Cheers m'dears. Here's to a New Year.

With the world returning to some form of normality in 2022, we had an incredible year bringing clients and partners back together - from landing ground-breaking experiential events all the way through to digital campaigns.

It was a great opportunity to reflect on how COVID years gave us a moment to stop and nurture relationships - to find creative ways to support each other and to brainstorm the ways in which we could activate within limitations, and on a longer-term scale.

And once those restrictions were lifted early in 2022, we really made the most of the months of planning and plotting!

Notwithstanding the impact of the cost-of-living crisis, diminished teams and changing contacts in the 3rd party world, we knew that cleverness and creativity would be the key to unlocking PR-able and engaging content delivery.

After a quiet few years, it became clear that brand stand-out was welcomed by audiences and the public, across the board. Our work delivering Frozen The Musical's FroYo Van was a great example of the power of offering a unique brand experience. Using this as part of a wider publicity piece, we took the van on a tour around London - stopping with key 3rd party contacts involved in the wider campaign - to create further impact.

Making spend go further on diminished budgets also demanded a creative approach. 2022 made us realise that things are always possible, it's just working out how to land ambitious plans using Partnerships and Promotions to unlock the best value for everyone, maximising relationships and celebrating unique campaigns.

A unique ticketing opportunity for the My Fair Lady UK & Ireland Tour, in partnership with M&S Sparks card, delivered an incredibly successful - and highly targeted - campaign, proving that pushing boundaries delivers results.

Listening to the market also allowed us to identify ways in which to leverage endorsement and brand positioning - using advertorials to tap into trends and driving storytelling angles which allowed us to deliver incredibly targeted and bespoke content to the right audiences.

Mainly though, everything we achieved in 2022 was a testament to the strength of our relationships, and the trust that our brilliant clients and 3rd party contacts have in our vision.

So, what's next, and what are our predictions for 2023?

• Long-term strategic partnerships will continue to be a crucial part of the creative process. Understanding KPI's, allowing brands to be authentic and leveraging activity on the back of spend will ensure the best deal for all parties and ensure that budgets work harder.
• Creative moments are necessary to deliver the stand-out that brands require, especially when faced with challenging and uncertain financial times.
• There is more need than ever for endorsement. We also see a bigger opportunity for control over content, leveraging advertorials - for example - to control the way in which brands land in-market.
• The fast-paced rise of the immersive world unlocks a whole new audience, bringing new demographics into theatre and increasing the creative opportunities for partnerships with 3rd parties.

If you are coming on the ride with us in 2023, we can't wait to get started!

Team Shine

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