How did your agency adjust/adapt to the marketplace in 2021 (new strategies, resources, technology, health/safety expertise) and what is the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2021 and how will you apply it to 2022?
With three offices spread across several continents, we were already pretty good at remote collaboration, but in 2021 we upgraded our game in both practice and technology. All offices got video/audio upgrades in order to help with a new hybrid way of working (some of us come into the office regularly, while many still work from home). And we made significant changes in our HR practices to accomplish our two biggest needs in 2021: Hiring fast and retaining strong talent. We streamlined both our recruitment and interview processes to identify talent and make offers within just a few weeks. And we revised our review/raise process to make sure we could retain as much of our star talent as possible. “The Great Resignation” is real, and these moves have helped us stay just ahead of it, for the most part. But there’s more work to do.
How are the events of 2021--from the pandemic to the call for diversity, equity and inclusion--impacting the content you create and/or the way you work?
We’ve always valued diversity in our agency, both in our team and in our work. But in 2021, we realized—like many agencies—that we should do more. We formed a number of DEI committees, made public our values and goals, and have published our employee statistics to help ourselves stay on track and accountable. We’ve also established a new, and more thorough, creative review process to help us not just stay as sensitive and representative in our work as possible — but to identify ways to push ahead and help set new standards.
What are your goals or New Year’s resolution, creatively speaking or from a business standpoint, for your agency or department in 2022?
We have plenty of goals in 2022 for our creative team. The top five that come to mind are…
- Impact culture positively.
- Make more disruptive work – not just for big clients, but small ones too.
- Organize our creative dept to attack briefs and pitches more efficiently and cross-office.
- Retain great talent.
- Continue striving to be an agency that puts fun first.
Gazing into your crystal ball, what do you envision for the advertising and/or entertainment industry--creatively speaking or from a business standpoint--in 2022?
Oh man, it’s so hard to make predictions these days. My crystal ball for 2021 was way off thanks to our friendly new variants. But I anticipate brands will continue to try and make up for lost time the past two years. They’ll want to engage with their consumers in social as well as in real life, as soon as it’s safer. So I hope to see more IRL brand experiences with strong social tie-ins. I also hope creatives in the field find new satisfaction in the moves they’ve made past year, and settle in for a new chapter. With renewed energy.
Tell us about one current commercial or branded entertainment project you are working on for early 2022.
We’re working on several fun extensions of current campaigns for our Verizon clients. One big campaign will hit early January for Verizon’s pre-paid brand – Visible. Looking to follow that up with another chapter soon after.