This year has given us ALL the feels, but today we sit back and focus on the positive ones.
Along with our long-standing clients we’ve panicked as the pandemic wreaked havoc on their businesses, and in so doing, initially on ours too. Like many, we too have had to make some tough people changes, and we’ve had to watch as dust settles on the desks in our offices across the globe, places that were once a hive of creative activity.
With many Northern Hemisphere countries back in lockdown, the massive weight of 2020 can easily suck you in some days (especially if, like me, you’ve recently been struck down with Covid), overshadowing the many good things you accomplish. So this week, we’re sitting back and taking stock of all the positives. All the incredible things our team has achieved as a business, despite the hurdles we, like millions of others, have had to overcome.
So please bear with us for a moment while we float our own boat here. While we celebrate the wins, big and small. While we share some good news. And while we most importantly recognise the people that have made it all happen.
1. OUR NEW B2B WEBPAGE HAS GOT US #feelinginspired.
We used the first ‘downtime’ wisely and created a B2B section on our website. Not too many clients know this about us, but we’ve done a tonne of B2B work in recent years. As a creative experiences agency, we can put our hand to most things, and our B2B page showcases some of the global conferences and expos we’ve done in key industries, like AFA VISION 2020, the virtual conference attended by almost 700 delegates in October for the Association of Financial Advisors in Australia.
It was a pretty awesome event, but don’t take our word for it, take our clients, “It has truly been an enlightening, awesome experience working with you. For us you have set an extraordinary benchmark in terms of conceptualizing, collaborating and delivering a virtual event.” Feedback like this inspires us to push boundaries and do even more for our valued clients.
2. virtual atoms have got us #feelingexcited.
We have always been an agency driven by creative, immersive tech, but the accelerated adoption of ‘digital’ for brands around the world has given us the opportunity to flex our bionic muscles even more. If you haven’t already, check out our recent Virtual Atoms work for Carlton United Breweries in Sydney, and our work for Temenos in Europe (we may have mentioned it a couple of times of late, but we’re proud like that).
2020 has propelled brands to be brave, dive into the digital unknown, and try new things, and our Virtual Atoms platform is one of those incredibly cool new things, which brands are asking lots of questions about. Virtual Atoms are turning the heads of big and small businesses alike, and for that we are incredibly excited.
3. our clients have got us #feelinghumbled.
We’re nothing without our clients. And not only are we fortunate enough to have retained many of our existing clients this year, but we’re also lucky enough to have welcomed several new ones to the fold. To our new clients, thank you for choosing us! To our old clients, thank you for staying with us! Trusting the Because family with your brand during these challenging times means the world to us, and for that, we are humbled and eternally grateful. At Because we walk the talk, so please know that no matter what Covid may throw our way, our experience and expertise mean your brand is in safe hands!
4. bringing home a few awards has got us #feelingproud.
This year didn’t really seem like a year for awards. But we thought why not? Aiming to enter a few would give us all some motivation, and it’s always good to have a little hope. And we were right. We’ve already collected a fair few bits of metal, and before the year is up, we’re pretty confident we’ll have another handful of awards to add to our show cabinet, or, let’s be honest, to use as paperweights on our home-office desks. Being recognised by some of the best in the business has made us feel really proud.
5. a new cape town office has us #feelingtrulyglobal.
We’ve added another ‘blip’ on the map. Yip, we’ve moved the back office support functions from the UK to the beautiful city of Cape Town. This has allowed those at the coal face of the businesses globally to focus 100% on clients and creativity. Strong leadership is keeping the teams culturally connected, and everyone is working towards the same common goals, which has us feeling truly global. And of course, being on the ground now in CPT, means we’ve also started to pick up some interesting local client briefs #moretofollow.
6. csr initiatives have us #feelingblessed.
We believe it’s important to take a moment to reflect and to give back too. We’ve supported many CSR initiatives this year, from regularly donating food parcels, to half a tonne of clothing when a local orphanage was gutted by fire, to computer equipment for families to aid home schooling, to volunteering with the Salvation Army, to Christmas gifts for orphans, and multiple financial donations to various causes. We’ve also donated time to produce the Cancer Society’s ‘Walking Stars’ event and Meredith continues to mentor for The Trenches. We believe giving back takes many forms, and helping peoples career progression, and empowering them, is as important as the above endeavours. Despite our 2020 woes, we know how truly blessed we really are, and we are incredibly fortunate to be in a position to give back, so, when people ask for our help, as a business, we’ll always dig deep. Next year it’s all about sustainability for us so watch this space. #PromiseMade.
7. our people have got us #feelinglucky.
As I said above, we’re nothing without our clients, but we’re even less without our talented team. None of the above would have been possible without everyone’s full commitment to the cause, each and every single bloody Covid blah-blah day. Our teams across the globe have been challenged beyond belief and stretched to the very limits at times, but they have shown up (be it on Zoom) with smiles plastered on their face and fire in their eyes, whilst children tugged at their hair and cats walked over their keyboards. We are exceptionally lucky to have you guys, thank you many times over for showing me what you’re all made of.
Let’s say it as it is. It’s been a turd of a year, but it has challenged us to our limits, pushed us to our core, forced us to really look at who we are, where we are, and where we want to be. It’s made us talk about the hard stuff, and we’ve made some tough decisions. But at the same time, this year has enabled us to achieve things that may, in a ‘normal’ year, have seemed downright impossible. For that we are grateful.
Great agencies constantly evolve, even during a pandemic. Thank you to all who have been a part of our evolution. May we continue to embrace change, and be better for it. Can 2021 just hurry up now please?