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It continues to be an uncertain and worrying time for many – but we’re always here to help if we can.

In this edition we’ve shared some perspectives on business development and prompted you to take action in two areas to help you get ahead. We hope these points will guide your own thinking and help shape your plans and actions. But if you’d like to talk more about any of your own specific issues, we’re available and more than happy to talk.

THE S WORD: SOLVING NOT SELLING

When faced with a crisis, it’s normal to react to the immediate priorities – often the unavoidable practical issues. As an agency leader you’ll have spent the last weeks ensuring everyone is set up and working remotely, examining cash flow with a fine tooth-comb, talking to clients about current projects and new ways of working, and maybe making tough decisions about head-count and other overhead costs.

Now it’s time to get on the front foot and be proactive. To ensure your business can survive beyond any recent ‘damage limitation’ steps you’ll need to focus on your pipeline through a new and very different lens.

Many agencies will be in the fortunate position of having long-term clients with whom they’ve built trust and loyalty. Others won’t be so lucky. But with all clients thinking and acting differently, all agencies will need to adapt to maintain the lifeblood of new business they require.

The underlying business development principles are still valid, but the starting position is different now. The mindset needs to be about really helping clients deal with their own challenges. It’s now about engaging on their most important short and long-term issues. Genuinely solving the problems that really matter to them – not trying to sell in predictable proposals for mundane projects.

Many clients will need help to change their business models, strategies, categories, products, services, channels, geographies. They’ll need help to get through the short-term and to understand their longer-term opportunities. In this different world, they’re likely to be open to new and different agency partners, creating new opportunities, and threats, for agencies.

So, whether your focus is on maximising business from your existing clients or finding new ones, this is a time to revisit your business development approach to compete strongly on this tougher playing field.

Here we offer some practical suggestions to help you maintain and adapt to the new S word.

Existing client business: Proactive not passive

Get even closer. Get deep under the skin of what’s happening in your clients’ organisations – what’s changed, has the strategy shifted, what are their real pain points? Use your contacts well to gain all information and insight that might help you. Ask your ‘referral champions’ for introductions to any new areas where you might be able to help.

Look for work, not briefs. Don’t expect formal project briefs. Think about anywhere you could really add value, right now. Go beyond your normal services to consider how your expert skills could help solve any of your client’s business problems. Be proactive in talking to clients about how you could help – but don’t pursue anything you can’t deliver exceptionally well.

Deepen connections. Working remotely may mean there’s more time and headspace for clients to talk, consider and reflect. One-to-one connections are replacing large meetings. This is a real opportunity to strengthen and build relationships and, as with all relationships, those that survive a crisis will be even stronger in the future.

Have a plan and deliver. Get the client team involved in the plans, make sure everyone is clear on the objectives and their individual responsibility. Track progress – and be prepared to change, agility is key. Make sure every aspect of your project delivery is faultless – this is no time to be dropping the ball.

New client business: Nurturing not prospecting

Get your house in order. Get skilled up and get your tools in good shape so you’ll be able to do new things not just think about them. Make sure you have information tools, such as Canvas8 or Winmo, and learn how to use them. If you don’t have a CMS, now’s the time. And when you’re sure about your targeting, build the database to stand you in good stead for the future.

Think beyond normal sectors and services. Think about the challenges you’ve solved for clients and which brands might now be facing those challenges. Don’t be limited by traditional sectors or products. Consider who is doing well – or might in the future. Be brave, think differently about the work you want and could win. But don’t just jump on any opportunity, it may not be the right one and could drain your resource and energy.

Cut through the noise. Standing out will be more important than ever. Make sure your proposition, core messages and values are relevant for the current environment. And be sure they are authentic, clear and communicated consistently through all channels and materials.

Don’t hunker down. Be the voice that remains. Continue to create relevant, original and engaging content. Ladder up to your proposition and open up broad based discussions to build long term relationships. Maintain visibility, using your owned media and continue with PR and awards. Pick up the phone and talk to ‘warm’ prospects – you’ll be surprised by their response. And if using e-mail – keep things short, with no strings attached – don’t create barriers.

This is a time for solving not selling. Be sure you’re really focused on helping your existing and prospective clients navigate their best route through the crisis. And in turn, doing the best for your business.

DON’T WASTE THE OPPORTUNITY

You’re probably relieved to have found some cost savings, deferred some payments and put your staffing strategy in place. And now you just want to focus on producing great work for your live clients. But there is an opportunity to achieve so much more.

With some staff having been furloughed and everyone working from home, it may be hard to consider new ideas and initiatives. Motivation can be low at all levels, making it easy to slip into a passive mode, just waiting for things to get back to normal.

But the best led agencies will recognise the opportunity that exists during this period. The chance to get ahead and have an extra edge for the future. The chance to improve the way things have been done in the past. It’s these agencies that will emerge as the new leaders – don’t be one of those left behind.

Some things to think about:

• Consider what the post-virus world might mean for your business and people. Identify practical actions to make sure you will have the right targeting, offerings, skills and ways of working.
• Think about the weaknesses you already know about and assess how this time could be used to improve things: roles and responsibilities, processes, technology, data, communications, training.
• Define clearly the areas where you want to make changes, set realistic objectives for progress each week and each month – and review regularly.
• You’re likely to have fewer people than normal to support these activities, so involve as many as possible, use their time well and make them feel these changes are vital for being fit for the future.

THERE’S A LOT TO LEARN

It’s hard to underestimate the challenges facing businesses right now and survival mode is in full swing. However, with promotions and pay rises on pause, motivating and retaining the talented teams and individuals holding it together should be a top priority if you want to be in a position to thrive on the other side.

Focusing on learning is one such way – continuing to build business capability whilst nurturing career ambitions (the latter feeling a lot more than two metres away right now).

So, with the harder shift to remote working already tackled it makes sense to leverage your new virtual community to connect people to the content, tools and techniques that will give them more control over what happens next.

Some things to think about:

• Start by adapting existing programmes – company lunch ‘n’ learns or specific masterclasses – to a virtual format. A simple way to bring people together and continue to share and build knowledge.
• Continue or establish virtual mentoring relationships within and across teams. Setting goals and staying on track is both motivating and reassuring. You may have your own to adapt, or there are many established programmes already out there.
• Simplify individual learning paths so they are focused and feasible alongside the day-to-day firefight. Honour the skills expectations of a current role but also motivate people with new opportunities that may support a post COVID-19 era.
• If it’s not the case already, update your learning strategy to be digital-first. The return on investment will be a highly engaged team, constantly eager and able to upskill.

Testing content with users lets you find out how useful it is, how well it’s understood, how the tone resonates and how much confidence it inspires. You generate a wealth of insight you can use to refine your content to increase its effectiveness.

For the last two years, Scope’s services team have been developing new help and support content for disabled people and we’ve been running integrated rounds of user research.

Scope’s content needs to work hard:

• To be able to help people solve problems, the advice needs to meet people where they are. It needs to recognise the exact circumstances people are in, which may differ from assumptions made in official guidance
• To be able to provide emotional support, Scope needs to convey empathy in a way that feels genuine and respectful
• To be the ‘go-to’ organisation for disability information and support, Scope’s content needs to be accurate and credible enough to inspire trust

Scope also know that it’s not just a case of knowing your subject well and writing about it. When you have a deep knowledge of a subject, you are often too close to that subject to be able to communicate it in a way that will be clear to all users.

Then there’s the added complication that people’s real-life experiences, interpretation of language and levels of comprehension all vary greatly. So while you may think you have the information to answer a user need, there are a multitude of unknowns that will affect how this information is received by your users.

Scope navigate this complexity with a rigorous content design process. Input from their subject experts is still critical, but it’s only one of several key factors.

Taking the content to the people it’s designed to support, listening to their views and experiences, and iterating the articles in line with user input is fundamental to creating effective content.

1. Check the accuracy of information

How things are supposed to work versus what people experience in real life has been a recurring theme in the testing we’ve carried out for Scope.

A subject expert can have inside out knowledge of how a service or process is designed to work. But while they may know the official or ideal scenario, they may be unaware of the ways that service may fail a user in real life. This is knowledge that can only be gained from users themselves.

If Scope describe a process such as applying for a benefit as straightforward when the reality is everything but, they miss an opportunity to meet the user where they are, be credible and provide essential emotional support.

2. Identify missing information

Each of Scope’s support articles aims to answer a specific user need and the testing allows us to check whether that need has been met. Sometimes the testing reveals that the user has been left with further questions. Or that their question has been answered, but without the human support they need in that situation.

For example, an article around applying for an EHCP plan was felt to have all the correct information, but without acknowledging how stressful this process could be. A simple tweak could allow Scope to validate their users’ experience of the process and demonstrate empathy.

Other users highlighted that their anxiety had been triggered when an important topic had been touched on too lightly. Had Scope published this content without testing with users, it could have caused distress; the exact opposite to Scope’s desired effect!

3. Check the usefulness of your content

Although you may think you’ve answered a user need, you won’t know for sure how useful your information actually is without consulting the people who are going to use it. In our Scope testing, an article advised applying for an educational psychologist via the school.

However, several users flagged that this wasn’t helpful advice. In their own experience, they’d had much more success by contacting their local authority directly.

4. Discover how the tone of the article sits with users

In our research, some participants found the tone of a particular article to be too cold and formal. This insight gives Scope an opportunity to adapt that article to a warmer tone and in doing so, provide more of the human support that is such a key part of their service provision.

At the other end of the spectrum, the tone of another article was felt to be overly familiar and patronising. Pitching your tone is a complex task, and particularly so when discussing an emotive subject. Involving your users in the process is a really effective way of helping to get this as right as possible.

5. Find out how your language resonates with users

For your users to feel like your content is speaking to them, it needs to be written in the language they use. People don’t necessarily use the official terms for things; there might be other vocabulary they use to describe the same thing. Taking your content to the people it’s written to support will give you an opportunity to use the words that resonate with them.

6. Find out whether your content structure is right.

You may have the information to answer a user need, but how you organise it is just as key. Your users need to be able to easily scan the page to find the information that is relevant to them.

In one session our research revealed that users hadn’t understood that the steps within a three step process were connected. The way you’ve broken your information down may appear to be helpful but you need to be sure it makes absolute sense to your users.

7. Check comprehension

Accessibility is all about making an experience as inclusive as possible. In the context of content, it also means making sure your information can be easily understood by anybody who needs to read it. Sentences need to be clear, concise and jargon free. For Scope, making their information accessible is even more important.

Our testing has allowed Scope to find out what terms people are already familiar with, and what they don’t understand. Users flagged complicated sentences which could then be rewritten more simply.

8. Uncovering efficiencies in content production and missed contexts

In each of their support articles, Scope are responding to a specific user need, within a specific context. Through user testing, we often discover a piece of content may answer multiple user needs, suiting a wider audience than initially thought.

For example, an article about starting to travel with a disability was written for young disabled people travelling on public transport for the first time. Our testing identified that the information would also be relevant to any newly disabled person of any age, since they would have to re-learn to travel with their new condition.

Likewise, an article about SEN or mainstream education for a disabled child was aimed at parents of pre-school children choosing their child’s first school. Our testing highlighted that this information need wasn’t exclusive to parents of preschool children. Actually, a child’s condition and therefore their educational needs may change at any point in their schooling.

Acknowledging additional situations a reader might be in when accessing information is so important. Getting this right tells the reader that Scope understands and is there to support them in their specific situation.

In summary

This isn’t an exhaustive list of the areas you can explore through content testing but it gives you a flavour of just how impactful this type of research can be. If you skip this important step of the content design process, you miss opportunities to further your understanding of your users and create really effective content.

Whether or not you are already working with your users to co-design your services, think about how you can involve them in shaping your content too, because content is experience.

If you’d like more advice on how to do this, please get in touch! 

Armadillo joined the IPA

Some good news – we’re pleased to announce we’re joining The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising. This gives us the opportunity to connect with 266 agency members, who are responsible for over 85% of all UK advertising spend.

With 25 years of industry experience, our IPA membership acts as a further indicator of our standing within the marketing and advertising space, and demonstrates our commitment and professionalism within the sector.

We’re seeking to support staff development with the industry-recognised CPD and training available through the IPA, therefore enabling our 45-strong team to develop their skills and progress in their careers, whatever their level.

Patrick Mills, IPA Director of Membership and Professional Development, comments “We’re thrilled to have Armadillo back in IPA membership, and joining our thriving South West and Wales community. We very much look forward to working with them.”

James Ray, CEO at Armadillo, comments “Once the preserve of a select type of agency, the term advertising is wide-reaching today and reflects great work that resonates and has an impact on its audience. We’re extremely pleased to be joining an organisation that supports and celebrates the best in the industry, and are keen to aid and enable our team to develop themselves professionally and personally through our membership with the IPA.”

“What we do is very, very simple,” says Sammy Mansourpour, the founder of leading marketing communications firm AgencyUK. “We help brands become smarter, more beautiful and more valuable.”

Easy to say, perhaps, but hard to do – which is why AgencyUK’s expertise is so in demand, and why it has grown in reputation to become the UK’s number one rated independent agency – an official ranking bestowed by The Drum National Census.

“Our philosophy here is very much about creating a meaningful difference for brands,” Mansourpour explained to Business Leader.

“Meaningful difference is an important philosophy. If you look at the most successful brands in terms of growth over the past two decades, they have been brands that have very successfully exploited their meaningful difference.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean they have products that do different things or have the classic, unique selling point, but it means that as a brand they are able to differentiate themselves and therefore engage with consumers in a way that is more relevant.

“So when we talk about brand, we are talking about how we position companies and their brands so they can grow, so they sell more products or services and they can increase their market share. That’s why organisations come to us.”

The team at AgencyUK are masters at helping brands to do exactly that. The firm specialises in supporting challenger brands to disrupt their markets and seize the top spot in their sectors.

Industry-leading data insight – built by a regularly-reviewed system of performance metrics – helps build brand and audience profiles which AgencyUK uses to help companies identify and exploit new opportunities.

Mansourpour said: “We believe – we know – from all of the data, the performance media, and the spreadsheet approach to marketing which is steadily taking over due to marketing automation, that the big differentiator for brands is creativity.

“It’s the one thing that can set them apart, which helps them engage with people. This consistent differentiation of a brand is what really lands on the balance sheet for many of the companies that we work with.”

The process may be designed to help brands build an emotional connection with their customers, but it is one shaped by a firmly scientific process.

However, the rewards are obvious; ownership of a renowned and respected brand can have a significant impact on a company’s bottom line.

Mansourpour continued: “If you’re Coca Cola, the value of your company is exponentially larger than the revenues you generate, as brand value and goodwill makes up a huge part of the balance sheet. Most large companies and brand owners will have brand as a numeric value applied to their company.

“For example, if you’re a motor insurer, you know the value of your brand because if you’re on a price comparison site, you know that being the cheapest doesn’t necessarily secure you the most business.

“If you’re a number one unknown brand, say White Label Car Insurance, and your policy is £90 a year, you will be aware that being the cheapest isn’t enough. Typically consumers will opt for an insurance brand they recognise, as long as the price sits within a tolerance, usually about around £15 more.

“That means they’ll pay up to £15 more to go with a known branded motor insurer, whoever that is, over an unknown one that’s £15 cheaper.

“So in that example, you can attribute the value of your brand to £15 per policy and then work that out exponentially.

“The purpose of being a well-known brand, and a reassuring brand for customers, does two things – the first is it gets you on the shopping list so that you are considered, and the second is it allows you to charge a premium. Those two things are tangible.”

Read the full article here

The Future Of Work In The Age of Artificial Intelligence

By Ann Hiatt, Non-Executive Director of Armadillo.

I’ve spent 15 years of my career working at companies that didn’t exist when I started high school. It was inconceivable to imagine that my first job after university would be working directly for Jeff Bezos at Amazon in 2002 – the time he invented e-commerce. My next step was equally as unimaginable; working for what is now a trillion-dollar technology company as Chief-of-Staff for the CEO of Google. The technology we invented during my 12 years at Google has changed and shaped modern society, commerce and even democracy. I literally cannot remember how I navigated my life before both of these companies became such dominant presences. Saying that, I’m grateful that I got through high school before the data-permanence of Instagram was invented to document my teenage awkwardness!

However, rapidly developing technologies can be a worry for many. Recent advancements of AI and machine learning have conjured up images of Hollywood movies where robots take over and enslave the world. While there are serious issues and ethical debates to be had about how we want to shape these capabilities and apply them to our modern world, I remain optimistic.

The opportunities for good are enormous with the computational power of AI and machine learning. These systems are able to process vast amounts of data and recognise patterns that no human could ever analyse and comprehend, let alone at those speeds. This will permeate every single industry and be incorporated into our daily lives in some dramatic and imperceptible ways. This offers opportunities for major advancements in fields that could save lives and perhaps, our planet.

Medical

We now have AI systems that can predict cancerous cell development more accurately and much earlier than human oncologists. We are also seeing implementation of medicine dosage tracking automation that has the possibility of saving countless lives from medicinal overdose or dangerous drug interactions.

This doesn’t remove the need for skilled doctors, nurses or pharmacists. In fact, it frees up these medical professionals to do what humans do best – connect and care for each other in a non-equational way. Wouldn’t it be liberating for both you and your doctor if you had more time together to discuss your overarching health concerns and initiatives rather than only having five minutes together because of paperwork and processes that could be automated?

Travel

Whilst working at Google X, the ‘moonshot factory’, it was like travelling in a time machine, catching a glimpse of the technologies of the future. One of these companies I watched from infancy was Waymo which has developed revolutionary driverless car technologies. Driverless cars will save lives by removing distracted drivers from the road and improving transportation efficiencies, which also means more time and money back in your pocket. It also has the potential to eliminate thousands of cars from the streets through car sharing applications. When we move to this model, there will be less need for vast parking areas which take up 30% of modern cities and whose concrete is a major pollutant of our planet.

Work

There are also great opportunities to improve the quality of work for traditional jobs in our economy. Manufacturing, for example, could benefit in quality and production speeds when humans are freed from repetitive, tedious tasks and allowed to redirect their brain power towards creative and more meaningful work. Also, it could help many avoid accidents and repetitive motion injuries. AI could also allow us to automate dangerous work currently done by humans, such as work requiring chemical exposure and toxic environments. Machines could also become the first responders for dangerous situations like wildfire fighting or cleaning up toxic spills.

The other side of the coin

Through this technology, some workers will be displaced, modern civilisation has seen this pattern several times before and it is something to be taken very seriously. For this reason, it is more important than ever for modern workers to consistently up-skill and stay current in their respective fields. Those who are complacent will be left behind; that is a fact that history has taught us over and over. Governments have a vital role and responsibility to provide these educational opportunities and incentives for workers and the next generation in order to remain, or become, major players in the modern economy. Universities and trade schools need to revitalise programs to direct students towards skills and careers that are built to be adaptive, analytical, creative and cross disciplinary.

Despite my passion for this technology, there are major concerns that keep me up at night; admittedly they won’t make a great Hollywood movie but they deserve our prime time attention:

First, I worry about a consolidation of skills and power among a privileged few. I would like to see companies and governments do more to ensure a more inclusive and diverse community of computer scientists and ethicists involved in not only developing these technologies but also in creating international standards for their application. We need more diversity represented to fight unconscious bias from creeping into systems that will be difficult or impossible to correct in the future. I also fear that if these AI powers are not kept in check, we could lose vital civil liberties that we enjoy in modern democracies.

The jobs of the next generation more than likely haven’t been invented yet. Some traditional work may disappear but, that will make room for work that is enhanced by inherently human characteristics which can be enhanced by AI partnership; including creativity, relationships and responding to anomaly situations. My optimism in technology is rooted in my faith in humanity to remain dedicated to improving the quality of life for all. Don’t turn away from technology that you don’t understand. Lean in, ask questions, remain curious and sceptical, add your voice to the conversation which will shape the future of our planet.

This article first appeared in Digital

Ann Hiatt is Non-Executive Director of Armadillo.

Cybersecurity threats were a major challenge for many businesses in 2019. There were 3,800 publicly disclosed breaches during the first 6 months of 2019, a 52% increase from the same period in 2018.

Cyberattacks will continue to impact organisations of all sizes in 2020. Businesses in every sector, from financial and healthcare to government and entertainment, will need to increase their defense against cybercriminals to avoid the high costs associated with data breaches.

To protect your company against cyberattacks, your need to watch out for these major cybersecurity threats:

Cloud Computing

While cloud computing and cloud storage often offer better security than on-premise solutions, you can’t assume that all your data stored in the cloud is safe. Hackers have infiltrated cloud computing infrastructure and stolen the stored data. For example, the Capital One breach had resulted in 106 million records being exposed.

With more businesses migrating their data to the cloud, cybercriminals will up the ante on hacking the servers used by cloud computing providers. Cloud-jacking will become a major security concern and it’s important to select reputable cloud providers that can offer the best security measures.

Internet of Things (IoT)

Connected devices, also called IoT, are everywhere. In fact, the IoT market will reach $1.1 trillion by 2026. As companies are rolling out smart devices at a breakneck pace, security experts can’t keep up with the development of new strategies to support the widespread usage of these devices.

These devices will increase the “attack surface” that hackers can exploit. We’re not only talking about smartphones. Everything that can be connected to an app — from blenders and light switch to baby changing pads and washing machines, can be exploited by hackers as an “entry point” to your network, from which they can steal your sensitive information.

Emerging Technologies

From 5G network to all things AI, we’re going to see a lot of emerging technologies that will challenge how businesses collect and protect user data.

5G networks will drastically increase the amount of data that’s being shared and utilised. The widespread adoption of 5G will increase attack surfaces. The higher bandwidth will allow hackers to launch wider and more powerful attacks. Also, the all-software network inherently comes with cybersecurity vulnerabilities that require a reassessment of how we fundamentally approach IT security.

Meanwhile, AI and machines learning require a large amount of data from a variety of sources to produce accurate insights and results. However, in the race to becoming the first-to-market, some vendors may not have the time or resources to fully analyse the many potential algorithmic biases that can lead to security blind-spots.

Phishing Attacks

While phishing attacks aren’t anything new, hackers are constantly refining their methods. Widespread use of online platforms and digital devices are exposing us to more venues through which cybercriminals can get our data through phishing attacks.

It’s found that 90 percent of the data-loss incidents have a phishing or social engineering component to them. After all, it takes only one employee to click on one phoney link to compromise the IT security of the entire organisation!

In addition, as Deepfake technology becoming more advanced, we can expect to see it deployed in phishing campaigns to trick employees into clicking links or downloading malware.

Protect Your Business From Cyber Threats

Cybersecurity can be a rather overwhelming topic for many businesses and it’s challenging to stay current with all the latest news and best practices.

However, it’s important to have a solid foundation in place. Here are some basics you should implement right away:

• Ensure that employees and contractors who need to access your network are doing so securely through a reputable Virtual Private Network (VPN) service.
• Establish an IT security policy and provide employee training to ensure that it’s being followed.
• Enforce strong password protocols and use the access control feature on software platforms or document management systems to limit who can view sensitive data.
• Reinforce endpoint security by making sure that all devices used by employees to access your network are protected by anti-virus software and firewalls.
• Implement a backup and recovery plan so you can get your business back up and running quickly if there’s a breach to minimise costly downtime and data losses.

Fending off cybercriminals is an ongoing effort and you need to stay vigilant in today’s hyper-connected digital environment so hackers can’t get their hands on your critical business information and customer data.

Caroline MacDonald has contributed to The Female Edge, a non-for-profit book on female entrepreneurs following the publication of Alison Rose’s review on the topic.

“I’m twenty-four, newly arrived in London, with a degree I loved under my belt. … I secured the management role at a wine bar, and within a year I turned it around from loss to profit. It became clear to me immediately that I wanted to make a difference through my entrepreneurial skills.

“Years later, I am the partner in a comms firm, and it became clear that I wanted to do things differently. My own agency was born, and I’ve managed it ever since – with a growing team, and a growing list of global clients.”

Excerpt from The Female Edge.

Caroline shares her experiences in different industries and how they led her to found PR and digital marketing agency, OggaDoon.

This book has been created as a direct response to Alison’s findings on the low level of women entrepreneurs in the UK. This is despite the UK being the start-up capital of Europe. 13 unique entrepreneurial stories from a variety of women and sectors.

Alison Rose, Deputy CEO, NatWest Holdings and CEO, Commercial & Private Banking, was the lead for an independent review of female entrepreneurship commissioned by The Treasury. Her review revealed the barriers faced by women starting and growing businesses and identified ways to support this untapped talent.

Following this report, the government announced a plan to increase the number of female entrepreneurs by 2030, creating nearly 600,000 additional female entrepreneurs. Up to £250 billion of new value could be added to the UK economy if women started and scaled new businesses at the same rate as UK men (Rose Review).

The Female Edge is available on Amazon for 99p with all proceeds going to the Women’s Resource Centre.

Climate change is a hot topic these days. Not only is it part of our home lives, but it plays a big part in our working lives too. That’s why many of the world’s biggest companies are making climate action a part of their strategy – bracing themselves for the prospect that climate change could substantially affect their overall profit within the next five years. So how does that impact businesses like Prophecy Unlimited? Matt Healey, Head of the Sustainability Group, and all-round Greta enthusiast, talks through some of the achievements they’ve made in making Prophecy more climate-friendly.

I started the Prophecy Sustainability Group in an effort to take more responsibility for what’s going on in our world. It was about using my own initiative, not waiting for permission or moaning about why things weren’t being done. I was probably influenced by Greta and messages like, ‘If not now, when? If not you, who?’ which featured on the Glastonbury Festival bags in 2019. After sending a few emails and asking for people to get involved, we formed the Sustainability Group. Our biggest win of 2019 was linking up with other agencies – we are 10 agencies in total – to share findings. Now we are working to make sustainability a key pillar in our 2020 group strategy, so going well beyond our office of 100+ to now influence 900+ employees, their friends, family and clients.

The main aim of the group is about starting conversations. I gave up meat a few years back and some people’s first opinion was, ‘what, you don’t eat meat?!’ Then after a chat I discovered that they too are cutting down their own consumption, or eating better quality to reduce their impact. Working in an agency, especially in Bristol, you find we are mostly like-minded people. Initiatives like collecting crisp packets and single use packaging from landfill have been hugely successful. We have a chat group for selling/sharing unwanted items. We have real plants to make the office a better environment to be in. Our use of plant-based milk is on the up. We hold monthly chats to discuss the latest sustainability topics, what people do in their day-to-day lives and cool initiatives they have seen. We provide employees with a station in our building for reusable, cups, containers and bags. And we have started conversations with local businesses to get discounts when we use reusable containers for their food. We are even taking on the big stuff like where our office gets its electric from!

There is no denying that sustainability is a hot topic within any organisation. Increasingly, we’re seeing brands asking questions in pitches about what our views are on sustainable development and social responsibility. Rightly so, sustainability is becoming an everyday part of our lives and our clients.

It also makes for a better place to work, an environment where change is embraced and encouraged, where we question where the rubbish goes and not simply accepting it’s out of sight and out of mind.

All in all, we can of course always do more, but we have made a great start and will continue to talk, share and change what we can, for the ‘greater good’ (Hot Fuzz 2007).

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