Pros
To be fair, the compensation was competitive and the onboarding process was well organized. After that, however, the positives quickly faded.
Cons
From the outside, Dagger presents itself as a forward-thinking agency with strong values and a progressive culture. Unfortunately, my experience there revealed a very different reality. Aside from a well-stocked snack area, there was little evidence of the culture the agency claims to champion. Dagger positions itself as a leader of “The A Pledge,” an initiative intended to ensure agency workforces reflect the diversity of their cities — particularly in Atlanta. Yet the agency itself has consistently failed to meet that standard. In practice, Black creatives and leaders were frequently marginalized, scapegoated, dismissed, or subjected to subtle forms of gaslighting. It’s telling that many of those same individuals have since gone on to thrive in organizations that genuinely value their expertise and perspectives. Operationally, the agency often felt stuck in outdated systems and inefficient processes that created unnecessary friction for the people doing the work every day. Strategic thinking frequently took a back seat to short-term decisions, resulting in avoidable chaos for teams trying to deliver strong work. Over time, the results of these issues became visible. Clients departed. Talent left. Institutional knowledge drained away. The pattern felt less like isolated challenges and more like a slow structural decline. If you talk to people who have spent time at Dagger, you’ll hear a similar refrain: proceed with caution. Looking back, I wish I had listened.