Great resume builder, but not a place to plan a long-term marketing career...
Pros
Compensation: For AMM’s coming out of MBA programs, GMI has one of the best compensation packages. From a starting salary POV, they are near the top. However, do not expect to negotiate as there are many willing/able AMMs willing to take the salary offered. HQs: All the amenities you can ask for: daycare, gym, gas station, café, running paths, and company store. Resume Padding: From the time you set foot on the GMI campus as an AMM you are highly sought after by executive recruiters. You will learn the fundamentals of marketing and emerge as a well-regarded general manager and marketer. Working through adversity: One of the benefits of working through a high process/burecratic organization are the skills you get to get things done, work around barriers, and persevere. This will serve you will in your career. Class of 40+ AMMs: GMI adds at least 40 AMMs every year to their roster. Short-term this means you have friends in the less than appealing city of Minneapolis, and long term this means you have an extended networking of friends/colleagues. Well-known brands: Let’s be clear, the company is struggling because of lack of relevancy with consumers. However, GMI’s brands are well-known and as a result provide a halo on your career and experience there.
Cons
MBA recruiters either lie or do not know the truth: Make sure you ask the tough questions when evaluating GMI. There is no clear path to promotion, yes there is high turnover, no Minneapolis is not a fun town, no you do not get a chance to pursue new ideas. Highly Political: Most AMM’s that start at GMI have solid work experience and have navigated multiple organizations, however you have never encountered an org with tough political battlegrounds. Sales and Marketing knock heads (sales folks don’t like being told what to do by smarter AMMs). MM’s are fighting for their lives to get promoted, so they still the show from their AMM’s and through them under the buss when times are tough. Diversity recruitment dollars are aplenty, retention is non-existent: Let’s face it, GMI spends lots of money to recruit AA and Hispanics to Minneapolis because it is not a desirable place. Most that live in small/medium sized cities prior to B-school love it, but if you have spent time in NYC, Chicago, LA, SF…you won’t like Minneapolis. They call it the “Minnie-Apple”, but this is a joke. AA and Latinos leave or are forced out within a few years of being there. Career in Marketing does not equal project management, HMM, or grunt work: Most vocal frustration from AMMs is the morale due to long hours. Recent cuts have only made this worse. Expect to work 70 hours as a 1st year AMM and just under that as a 2nd year and beyond. Most of your time is spent writing agendas, recapping meetings, and ushering people to do their job. About 20% is marketing. Bad Managers: GMI has a “Great Managers” program developed to improve the quality of people managers in marketing. GMI’s outside consultants have indicated that just 1 out of 3 Marketing Mgrs can be called a “Great Manager”. This is pretty sad. Your experience at GMI will be entirely dependent on your manager: their political clout in the organization, their ability to protect their AMM, their ability to grow you as a person/marketer/general manager. Even sadder is that the “Great Managers” typically leave. People management and developed is not entirely valued – just inquire about some of the most recent departures at the MM level. MBA recruiting will be more than happy to answer any questions you have about this. Career Control: No you don’t get to choose where you go, what rotations you have, or what brand you work on. A “council” and “senate” do. People that do not know you tell you how to spend your career.
