Independent brand consultancy, Mr B & Friends, has continued its run of recruitment with four new people in the Client Services team. The new additions will enable the team to be better structured for the continuing growth of the agency with more breadth across client accounts.
Maiara Fernandes has joined as Senior Account Manager. Maiara started her career working for a BTL agency in Brazil before moving to the UK. For the last six years she’s worked at an integrated agency, primarily on public sector accounts across a wide range of campaigns from internal comms to social activity. Maiara will be teaming up with Senior Account Director, Andy Kaye. Outside of work she’s kept busy by her bouncy Springer puppy and enjoying the great outdoors.
Hannah Reed has also joined as a Senior Account Manager, working alongside Senior Account Director, Joe Baptiste, for clients including The LEGO Group and Principality Building Society. Hannah has wide ranging experience from integrated comms to in-store to employer branding for global FMCG brands, including Wilkinson Sword, Ocean Spray and Spontex. As well as enjoying the pace of agency life, Hannah competes in Motorsport events on circuits around the UK, clocking up two championship titles among her achievements.
New Account Manager, Emmy Mitchell, joins us from ForrestBrown, where she worked in the marketing and then partnerships teams. With a host of transferrable skills, the team will benefit from Emmy’s client-side experience, as well as her understanding of the psychology of advertising. Emmy will work closely with Andy and Maiara on accounts including IHG and Plaidis. Away from work, Emmy has been making the most of post-Covid travel with trips to Thailand, Porto and Vietnam. With a passion for fitness, Emmy has already signed up to take on the Mighty Macmillan Hike with the Mr B & Friends team later this year.
Last but not least, Sunniegh Baker has joined as Senior Account Executive. Sunniegh impressed us while she was working client side and, when her role there came to an end, she was snapped up to work at the agency. She’s skilled at collaborating and keeping people organised, and is keen to be more involved in the process of ideation. Sunniegh will be working with Account Director, Liv Cox. With bags of positivity and a flair for fashion, Sunniegh has already slotted into the team perfectly.
Managing Partner, Ellie Wilson, says, “To enable us to deliver our company vision, which is centred around being the most valuable creative partner to our clients around the world, restructuring and strengthening our Client Services team was a key strategic move. I’m delighted to welcome these four bright and ambitious individuals to our Client Services team, their appointments will ensure that we continue to build and nurture strong partnerships with our clients whilst also delivering against our ambitious growth plans.”
Istoria Group has today revealed the winner of its inaugural Micro Business Incubator Hub Competition – Self Agency, which was founded by Devon Lowndes with the aim of improving the lives of neurodivergent people in the Bristol area.
The idea behind the competition, launched in March 2023 on International Women’s Day, was to find a women-led micro business in the Bristol region to support by offering free office space over a six-month period at Istoria Group’s Paintworks offices; mentoring from the creative business group’s leadership team in business, financial management, PR and marketing, along with a raft of creative services, including a brand review by the group’s design agency Phoenix Wharf and a website build by its digital transformation experts Tiny Spark.
The competition was also supported by local organisations Babbasa and Black South West Network, ensuring news of the competition would reach groups who have traditionally been under-represented in business, whether because of class, gender, ethnicity, age or a participation-limiting condition.
‘We received a fantastic set of entries’, Sam Rowe, CEO of Istoria Group commented ‘and were inspired by the number of amazing women out there fighting for social progress and to diminish inequality. We picked four finalists, all of whom were highly deserving, but in the end it was Devon Lowndes who stood out because of the clarity of her vision, her commitment and ambition. I am quite sure that as well as helping Devon move forward, we will also learn a great deal ourselves in the process, with that knowledge also going on to benefit our agencies and our work across the board.’
‘I’m absolutely thrilled to have won’ Devon Lowndes commented, ‘especially having met the other great finalists at the announcement ceremony! For me, one of the best things about Istoria Group’s Incubator Hub programme is how accessible it was to apply for as a person with ADHD. I could tell at once it was a friendly and accessible organisation with a really open outlook. I know it’ll be an environment that offers trust and flexibility, as well as creative and business expertise. I can’t wait to be part of it!’
The competition was judged by:
Cecilia Thirlway, Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Bristol
Matt Rogers, Head of Development at Babbasa
Istoria Group CEO Sam Rowe and Istoria Group Chief Marketing Officer Lindie Kramers.
The four finalist companies and initiatives were:
Better Together’s Founder Angela Loveridge helps parents keep children safe online by signposting them towards practical tools, techniques and resources, facilitating safe spaces for those awkward safety conversations and coaching parents so they are empowered to respond, not react, in a way that will keep channels of communication open and permit constructive conversations. Angela’s innovation is to recognise that people have very different parenting styles, meaning safety guidelines need to be approached without judgment and aligned with the unique needs of their child or children.
https://btogether.org.uk/
Bristol Achieve, founded by Hetty Brown, recognises that one of the biggest problems facing British schools is the gap between rich and poor and its subsequent effects on educational attainment and social mobility. This action-based business aims to increase the educational attainment and life opportunities of young adults with academic potential, so that they thrive in whichever life path they choose. Hetty and her team’s innovation is to promote peer mentoring and focus on essential life skills, as well as encouraging reading for pleasure, proven to improve academic achievement.
https://bristolachieve.com/
Nicoleta Moldovan and Begumhan Girgin of Sassy Sisters Studio have founded a new creative agency offering graphic design services, advertising and marketing, motion graphics, packaging design, publications and typographic design. They are two hardworking women/mothers with diverse creative backgrounds, who switched careers, went back to university, and completed their education in order to follow their vision. At their studio, they produce meaningful designs for businesses, charities, and non-profits while prioritising sustainability and women’s empowerment.
http://www.sassysistersstudio.com/
Self Agency was founded by Devon Lowndes to improve the lives of neurodivergent people in the Bristol area. The CIC-registered (Community Interest Company) agency offers organisational neurodiversity cultural development and neurodivergent community building. Devon is on a mission to educate people about neurodiversity and to further her vision of everyone embracing every mind equally and realising the positive impact an all-inclusive environment can have on individuals, communities and businesses. Devon advises organisations on best practice and is working with Bristol City Council as their sole neurodiversity champion. Her vision is to make Bristol THE neurodiversity city in the UK.
https://www.self-agency.org/
World-renowned, Bristol-based product development consultancy Kinneir Dufort are proud to be running the Ethnic Diversity Excellence Programme (EDE) for a third year running.
To tackle the visible lack of diversity within the UK design industry, Kinneir Dufort’s EDE Programme offers an opportunity for three students from minority ethnic and heritage communities entering their third year of university to take part in a funded 8-week internship.
Supported by an industry-wide EDE Council, with distinguished council members of minoritised ethnic backgrounds from AstraZeneca, LettUs Grow, No7 Company, FluoretiQ, Unilever and Reckitt, the programme offers three students in their final year an immersive opportunity to learn and develop within an industry environment. The successful applicants will also take part in school outreach programmes to help increase awareness of the design sector to help boost diversity in future generations of designers.
Along with 8 weeks of hands-on experience, mentoring and advice, the individuals will receive a £2,000 sponsorship along with £1,000 travel and accommodation expenses. This opportunity is open to all universities in the UK.
The driving force behind the programme, Sunny Panesar, Head of Portfolio Management at KD, is driven by the lack of ethnic diversity in the product development industry, and the need for change. Sunny says: “Having often been the only person of colour in the room throughout my career, the lack of ethnic diversity is striking, if we’re truly going to design a better world, we need to reflect the people we’re designing for.
“I understand how important it is for ethnic minority students to have this opportunity, firstly to make them aware of this incredible industry as a career option and then to help them overcome complex systemic barriers holding them back when trying to break into industry. Our goal is to level-up and give minoritised ethnic students an equal playing field. We want to offer interns a high-quality experience which is immersive and potentially life-changing; they will learn and develop within an exciting and unique environment with external mentoring from industry experts.
“The last two years have been a resounding success for KD, we have taken on full-time employees from the scheme and have a seen a vast improvement in all areas of diversity throughout the team. This year, we’re excited to launch the programme again and encourage students from around the UK to watch our webinar and submit their applications.”
Kinneir Dufort believe that they, and the wider innovation, design and product development industry need to do more to mirror the diversity of who we are designing for within the UK, and beyond.
Learn more about the application criteria, how to apply and the deadline here. If you would still like to learn more and see if this programme is for you, you can watch our recorded live Q&A with our EDE Council.
I’m very pleased to announce that we have officially joined the ranks of B Corps (a B Corporation is purpose-driven and creates benefits for all stakeholders, not just shareholders).
Avid Torchbox watchers will have seen this coming. As far back as June 2022 when I was already confident that we’d gain accreditation having finished the Impact Assessment, I wrote about why it had taken us a while to get on board and how the assessment was improving us. The wait since June was partly due to the B Corp queue, partly to the verification process (when a B Lab representative works with you to evidence your claims), and partly because changing our Articles of Association to encode our intent ‘to have a material positive impact on society and the environment’ took longer than it should have.
The assessment process has been really useful and I’ve no doubt that it’ll continue to make us a better business over time. The framework isn’t perfect – there are things that surprised me, for example, while it assesses fair pay, it doesn’t assess the gender pay gap – but it is strongly rooted in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and certainly drives positive change in businesses, as it already has done in ours.
There has been some negative criticism of B Corp, notably the FT article from February this year which raised issues including a couple of big ones for me:
Nestlé has a dubious record on human rights (I started boycotting Nestlé products as a student due to the baby milk scandal) and as the Fair World Project says, Nespresso’s single-use coffee is hardly a ‘force for good’.
I did feel like the B Impact Assessment was more focused on how you do business rather than what you do. You can get points for having a positive impact through your business purpose, but I don’t think you lose points if you have a negative impact. And, if you can still get to the magic 80 by doing well in other pillars, that explains some surprising B Corps. That said, you do have to commit to being a force for good, which was the “changing our Articles of Association to encode our intent to have a material positive impact on society and the environment’ bit that I mentioned earlier.
Apparently, things are gonna get better, particularly the single pillar loophole. According to Includability:
B Corp is planning changes in standards from next year, which will force B Corps to be more transparent about where they are around 10 specific topics – including fair wages, diversity and inclusion, human rights, action on climate change and risk standards – to resolve the issue around companies being able to rapidly meet the minimum points requirements in a single area.
We’re fans of Doughnut Economics, and as an employee-owned business, we’re excited that Kate Raworth believes that employee ownership can be a ‘powerful starting point’ to help redesign business. In the FT article, Erinch Sahan of the Doughnut Economics Action Lab says of B Corp:
“What they do really well is creating a community of business people passionate about sustainability,” adds Sahan. “When you tell everyone you’re now a B Corp . . . people expect that you really do prioritise people and planet. But that’s not necessarily the case.”
However, as we graduate as a B Corp, I think it’s important to focus on the bit before Erinch’s ‘but’. From the process we’ve been through, the B Corps I’ve met and the events I’ve been to, it feels like we are joining a club of business with energy and ambition to be a force for good. I thank B Lab for that and encourage them to continue in their mission to ‘not stop until all business is a force for good’.
A score of 80 qualifies a company for B Corp Certification (Nespresso scored 84.3). The median score for ordinary businesses who have done the assessment is 50.9. Torchbox achieved a B Corp score of 114.5. The focus is now on improving our score next time, so I want to end with a hat tip to a couple of friends who are giving us something to aim at, Wholegrain Digital who scored 122.1 (they were early adopters and have been assessed three times already, they’ve also made Best for the World lists four times) and our recruitment friends at Adlib in Bristol who recently re-certified with an incredible 130.3, nice one!
Creative agencies are brilliant places to work, with ideas flowing and full of, yes creativity. But they’re also commercial entities. And for agency managers, keeping the right balance of passion and profits can be a tricky one. They need to keep the agency profitable to keep it competitive and help it grow. It can be surprisingly easy for profits to slip away. Thankfully, with some forethought and the right systems in place, it can be just as easy to keep a tight grip on your finances.
Your estimate is all powerful so you need to get it right. Many agencies fall into the ‘reverse engineer’ trap of starting with a figure they think the client will like and working backwards from there. Essentially forcing the time to fit, whether it’s right or not. So you’ll either end up not delivering a good job, going over budget, or quoting too much and risking alienating the client. All impacting on your bottom line.
How to fix it: get under the skin of every brief, really considering each element. Look at similar jobs you’ve done before – can you use them to guide your timings? Make sure your teams are realistic about how long they need (creatives love to add sunshine and polish to each job, but this can’t be at the expense of your profits). And get to know your clients. Are they in the habit of asking for several sets of amends? Do they like long meetings and pitches? Only by accurately assessing how long a project will take will you actually see the profits from them. Read How to improve your agency’s estimating and job costing (synergist.co.uk)
Can you just do an extra bit of artworking? Someone else has had a look and they think it’d work better if we did xyz. Can you do a presentation at tomorrow’s meeting? Every agency has had these conversations with clients, asking for just that little bit extra on top of what’s been agreed. But a little extra can VERY quickly turn into a lot extra… which in profit terms means you can end up working for free.
How to fix it: make sure that your initial quote is as detailed as possible so it’s clear if clients are asking for above and beyond the usual above and beyond. You could add a buffer into the quote (x amount for extra sets of amends, x amount per hour beyond the brief), especially if you know this client has a habit of shifting the parameters of the brief. Or you could requote, especially if the extra work being asked for is substantial. Or… you could suck it up. Some agencies do choose to just do the extra work and absorb it within their original quote, to preserve good client relationships. If you choose this option that’s fine, but make sure it’s a commercial decision. You still need to know how long extra it’s going to take so it doesn’t just look like your job has gone massively over budget. Also, within the spirit of this piece, doing this too often isn’t likely to help your profits too much.
Read 5 reasons agencies over-service clients, and how to stop it (synergist.co.uk)
It can be tempting to take on any work that comes your way, especially during quieter times. But you need to make sure you’re only taking on work you have the correct capacity to handle. Otherwise you could be in danger of overloading already overworked teams. Or, worse, throwing the work at the wrong people purely in the hope of getting it done. You might get it done, but it’s unlikely to be to the client’s satisfaction.
How to fix it: you employ people with different skillsets for a reason. In the same way you wouldn’t ask your finance manager to sort an IT problem, there’s no point asking a designer to write copy, or a web developer to produce artwork. This is where your capacity planning comes in. You need to know what’s already in, who’s working on it, and what’s booked in. This means you can see if there are any upcoming gaps, which your client services team can try to fill – or you can see if there’s any internal work or training which could be done. Conversely, you can see if there’s likely to be too much work for the right team to handle. From here, you can decide if you need to bring in freelancers, or even recruit. It might feel counterproductive to bring freelancers in to help one team if another is not busy. But putting the right people on the job can boost your profits… while the wrong ones can deplete them.
Read Manage your agency’s resource for less peaks and troughs (synergist.co.uk)
Which brings us onto the next potential profit drain: overusing freelancers. Bringing temporary help in on an ad-hoc basis can be a good idea. Especially if you have a good roster of people you know you can bring in and will be able to pick the work up quickly and easily, without spending a lot of time training and explaining. But the temptation can be just to keep them on, in case more work comes through, or to mop up odds and ends. And this is where your profits can suffer.
How to fix it: be strict about when and how you use freelancers. If you know a specific team will be shorthanded or overloaded, freelancers can be a great temporary fix. But this isn’t an ideal long-term scenario, as you’ll be paying freelance rates. If you know that the extra work is going to keep coming in, could it be time to recruit? Or is there anyone already on your payroll who you could upskill or retrain? You should never be in a situation where you have a freelancer sitting around twiddling their thumbs because you’ve incorrectly calculated workload… you’re paying them without seeing any profits.
There are a ton of processes involved in running an agency. Timesheeting, budgeting, project management, briefing, debriefing, finances, planning. All important cogs in the wheel. But left unmanaged, these can start to turn into an exercise in chaos and overwhelm, leading to a big bloat in your processes and a big dent in your profits.
How to fix it: standard operating procedures don’t sound exciting, but when you realise how important they are to your bottom line you’ll soon change your mind. Instead of having teams all working to their own set of processes, having an effective, preferably automated, set of templates and systems can streamline and simplify. Much less time wasted on navigating siloed systems, much more money saved… and made.
Day-to-day life at an agency is busy, bustling and often on the edge. That’s the norm. But crashing through each day hoping for the best is a surefire way to see your profits plummet. Stepping back, using a good agency management system to give you full visibility, and doing some careful strategic planning can help to keep your agency moving in the right direction. Towards smoother ways of working and bigger, better profits.
For more agency insights, check out www.synergist.co.uk/resources
Fiasco Design is now accepting applications for their Open Internship programme, which aims to make the design industry more accessible for those from underrepresented backgrounds.
“Following the success of last year’s Open Internship programme we’re thrilled to open up applications for the second year. Bringing a greater range of people into design allows the industry as a whole to prosper. We’re proud to be playing our part.” – Ben Steers, Co-founder and Creative Director, Fiasco Design.
Fiasco Design’s Open Internship programme looks to set a precedent for the way design internships can be made more inclusive for emerging creatives. The hope is to encourage people of all walks to life to apply, by actively removing some of the usual barriers:
It’s no secret that there’s a diversity problem in design. The UK’s design workforce is made up from a small section of society that fails to reflect the world we live in. Despite increased awareness around the topic of inclusivity, statistics from Design Can and the Design Council suggest that this is slow to translate to real change.
As an industry that thrives on creative innovation and diversity of thought, there is a need to think pragmatically about what can be done to tackle the problem head on and bring about real, tangible change. Fiasco’s wider ambition is to inspire others to find similar opportunities that help level the playing field and make our industry a more exciting place to be.
“As a studio we have a deeply held belief in the positive power of creativity. By thinking creatively, we can find solutions to the problem of diversity in the industry. Progress may be slow, but it is possible. It starts by challenging ourselves to do better.” – Nathalie Crease, Head of Marketing, Fiasco Design.
Fiasco Design’s Open Internship programme is now accepting applications. You can find more information and how to apply via: fiasco.design/open-internship
‘User experience’ is a term you may be familiar with. It’s a term that’s frequently used in the context of web design, and for many good reasons. A user’s first impression of your company can make or break their perception after they visit your website. The navigation of the website is another crucial component of the user experience. Learn more about the significance of navigation in web design and what to look for in a web design firm that prioritises strong navigation by reading on.
The term “navigation” describes how a user navigates a website. It has buttons, menus, and links that users may utilise to access the site’s various pages and functions. The navigation of a website functions essentially as a map for users.
As you will see in the reasons listed below, navigation should be given priority in web design.
The user experience is important when it comes to web design, as was already established. A professional web development company is aware that effective navigation enables people to quickly access the information they are looking for on a website. If a user can’t quickly and easily locate what they’re looking for on your website, they’ll probably leave and never come back. On the other hand, users are more likely to interact with the website and perhaps even make a purchase when they encounter smart, user-friendly navigation.
The practise of improving a website to appear higher on search engine results pages (SERPs) is known as search engine optimisation (SEO). It should always come first when selecting a UK web development company. Since search engines use it to crawl and index the site’s pages, effective navigation is essential for SEO. The navigation of a website might make it difficult for search engines to comprehend the site’s structure when it is disorganised or unclear. The ranking of the website may suffer as a result.
Accessibility should be taken into account while creating websites. When a website provides clear navigation, people with disabilities—like those who use screen readers to navigate the site—will find it easier to use. Always work with a web design company that is aware of how well-organised and labelled websites are simpler for screen readers to traverse.
The amount of visitors to your website that leave without interacting with it is referred to as the “bounce rate.” A high bounce rate frequently indicates that users are having problems accessing the website. Users can locate what they’re looking for more easily when the navigation is improved, which also boosts engagement and lowers the bounce rate.
The basic objective of a website is to turn visitors into paying clients. By making it simpler for visitors to carry out desired actions, such filling out a contact form or finishing the checkout process, effective navigation can play a significant role in this.
A successful website must have effective navigation since it affects a number of variables, including user experience, accessibility, and SEO. It’s crucial to pick a web design company that prioritises and sets a high value on effective navigation.
Why should I employ a web development company? Have you ever thought. Without an excellent website, your business simply cannot develop in the current digital era. It would be simple if all you required was a website, but what you actually need is a strong and effective online presence. However, many business owners are still ignorant of this fact today. Some people still give little thought to whether a website’s claims about its goals, its vision, and the services it provides are accurate. Fortunately, you are not one of them, and you have come to this page looking for information and solutions. You are probably wondering why working with a skilled web development company is the best way to achieve the desired outcome, which is an excellent website.
We are available to you to discuss the advantages of working with a web design and development company like WeAgile when creating a new website or redesigning an existing one.
Let’s start by responding to some often asked queries.
A web development business with expertise may build a website from the ground up. Professional programmers and web designers at WeAgile have a wealth of experience creating digital goods (such as websites, applications, e-commerce sites, and software) for a variety of sectors. In order to find the best solution for you, web designers and web developers work together. They construct frameworks and databases, come up with innovative concepts, and decide on a language for both front-end and back-end development. The task of a web designer is to create the user interface or user experience. The team at WeAgile is skilled in many areas, including testing, deploying, and maintaining digital products.
First off, WeAgile has a team of web developers, web designers, SEO experts, project managers, testers, and more. Since a single freelancer simply cannot have all of this knowledge, you will undoubtedly receive a product that is subpar. Not because they are not professionals, but simply because it is difficult for one person to be an authority in so many different fields.
Second, the WeAgile team will be able to continue offering you assistance and upkeep long after the website has launched. Many people are unaware that even after the website is launched, it will need to be updated frequently for a variety of reasons. For example, if your website is built in WordPress, there are frequent updates to the platform and plugins; if you want your website to rank well on Google, Google regularly updates its algorithm; etc. You need to stay on top of all of this, and more often than not, a freelancer won’t be able to support you long-term due to other commitments.
Thirdly, clients will obtain the best level of service possible because a web development agency sets a great value on both its reputation and its long-term goals. Because you won’t be able to leave a Google review or a Trustpilot review for an independent freelancer, work is frequently completed a little sloppier and, most likely, no one will ever find out if your website is not functioning as intended. It is not even an exaggeration to say that we work with the best freelancers in the world. They are each true experts in their respective fields, but when it comes to web design and development, it takes a team (designers, developers, project managers, SEO experts, testers) to produce a top-notch outcome.
Fourth, your website will be delivered quickly and efficiently, and it will be a well-rounded final product because many professionals will have had input in the end product, often coming up with innovative ideas that will greatly benefit your company’s digital presence. This assumes nothing completely unforeseeable happens (like a significant change in the scope of work). For instance, if a freelancer you are working with experiences a personal setback (such as illness or a vacation), your project will be completely abandoned.
Let’s add another “layer of safety” for choosing a web design agency over a freelancer if the list above hasn’t already persuaded you. An agency is always a legitimate firm with owners, directors, insurance, etc. They won’t suddenly vanish one day or stop returning calls while the project is still in process.
Yes, there are platforms like Squarespace or Wix where you can try your best to build a straightforward and appealing website. No matter how much you know about designing and constructing websites, you will never be able to match the experience of a web development business.
Working with a web development company like WeAgile has a lot of benefits. Here is a succinct list of them:
We hope we answered some of your questions and removed any doubts you might have had about choosing a web design and development agency. But if you still have any questions, please do reach out and we will get back to you in no time.
Almost all UK agency owners worry about their business, with 14% feeling anxious every day.
That’s the finding of The Wow Company’s 2023 BenchPress reports, the largest survey of independent agency owners in the UK.
It found that 99% of all agency owners worry about their business, with 60% of those running agencies with £1m+ turnover and 70% under £1m feeling worried or anxious at least once a month. For both groups, 14% get anxious every day.
Agency owners shoulder a lot of responsibility & can sometimes feel anxious about their businesses. For all the highs, there are inevitably going to be some lows to navigate. Where do you sit among these figures taken from our new BenchPress report? More: https://t.co/qog2wRcsbi pic.twitter.com/306jMIrPWr
— The Wow Company (@thewowcompany) April 13, 2023
The top concerns that keep founders awake at night were team, new business and clients for £1m+ businesses and new business, cash flow and clients for firms turning over under £1m.
When it comes to work/life balance, 7% of owners of agencies under £1m and 5% of those £1m+ said they do not have one at all.
The report said you’re 50% less likely to worry about your business if you have a healthy work/life balance, so it urged founders to work on getting one.
Read advice on mental health and wellbeing:
In another finding from the reports, confidence among UK agency owners at the start of this year dropped close to levels seen during the height of the COVID-19 restrictions.
Since 2012, the study has tracked how confident agency owners feel about the year ahead by giving a rating out of 100. Above 50, owners feel confident and below 50, they expect this year to be worse than last year.
The new report shows confidence in January 2023 was at 66, compared to 74 in 2022 which was the highest level since 2017.
In January 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the score was 71 and in July 2020 it was 60.
As well as the issues around wellbeing described above, BenchPress said the fall in confidence is also driven by:
Growth: 71% of agencies under £1m and 79% of £1m+ grew in 2022, but growth wasn’t as strong as in previous years. Those that grew fee income by 26%+ dropped from 39% (under £1m) and 43% (£1m+) in 2021 to 26% (under £1m) and 27% (£1m+) in 2022.
Remuneration: Those earning over £50,000 per year dropped from 58% to 52%, while those earning more than £100,000 fell from 53% to 46%.
Profit: For agencies with under £1m turnover, average gross profit reduced to 36%, an 8% fall from the previous year. For agencies with £1m+ revenue, average gross profit has reduced to 40%, a 4% fall from 2021.
Despite the UK’s economic challenges, the report showed that having a purpose continues to be important for agencies.
It found that 24% of owners of agencies under £1m and 28% of £1m+ firms said building a business that has a positive impact on the world was their top priority.
[Online event for Bristol Creative Industries members on 19 May: Six steps to supercharge sustainability in your business]
[Read advice on business as a force for good and how to become a B Corp here]
The top ways agencies make a difference include:
The full BenchPress reports are jam-packed with lots more data plus advice on overcoming the key challenges and how to boost your agency. Download the reports here.
We are excited to announce our latest campaign launch for Spontex, the UK’s No1 Cleaning Tools brand – ‘Little Wins!’
Spontex asked us to create a digitally led campaign to promote sales across the Spontex range in stores.
The latest campaign is all about celebrating life’s little victories; where something as simple as a freshly cleaned oven, or a clean, sparkling floor can provide that little moment of satisfaction. It’s often the small things that offer the most joy!
The insight is brought to life through a series of short social films in which various small victories are celebrated by a quirky and eye-catching dancing hand.
To add further joy, the campaign features a promotion with daily ‘Little Wins’ up for grabs, with dozens of little daily prizes to deliver a little bit of joy to each day – just like Spontex products’ cleaning power does.
Throughout the promotion, shoppers will have the chance to win retail gift cards worth up to £100 every day by purchasing any Spontex product over the campaign period. We think these prizes provide nice little wins to help shoppers in the current climate!
For those Spontex shoppers who aren’t lucky enough to win a retail gift voucher, they will be given a 20% discount code to use on Spontex products online.
The competition runs from the 17th of April up until the 5th of June. So be sure to purchase any Spontex product and enter online with your receipt at http://spontex.co.uk/littlewins for a chance to win.
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