As 2022 draws to a close, we can finally look back on the year when we removed the surgical gloves from our milk run once and for all and enjoyed the freedoms we might have hoped came a little earlier. Facemasks were swapped for caps as we endured 40-degree heatwaves, and while thermometers across the country rose, the price of just about everything did the same. Boris made way for the shortest-serving PM in English history, and the country was shaken and deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Now, during the world’s first-ever winter World Cup, we can take time to reflect on what we’ve learned through this unique, challenging, and prosperous year for us at PSE, as well as take a look ahead to the exciting mystery that is 2023.
2022 in Review
Expect the Unexpected
If only we had a crystal ball.
Mystic epiphanies may have been the only way to predict the unforeseeable events of the year, but political and economic changes are nearly enough of a certainty. With rapid PM changes, and unprecedented cost economic fluctuation, 2022 has taught us that – whilst it’s crucial to keep a firm hand on the pulse of the zeitgeist – it’s arguably more important to look internally and ensure you have a flexible business nimble enough to navigate the unexpected. Change often comes without warning, and so all of the pre-planning in the world could be redundant if your business model is stubborn. Facilities, supply chains, and workforces can all be drastically impacted by what’s happening around us, so it’s crucial to ensure that yours are agile.
Don’t Delay Your Campaign
Continuing in the mindset that prevention is the best cure, what are some of the measures that we can take to protect ourselves against the rampant unpredictability of the world around us? This year, we learned that one of the best ways to maintain a level of certainty is to act fast.
We’ve all been there. Going back and forth on ideas, strategies, and opinions, only to end up with the same campaign 3 months later. However, remaining static during your process is usually as good as taking a step back, as whilst time remains still for us, it has a nasty habit of continuing for those around us. This means that inflationary pressures can grow, competitors can develop, and just about any unpredictable measure can fall into place, all whilst we dilly-dally. This can massively eat into our ROI, and the impact we have on our audience and introduce new obstacles for us to overcome. So, the solution? Prevention. Act fast and lock in your campaign before more uncertainty comes our way.
Communicate
Whether it’s work-related or personal, we can all feel the pressures of life around us from time to time. Despite how much time we spend with those around us – be they colleagues or clients – it’s impossible to grasp a deep and important understanding of what may be troubling them without communication. This year, we learned the true importance of getting beneath the surface of our briefs, clients, and our staff, and we discovered that taking this carefully curious approach made identifying opportunities for growth and betterment all the more achievable.
Looking Ahead to 2023
Preparation
You won’t be surprised to find out that the P in PSE stands for ‘Print’. However, plan and prepare are 2 P’s that are equally as integral to our operations. That’s why to get ready to take on our ambitious goals for the future, we have grown the team by 50%, allowing us to bring an enhanced force of knowledge, support, and talent into the new year. Our team now consists of a greater number of specialist departments which will allow us to maintain an agile approach to 2023 with services that are even more tailored to our clients.
Change Means Opportunity
Change has been a consistent theme throughout our review of the year and our onward look toward the next. However, despite the potentially unnerving warnings about how change can – and has – presented obstacles to us all, it’s important not to be overcome with apprehension. Instead, try to remember that change is always accompanied by opportunity, and a view to capitalise on this will often reap the most creative outcomes.
Conscious Consumers
As consumers become increasingly savvy, thoughtful, and opinionated on the brands around them, it’s important to plant yourself firmly on the correct side of their judgments. The trend of increasingly diligent consumers is one that we can only see rising in the new year, so credibility is as important an asset as ever.
The world of digital marketing is already treading through a minefield of distrust and misuse. Whether warranted or not, companies reliant on such practices are being labeled as meddling Big Brothers, stockpiling personal data with a sinister disregard for privacy. However, as one door closes, another opens, and the trend of decreased trust in online channels makes way for the opportunity to grow credibility in other areas, namely, offline marketing.
Staying Up to Date Through Collaboration
As is the nature of trends, the ways we may need to adapt in 2023 can feel unpredictable; after all, if we all knew what the future held, we’d all have been millionaires a long time ago! With that said, planning for the future doesn’t have to be a total shot in the dark.
Many of us thrive when taking the reigns of responsibility into our own hands, however communication and collaboration are the best ways to ensure that we are avoiding short-sighted strategies. Talking not only with those around you but with clients from a range of sectors can reveal things about the changing world around us that the echo chambers most of us live in often prevent us from discovering. Sparking conversation will help you not only nurture relationships but learn from shared goals, challenges, and experiences across every sphere you can access, and with this wealth of collaboration, you’ll be prepared for it all.
Do you know what your goals are for 2023? We’d be happy to discuss how we can help you achieve them. Simply get in touch to find out how PSE can fit into your strategy for success.
