As we look back over 2018 I think it’s fair to say it was a decidedly significant 12 months in the life of Creativebrief; especially in light of a tumultuous and under-fire industry all around us.

This has given us a huge amount of confidence as we enter 2019 with bold intentions to transform.

We’re on a determined drive to change the course of the industry around us, to do some genuine good along the way, and to invest even further in the ambitious plans we have for the future.

So what do we mean by this?

Our mission

There are a variety of strands that make-up our mission to transform in 2019 and beyond.

First and foremost, we will be placing our community evermore at the heart of our offer for both brands and agencies; to fundamentally shift the way both parties come together to create the industry’s most powerful and recognisable work.

This sees us utilising technology to ensure a better-connected industry landscape that generates greater opportunity for all, enables brands and agencies to stay more in-touch, and aims long-term to eliminate the pitch altogether.

We will also be looking to continue our good work on the modernisation of the (still frustratingly archaic) pitch process in the meantime; something we took an industry lead around in 2018, whetting industry appetite for greater reform.

Another major focus for us in 2019 will be to help the industry reverse a creeping crisis of confidence in recent years, much of it led by an incessant devaluation and commoditisation of creativity. We’ll be doing all we can to reassert belief in the commercial value of creativity and to help the industry find its mojo again.

The importance of strong and visible agency brands is also a topic that you’ll see us making a lot of noise about in 2019. Partly driven by the demise of a number of big names in 2018, partly by a change in how we see marketers engaging with and buying agencies of late. Don’t miss our event on 6^th March featuring Sir John Hegarty, Charles Vallance and others.

Finally, we have a keen sense of the importance of our privileged position in the industry to do some good and to accelerate positive attitudinal change. Watch this space.

Our platform

Earlier, I mentioned continuing to build our community with the intention of generating greater opportunity for the industry. In 2018, the biggest step towards this was the launch of our new platform just prior to Christmas. The move puts technology even more back at the core of what we do, and ensures the platform becomes an ongoing and holistic intelligence partner for brands.

This sees their marketing teams able to more autonomously stay connected to the landscape around them, learn from the successes of others, build cultures of creativity within their organisations, gain inspiration and develop greater ambition for their own brands, then identify and connect with the best agency partners from all disciplines. And repeat at their will.

You can read more about this in PR Week here.

For agencies the platform goes up a gear in supporting them to generate industry fame and opportunity. More specifically, to build strong and relevant agency brands in a market of almost constant change and flux.

Our clients

As much as our mission grows and evolves, there’s a solid foundation to what we do and have done for many years. Supporting brands in their desire to find the best agency partners from all disciplines.

2018 saw a wealth of impressive clients, from big names like Lloyds Banking Group to exciting upstarts like Good Hemp. We don’t like to name-drop, but if we did we’d probably mention Uber, Starbucks, PlayStation, Danone, Foot Locker and Britvic to name just a few.

Through the course of the year we saw the number of reviews up 45% on 2017, whilst the total amount of fees spent with agencies in just one year as a result of these reviews was close to £20 million – a near 100% increase.

The aim for 2019 is more growth and more exciting clients. Big ones, small ones, start-ups, scale-ups, challengers and heritage brands. And the disciplines too will remain broad and varied after seeing impressive growth in creative, media, design, PR, digital, activation and more in 2018.

Our pitch

And we won’t stop banging the drum about modernisation of the pitch. Our survey from May of last year uncovered more than a little dissatisfaction with the process, revealing that a staggering 61% of brands and 93% of agencies believed it no longer to be fit for purpose.

The survey wasn’t the only exploration we did on the topic either. We hosted a series of dinners, think-ins, on-on-one interviews and more moving the conversation forwards with both brands and agencies.

This enabled us to lead industry dialogue and to set the industry agenda in this arena in 2018, whilst also starting to establish what shape viable alternatives might take.

See Marketing Week to read about just one of the processes we trialled with a handful of brands last year.

Overall our resolve is strengthened that the need for reform is greater than ever. The pitch is a major culprit in the devaluation of creativity, and that must change for the industry to get back on track.

Our team

All of the above wouldn’t have been possible without an increasingly brilliant team here. 2018 saw a series of new hires joining the ranks.

Steph Nattu from The Brooklyn Brothers came over as Business Director, whilst Katherine Maskell returned to the fold as Senior Account Manager after time at FCB Inferno and WCRS. Lucy Hilton joined from Grey London as our Business Development Manager, as did Lucy Miller from Contagious who will be playing a leading role in getting the new platform into the hands of brand marketing teams.

Joining the agency side of things is Jimmy Wagstaff who brought his antipodean know-how from News Corp. in Melbourne to the heart of Soho. The above also comes off the back of the appointments of Jess Feltham and David Holder at the end of 2017 to put a new marketing and comms team in place.

There’s a lot of new energy in the business and we’re excited about how far the team can drive the business forward in 2019. We also have a series of briefs in the market for new roles in early 2019.

Our partners

Those we work with aren’t limited to the office either. We meet extraordinary people every day in our pivotal role, so it’s natural we’re keen to collaborate. 2018 saw our support for PrideAM across their Creative Review and Pride Brand Makeover. Whilst we continued to explore ways to push the Creative Equals mission through our platform – old and new.

In October, BITE LIVE saw a panel chaired by ex-Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre and Founder of WOW: Women of the World Festival, Jude Kelly CBE. Focussing on addressing the impact of imagery in advertising on the lives of young women, the panel also featured Karen Fraser MBE, Director of Credos. We’re already in the next stages of considering how we turn this into something with more meaningful action for change behind it in 2019 and beyond.

BITE LIVE will return in 2019 – this time in September and for half a day. So another opportunity to not only champion creativity and collaboration, but to find new partners and hear new stories.

2019 is an opportunity for all of us to regroup and belt out a rallying cry for creativity and ambition. Let’s make sure we get it off to a flyer.