As chief marketing officer you might think I'm most interested in excellent whitepapers, PR, events and such. Well…ok, I am. However, our culture and our people are a much higher priority for our success and our brand because our employees ARE our company. Your employees ARE your company. There are studies that prove employee satisfaction is directly correlated with customer satisfaction, and customer satisfaction is directly correlated to company growth. When it comes to marketing, I believe the best companies don't try to create a perception of what they want to be, they just ARE. They just be who they are and the rest is amplification. Taking a spin from a quote from Richard Edelman, marketing today is about becoming masters of reality, not masters of spin or hype. And it's our team that makes our company great and a place where they and we all want to work.

So you can imagine my excitement when we were voted one of the Best Places to Work in Austin (second year in a row) by Austin Business Journal. This win was even sweeter for us, because we "moved up" to the mid-sized company category. Keeping our open, entrepreneurial culture is a challenge as we grow, but our employees are telling us that we are still succeeding at creating a great environment for them. And our solid growth in all areas of our company proves that, when you hire excellent people and give them a great place to work, anything is possible. Some of our team members shared why they love working at Bazaarvoice…

"The most exhilarating, energetic, dynamic, creative, professional and driven organization I have ever been part of it.  We are reaching for the stars and I can’t wait to touch them!" – Zach, Sales

"The true test of any job is whether or not you wake up in the morning excited to go to work.  Bazaarvoice’s talent, culture and the opportunity it presents make it the best place I have ever worked." – Chad, Sales

"Bazaarvoice is unique because of the amazing amount of talented people that work for the company, coupled with a fun and rewarding culture.  It is by far the best place I have ever worked." – Kim, Sales

"Working at Bazaarvoice has been an amazing experience for me. I enjoy the company's open and collaborative culture, and it's refreshing to connect with fun, well-rounded, and passionate people every day. Also, the opportunities to learn and grow at Bazaarvoice have been second to none. I truly believe that we're building something that's built to last." – Tung, Community Management

"I love working for Bazaarvoice because this company feels more like a family. Never have I worked at a place where I look forward to going to work every day and am welcomed by warm, smiling faces. The BV culture is also an experience you won't see anywhere else. From a sweet game room to monthly massages to company-wide leadership training, there's not much you can imagine that we won't try for the betterment of our quality of life!" – Sherrie, Community Management  

"Passion — it is a pleasure to work with a group of individuals who share a common trait: passion for their work. It’s the passion each of us brings to this job every day that has fundamentally changed the way consumers shop all over the world." – Greg, Sales

"It is infinitely rare to find the perfect storm of incredible leadership, rock solid product, perfect market timing, and an immensely talented team. Bazaarvoice truly embodies this." – Snow, Sales
 
"When you work in a place where the word ‘blame’ doesn’t exist, you’re able to do your best work, free from the fear of failing alone." – Leigh, Marketing

"Everyone ‘gets it’ here. We set the bar high when it comes to hiring — deliberately seeking out passionate, talented, team-oriented individuals. No matter how difficult a challenge is, I rest assured that my peers have a high sense of accountability, trust in each other, and are aligned with the larger goals of the company. Everyone sees the bigger picture and works together to achieve common goals.  At the end of the day, it feels more like I’ve been collaborating all day with friends rather than with coworkers." – Andrew, Product Management

"Bazaarvoice is an excellent place to work because we have cultivated together a home-grown corporate culture that promotes excellence in each individual, and in how we work together as a team.  It’s very rare you find a workplace where each and every individual is a rock star, and contributes the best aspects of all of their strengths into their daily work. I am energized by working in this environment and I’m excited to come to work every day!" – Crystal, Community Management