How is your agency’s role different today from a year ago?
It is no different. We have a strong ethos and culture that has only elevated as the team has pulled together through Covid-19, and as far as clients and our output are concerned we are still agile and operating with a freedom that allows us to truly add value. So, it hasn’t changed and, if anything, has cemented us deeper into a role we were already playing as a properly integrated agency.
What role does technology play in creativity today?
This mainly revolves around how content is consumed. Of course with social and the ever-changing platforms, new platforms, publication formats and styles, the challenge is to keep up and keep clients educated too. It isn’t slowing down, that is for sure.
What one piece of advice would help clients get the most out of their agencies?
We would advise them to be open-minded to what a solution to the problem may be. We still receive very prescribed scopes of works for very set business challenges and objectives. This isn’t always going to yield the best results. Often there is a creative or technical alternative to a problem that is outside of the prescribed scope. Give us a challenge, clear objectives and be open-minded as to what solution we propose.
Be flexible on what the scope may look like. (This is not always welcomed by procurement, admittedly.)
What will this year’s biggest challenge be, and how do you plan to tackle it?
The single biggest challenge so far is uncertainty. There is a degree of caution after last year and the remaining economic challenges, which restricts budgets and drive to invest, so we are having to be even smarter and more agile than ever with our solutions. We’d say making budgets work for our clients is a huge challenge and focus this year.
What are you most excited about this year?
Firstly seeing team members grow, as we’ve had a lot of people step up and earn promotions through 2020, which is a big statement of character across the business. In addition, we are very excited for some major client projects that are launching already, which are definitely challenging our creativity and ability to seek true integration. Finally, we have strong expansion plans and will have news on this soon, too. Watch this space.
