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‘Tis the season for reflection – so, time to give yourself a massive pat on the back.
2021 hasn’t been easy for anyone, least of all those of us who own small businesses or work in health, retail, hospitality and the arts. There’s been times of hope and a great deal of anxiety; but here we are, ready to take on 2022. We will all reap the rewards of our perseverance in these challenging times.
For Guerillascope, any review of the past year must begin with our wonderful team. Faced with continued uncertainty, we simply knuckled down, supported each other, and thought outside the box to find ways of keeping the company moving forward.
But it’s not always so simple, of course. The pandemic’s impact on people’s mental health has been well documented, and yet the suspicion is we still cannot fully calculate its true cost. The best we can do is be there for each other, which is why Guerillascope has acted to ensure half of our employees are now trained mental health first-aiders. We’ve learned how important it is to truly listen with an empathetic ear when somebody opens up about their struggles with mental health.
One pleasing by-product of our efforts to support staff was being recognised by Campaign as one of the top three places to work in the UK advertising industry for the third year running in 2021. Providing an environment where people can feel secure and fulfilled will continue to be at the front of our thoughts throughout the twelve months ahead; no business should take the efforts each individual makes to help both the company and their colleagues thrive for granted, as this year has shown.
A happy team, as we know, also invariably means happy clients, and we’ve had the pleasure of working with some wonderful brand partners over the course of 2021. Among the newcomers to our family have been Penfold, Edgard & Cooper, the English Cricket Board, Pinter and Chip; meanwhile, the perseverance shown by existing clients such as Tide, Protect Your Bubble, OTTY and Mindful Chef has been nothing short of inspiring.
A growing client list requires a larger team, and 2021 has been particularly noteworthy on that front for Guerillascope. We’ve welcomed four new members of staff over the course of the year, including Mitchell Cocker as Strategy Director, Charlotte Callaghan as Media Executive, Katie Duxbury as Media Assistant and Jamie Utley as Brand Manager.
All four are fantastic additions to a team that, with a consistently low staff turnover – and various members approaching or having just celebrated their ten-year anniversaries at the company – is fully equipped to build on a strong financial year.
While the resilience of our staff and the courage of our clients have been two key takeaways from Guerillascope’s 2021, another has been the camaraderie shown by industry partners. Collaboration has always been crucial in advertising, but the past year has really shone a light on the strong bonds that underpin these partnerships. When egos are left to one side, amazing work can be achieved.
You also need flexibility, of course, and this is an area Guerillascope has thrived in. We are purpose-built to cater for the fast-changing needs of modern brands, and 2021 has seen these needs change at a rate of knots. With events in real-time transforming the context behind campaigns overnight in some cases, demonstrating agility in our responses has been crucial. This is allied with our ability to work outside of advanced booking deadlines, which has granted clients access to late opportunities in the market at lower rates throughout the year.
We’ll end with a word on a subject that, amidst the white heat of a global pandemic, has fallen down the agenda over the past two years. It’s estimated that 1 in 200 people in England alone are homeless, with rough sleeping rising by 94% over the past decade. These stats are damning for a country that is one of the richest in the world.
The pandemic, of course, has only worsened the situation, with entire families now finding themselves without a home due to financial pressures. It’s therefore vital that charities such as Crisis and Shelter exist; the work they do brings light during what is an unimaginably dark time for people facing the trauma of homelessness.
Guerillascope is a proud supporter of the Crisis at Christmas initiative, which provides gifts ranging from hot meals and warm shelter, to education and training. If you would like to find out more about how you can help, click here.
From all of us at Guerillascope, we wish you a healthy and happy Christmas.
See you in 2022!