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Well, 2022 certainly kicked off. It’s been a challenging twelve months for the industry, with no agency immune to the pressures foisted upon us by the cost-of-living crisis, political turmoil and war in Ukraine.
We are, of course, fortunate in the grander scheme of things. For, while it’s not always been the most straight-forward of periods for us as a business, we know that many families and companies across the country have faced far greater adversity. Perspective is more important than ever.
So too, is gratitude. Despite the challenges faced, Guerillascope enjoyed its best financial year on record in 2021/22, securing a 43% increase on the previous year while rising from 43rd to 37th in Campaign’s Agency Rankings. This is in no small part due to the perseverance and resilience shown by clients and partners.
Brands such as Tide, Mindful Chef, Flarin, Chip and the ECB invested heavily this year, led by a balanced focus on short-term sales and long-term growth. Meanwhile, a slew of new business wins in recent months – including L’Occitane, PitPat, Formula E and Arden Grange – are a cause for considerable excitement as we approach 2023.
Yet, while our business results are worth celebrating, we’re equally happy with the continued progress being made when it comes to how we demonstrate our appreciation for the hard-working people that make Guerillascope what it is.
Fresh off a company conference from Miami to the Bahamas aboard a ship operated by our client, Norwegian Cruise Line, we were voted by Campaign as one of the Best Places to Work in the UK media, advertising and creative agencies for a fourth consecutive year in 2022. We were also thrilled to gain our first accreditation on the Great Place to Work programme.
Among various new initiatives introduced in 2022 were an increase in our holiday policy to 28 days for all employees. Additionally, staff now have six months full pay for maternity and adoption leave, as well as a highly competitive paternity and shared parental package.
With so much uncertainty swirling around the country this year, we decided to work with Self Space, a company that provides workshops and individual sessions related to personal wellbeing. Just as timely was the start of a partnership with FinWell. Guided by their expertise, we’ve been able to host financial wellbeing sessions that help our employees manage their way through the cost-of-living crisis.
But we’ve also put our money where our mouth is, with our starting salary for a Media Assistant now 23% higher than the industry average. Having also teamed up with Brixton Finishing School this year, our goal moving forward is to ensure such opportunities are accessible to a more diverse talent pool.
As well as looking inwards, a business must of course look outwards. Guerillascope was verified as a carbon neutral organisation for a third year running in 2022 – but we know we need to do more.
Now a member of the IPA Climate Charter, we have access to a plethora of resources that allow us to work with clients on minimising the environmental impact of a campaign. This includes a multi-channel Media Climate Calculator, which serves as an indicative guide during the planning process. As part of our focus on working collaboratively with clients, we have agreed to offset all emissions derived from the end-delivery of campaigns we booked in 2022.
But we’re aware that offsetting alone is no silver bullet. This year, our HQ in Farringdon switched to 100% renewable energy, while every company car is now electric and all office waste is recycled or composted. The drive to be greener will continue in 2023, with the likes of Zellar and ecoVadis helping us benchmark our progress.
No business or individual is an island. We are all part of something much bigger, and should therefore strive to support those less fortunate wherever we can.
This year, Guerillascope utilised its ‘Do Good’ fund – a proportion of profits set aside every year for a cause we care about – to support Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day on October 13th. Working as the agency partner for METUPUK, a patient advocacy group, we discounted the charity’s media costs by over 20% while securing an over-delivery of 51%.
We’ve also been busy on an individual level. Jay Bhatt, our Director, raised over £54,000 for charity as a competitor at the annual Media Fight Night, while Strategy Director, Mitchell Cocker, raised in excess of £6,000 for the RNIB as a result of his participation in the London Marathon.
And who can forget Farringdon’s answer to the Great British Bake Off: our annual MacMillan Coffee Morning. Guerillascope’s talented bakers secured £400 in donations with the support of our generous partners and clients.
While it’s important to reflect on all the good things that 2022 has brought us, we wouldn’t be where we are today without having one eye firmly fixed on what’s next.
For us, 2023 is all about progression. We’ve split this into four guiding principles, which together, form our STEP framework.
Support
We will go above and beyond in supporting our clients during the ongoing economic uncertainty.
Training
We will continue to invest heavily in improving and widening our skillsets, as part of a firm commitment to educating ourselves on both a personal and professional level.
Efficiency
We will continually seek ways to increase our productivity and capabilities by evolving our processes and documentation.
Proactivity
A full-service media agency cannot sit still; we will strive to advance and diversify the services we offer by embracing the challenges of a changing media landscape.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Thank you for making 2022 another fantastic year.
We’ll see you on the other side.