand ambassador 3 salaries reported	$22.67 per hour
Brand representative 1 salary reported	$20.00 per hour
Account executive 3 salaries reported	$53,500 per year
Retail sales associate 1 salary reported	$20.00 per hour
Account supervisor 3 salaries reported	$77,667 per year

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