Author: Martin Carmody

As the sun sets on another exciting year in business, Managing Director of Stratos, Martin Carmody, gives us the lowdown on agency life in 2024 and what the industry can look forward to in the New Year!

Navigating change

The nature of creative agencies means they’ve generally been adept at innovating in the face of change. Yet, 2024 has brought with it a pace of evolution that has challenged even the most experienced teams. From shifting client expectations to rapid technological advancements, the industry is navigating an unpredictable future. This year has been a time of reflection, consolidation and preparation as we lay the groundwork for further success in 2025.

Embracing innovation

I am constantly curious about Innovation. This year, advancements in AI tools, virtual and augmented reality, and blockchain have created opportunities to push creative and digital boundaries. However, these tools come with a steep learning curve, requiring time, expertise, and investment to fully integrate into workflows.

To meet this challenge, we’ve fostered a culture of continuous learning, encouraging new ways of thinking and experimentation with new tools. Collaborating with tech specialists and investing in team training ensures we stay ahead of the curve, leveraging innovation to drive meaningful results for our clients.

Delivering results

Creativity alone is no longer enough. Clients demand measurable outcomes, and while our brand work remains central, we now pair it with robust data insights and analytics to deliver strategic, impactful campaigns that demonstrate real results and project success.

We’ve invested heavily in data analytics capabilities, partnering with analysts and equipping our team with accessible reporting tools. This blend of art and science enables us to craft imaginative, efficient, and highly effective campaigns.

Striking a balance

The demand for quick turnarounds in today’s fast-paced digital world can increase pressure on our teams. However, quality is non-negotiable for us. By setting clear boundaries during the briefing process and aligning with our client expectations and business objectives, we ensure that our thinking and excellence remain at the heart of everything we do.

Our solution-driven, agile workflows allow us to optimise efficiency without compromising on our high standards.

Standing out 

Our industry is busier than ever, with competition from freelancers, boutique agencies, and AI-driven developments. The key to standing out in this crowded market is to showcase what makes you different. We pride ourselves on demonstrating our ‘How’ we do things, not just the ‘Why’. What is the impact and how do we get there?

We’ve sharpened our proposition by focusing on our strengths, developing unique IP and frameworks, offering a distinctive brand approach. Building long-term relationships, showcasing successful case studies, and emphasising exceptional service has helped us secure advocacy and create lasting partnerships with our clients.

Attracting and retaining talent

People are at the heart of our agency. The competition for top-tier talent remains fierce, with people seeking workplaces that prioritise flexibility, values alignment, and well-being.

We’ve responded by investing in our team. Fostering a strong culture that everyone has a voice and feels supported and trusted. Offering flexible working arrangements, professional growth opportunities, within an inclusive culture. We’re a committed, diverse, and innovative agency that continues to attract and retain like-minded talent.

Flexible working

The shift to hybrid working has reshaped collaboration. While flexibility is a key benefit, this model can naturally challenge team cohesion and creativity.

We’ve adopted tools that enhance virtual collaboration and ensure regular in-person meetups for brainstorming and team bonding. Clear communication guidelines and structured workflows streamline our operations and maintain our creative edge.

Scalable solutions

Economic challenges and budget constraints have tested us, particularly when larger campaigns are impacted. To navigate this, we’ve diversified our service offerings, appealing to a broader client base and developing scalable solutions for tighter budgets. Breaking down budget barriers and finding swifter success, all helps the wider challenges. 

A robust client retention strategy has proven invaluable, ensuring steady revenue streams even during uncertain times.

Looking ahead to 2025

We’re optimistic about what lies ahead. While the challenges have been significant, they’ve also presented opportunities for growth, innovation, and stronger client relationships.

We believe that our positioning and structure as a flexible agency with a talented team, will bring us further opportunity as brands and businesses will continue to seek agencies of our size and scale to work alongside in the new year.

In 2025, we’ll continue to evolve, embracing change, fostering partnerships, and staying in tune with industry trends. The plans are ready, and we’re excited to launch into the New Year with fresh opportunities and renewed energy.

Christmas is a happy time of year for many of us, but for patients, their families and the staff working in hospitals, the holiday season can be a challenging and lonely time. That’s why Milton Keynes Hospital Charity plans and prepares festive fundraising activities to help spread joy.

This year, brand, creative, digital and comms agency, Stratos is proud to support Milton Keynes Hospital Charity (MKHC) with its campaign to ‘pledge a present’ for patients, and has created some fun festivities at Milton Keynes University Hospital in the lead up to Christmas.

The Stratos campaign includes an artistic ‘Design a Christmas Jumper’ activity for patients, a digital game, built by Playbound, that encourages clients, partners and friends to engage with its charitable commitment to MKHC, and a request for donations at its Christmas celebration event this December.

Vanessa Holmes, Associate Director at Milton Keynes Hospital Charity explains: “We believe that every patient in our care deserves a special gift this Christmas. This year, we’re encouraging monetary donations rather than physical gifts and our goal is to raise £3,000.

“As ever, we’re really grateful to Stratos for helping us spread the word about our latest fundraising campaign and we’re really looking forward to seeing the patient-designed Christmas jumpers, playing the augmented reality game and to raising funds at Stratos’ Christmas celebrations.”

George Read, Creative Designer at Stratos says: “It’s been so rewarding to work on this campaign with MKHC, creating the templates for the ‘Design a Christmas Jumper’ activity, working with Sam Guilmard, AR/VR Creative Developer at Playbound on the creative for the AR game and designing the assets to promote Stratos’ Christmas celebrations.

“We’re really proud to play our part in helping MKHC to put smiles on hospital patient’s faces this Christmas.”

Can you spare something small to support Milton Keynes Hospital Charity’s Christmas Gift Appeal 2024? Please visit https://mkhcharity.enthuse.com/cf/mkhc-christmas-gift-appeal to donate today.

A few things that some of the patients at Milton Keynes Hospital are looking forward to this Christmas include:

“Recovering sooner and being able to walk better without support.” Dhana, 50 years old

“Spending time with my family.” Martin, 9 years old

“Preparing for the arrival of our baby, shopping for the little one and spending quality time with my husband before we turn from 2 to 3 as a family. Praying for safety and happiness for all around the world.” Dania, 35 years old

We’re proud to announce the strengthening of our partnership with The Open University after a successful tender and pitch win, for years to come.

The Open University is globally recognised and respected as a leader in distance education. For over 50 years, they’ve supported millions of learners – and transformed lives. As their latest brand campaign says, ‘The future is open with The Open University’.

At Stratos we’ve been building strong relationships with The Open University over several years. Working closely alongside their Business units and Marketing teams, we’ve already helped to develop and roll out their new brand across a wide range of marketing and branding projects.

Having built solid foundations and a firm understanding of The Open University’s objectives, we were delighted to be invited to tender for a significant new contract and develop our partnership further still – to support the The Open University’s highly important B2B work and brand.

Galvanising a team is something we do best, bringing together our collective thinking and talent to add extra value to our proposals. And we were soon hard at work crafting an in-depth response that we believed wouldn’t just strengthen, evolve and grow the The Open University’s brand, but demonstrate why we were the right agency to work alongside them in the years ahead. 

With a specific focus on the National Apprenticeship Week campaign, our winning response was presented by a team that were already very familiar with The Open University: our Managing Director Martin Carmody, Creative Lead Meg Jones and Account Manager Amy Williams.

Commenting on the win, Stratos Account Manager Amy Williams said “It was a pleasure to be offered the opportunity to pitch for The Open University following a long-standing relationship. We have thoroughly enjoyed working as an extension of their team, and looking forward to continuing to build our relationship with other areas of the business.”

Paul Severn Content Marketing Manager at The Open University added “Stratos was integral to the rolling out of our new Employers and Partnerships branding. This new contract will help us to work together to further the OU’s presence in the B2B education space. We enjoy working with the team who collaborate well with other agencies to bring ideas to life. We are excited to be working with Stratos on a number of campaigns and projects in the coming years.”

Collaborating and connecting with our partners is something we do especially well. In fact we see ourselves as more than just another ‘agency partner’, but as an integral part of the team making up one cohesive unit. With an array of talent and skills from across all partner agencies, the brands and campaigns delivered will span all consumer and B2B touchpoints – covering campaign strategy, content, brand, events, digital marketing, web development, animation and video content.

And as our values, focus and ethos are aligned with The Open University’s, this will create an unshakeable foundation which will further support all our efforts. 

Tim Franks, CRM Manager at The Open University said “Stratos brings fresh perspectives to every project and campaign we work on together. Their openness to collaboration is huge for our team and the way we work in the Open University for Employers & Partnerships. I am looking forward to the great results this tightening of our relationship will bring.” 

Martin Carmody concluded, “We’re excited about this new chapter of our relationship. The response to the tender was a true team effort and I was delighted by our approach and proud to present it. Working with like-minded people is important to us, and working alongside such a credible brand and a tenacious team is so invigorating. We’re looking forward to our ongoing partnership and excited about what we can achieve together.”

As the Open University says to their 200,000 students, with the right support ‘there’s no limit to what you can achieve.’ Everyone at Stratos is excited about the possibilities ahead and the many opportunities there are on the horizon to see our partnership flourish.