New Year, Same Cygnus
“New Year, New Me” or “New Year, New Us”. It’s January, the phrase is everywhere. Resolutions have been rolled out and everyone’s on their health kicks, or making themselves even more miserable post Christmas with Dry Jan and all the other guilt-induced traditions. You’ve seen it all before, but perhaps a new January tradition that’s arising is: reflection.
As we step into 2025, I find myself reflecting on the remarkable journey of growth, innovation and transformation that our agency has undertaken throughout 2024.This has fundamentally reshaped our agency but also enhanced the value we provide to our clients.
Also, not to humbly brag (but we will), this past year, our agency was honoured with several prestigious awards that underscore our commitment to excellence in the creative and digital landscape. In September, we proudly received the Independent Agency of the year award at the Creativepool Creative Awards in London. Which recognised our award-winning creative work across a diverse set of disciplines including Brand development, Campaign work, digital marketing strategy and delivery. And if that wasn’t enough of a brag, we were also awarded 3 more awards from The Drum, a testament to our team’s hard work and dedication in delivering outstanding results for our clients. A new award for us was the Design - Illustration Award. New to the agency after expanding our offering in 2023, so an honour of an award to receive. We also entered our first Social Media Influencer award, which we were up against some tough competition, it was an honour to be shortlisted as a finalist in this category. A testament to the continued growth of our Digital Marketing team within the agency.?
Thought I was done with the bragging? Not yet. Just one more: We also still remain at Number 1 for the Drum Recommends as Creative agency as voted by our clients. Which along with client satisfaction remains one of our key KPIs within the agency.
These accolades are not just trophies on a shelf for us at Cygnus and our clients (although they do look nice on the shelf); they represent the collective effort of every team member who has contributed their creativity and expertise. They serve as motivation for us all to continue pushing boundaries and striving for excellence in everything we do.
Now for the data and statistics (don’t sigh, you love it really). In terms of business growth, the last two years have been landmark years for the business. We’ve experienced a significant increase in new client business and we’ve managed to retain all of our core clients which is no mean feat (almost unheard of), resulting in a 30% rise in revenues.? Our reputation as a reliable strategic partner for creative and multi channel brand marketing and delivery has solidified, leading to numerous referrals and repeat business.
On top of this, we’ve been able to expand our footprint into new markets and disciplines, allowing us to diversify our portfolio and offer tailored solutions that meet the unique needs of various industries. Which we’ll be riding the coattails of into 2025, with the plan to expand further too.?
With the growth of our offerings, comes the growth of the talent in our agency. A strategic approach considering our success from expanding the team in 2024. In 2024 alone, we welcomed 6 new team members, each bringing unique skills and perspectives that enrich our creative capabilities (as well as even more contributions to the Cygnus Bake Off, with Smithy’s brownies taking the win this year.). We’ll be taking our total employees up to a nice round number of 40 in 2025, with another 7 new roles. We’ll be looking at introducing new talent, from creative strategists to innovative designers and digital experts. This diverse group will enhance our ability to deliver comprehensive marketing solutions and push the boundaries to help our clients deliver against their goals and out compete their competitors.
The growth of our team in 2024 introduced the infusion of fresh ideas that invigorated our projects and fostered a collaborative environment where creativity thrives. Our most recent team members have already made significant contributions by spearheading initiatives that have driven client success stories.?
Perhaps controversially for some: We’ve also embraced AI in the past year and there is no doubt, it’s helping us with efficiencies, speed in the agency and a tool to help enable creativity at Cygnus. We’re also immensely aware that AI is just a tool for us. Without the talent in our team, it would not be as effective. We’ve learnt that it is how you use these tools that helps make them successful. We look forward to continuing to work with innovative technology that will continue to assist us in our work efficiencies and leave us with more time for our creativity and ideas to thrive.
领英推荐
Our commitment to continuous learning means we stay ahead of industry trends and technological advancements ensuring that clients receive cutting-edge solutions tailored specifically for them.
In response to evolving market demands, we have also expanded our existing team and our service offerings significantly this year. Our agency now provides complete end-to-end marketing solutions. We’re proud to be able to offer our clients with complete branding packages that can include:
By offering these comprehensive services under one roof, we have simplified the process for clients seeking cohesive marketing strategies that align with their business objectives. This holistic approach has allowed us to create more integrated campaigns that resonate with target audiences whilst maximizing ROI.?
But of course, team work makes the dream work. The added value we provide when working together is multifaceted. By leveraging data-driven insights alongside creative storytelling, we ensure that every campaign is not only visually appealing but also strategically sound. Our collaborative process involves close communication with clients at every stage—ensuring transparency and alignment with their goals. Whilst also keeping to our own brand values of ensuring that we “Play Nice” with others to ensure that we’re all working towards the same goal for each campaign (got to shoehorn a value in here somewhere, sorry not sorry).
So yeah we’re not making any new resolutions for the year ahead. We’ll be more focusing on doing what we have been doing, but even better, with continued growth as our focus.?
With that said, as we start 2025, I’m filled with excitement about what lies ahead for our agency. With an industry leading and talented team in place, an expanded suite of services ready to meet client needs, and recognition from industry peers affirming our efforts—there is absolutely no limit to what we can achieve as a team.
Apart from anything else as an Arsenal supporter, it’s healthy having another team you can rely on to be consistent.?
Best wishes to our valued clients for a fantastic 2025 and look forward to helping you deliver against your goals.
Account Director at Cygnus Award-Winning Independent Creative & Digital Agency.
1 个月????????