It’s been quite the year…
As 2018 draws to a close, we’re taking the time to look back the moments that defined the agency this year. Despite 12 months of unrest on the global stage, and an ever-evolving digital landscape, we’ve had an outstanding year. This just wouldn’t be an end-of-year farewell without a cracking sizzle, so without further ado:
We’ve been non-stop creating…
The entertainment industry steered the turbulent waters of 2018 by giving audiences somewhere to escape, and a hero to save the day. It’s a sector we’re always proud to be a part of, and this year was no exception. Clients from across the entertainment spectrum gave us immense opportunities to create – resulting in a host of fresh and innovative work under our belts; including another silver Clio Entertainment award-winning campaign for Kong: Skull Island.
These opportunities surpassed the screen, as we put our PR credentials to work across some of the UK’s biggest events; wracking up over 1000 pieces of coverage and promoting 229 Live events for hmv, representing a line-up of 21 acts at the Edinburgh Fringe, working alongside London Bridge City on both their summer and winter festivals, and to top it off – the world’s largest bouncy castle, in the form of The Monster.
That’s not to mention also being highly commended as Supplier of the Year at the BASE Awards, amongst 3 other category nominations, and having our name grace the nominations list twice at the UK Social Media Communications Awards. We sure have been busy.
… with a healthy dash of celebrating.
Miraculously, between all the thinking, creating and inspiring, we still found time to celebrate The Power of People. Our agency-wide initiative ensures that the Zero Degrees West teams play as hard as they work. This year was no different!
We continued Pressing for Progress on International Women’s Day, with an in-house interview with one of our own inspirational women, and PR Account Director, Charlotte. We definitely had a cracking time at Easter, with an enviable egg-decorating competition, and our annual Halloween Bake Off brought chills and thrills to the agency.
Of course, our year in review would be incomplete without a mention of Sports Day; the date in the Zero Degrees West calendar where the Stukeley Street Saints take on the Charlotte Mews Chiefs – British summertime delivered a total washout, but it didn’t dampen spirits, and the Saints went marching home with the trophy.
Creating and celebrating aside, we really want to take a moment to thank all of the teams, and of course our brilliant clients for making 2018 one to remember. Our MDs and Global Partners, Bryan and Rob, had a few words to sum up their stand out moments, and ponder the year ahead.
“To say that 2018 was a year of change is an understatement. Stories took pride of place. Facebook decided to turn their back (even more) on brands – with a ‘pay-to-play’ model – making organic reach all but a thing of the past. The Snapchat star started to fizzle out. Despite all of this (and more), our team continued to ride the wave with innovative campaigns. Across Mamma Mia 2, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Game Night, Halloween, The First Purge, Crazy Rich Asians, The Meg, Skyscraper and many more titles, the ZDW team ducked and weaved the constant onslaught, which has toughened our skin for an eventful 2019.”
Bryan Bosak,
US Managing Director and Global Managing Partner
“We’ve had a phenomenal year! What constantly excites me about Zero Degrees West, and the industry as a whole, is that it’s always evolving. This year, we spread our entertainment wings, and added a number of new clients to our mix, including American Express. I think it’s great to see a shift in B2B brands recognising the power of social and digital, and embracing more creative and impactful ways of speaking to their clients. I think that’s something to watch out for in 2019.”
Rob Nicholls,
UK Managing Director and Global Creative Partner
As they say… that’s a wrap! We want to wish everyone Season’s Greetings, and all the best for the year to come!
