There’s been plenty to keep us busy at Always Be Content this year. We’ve welcomed new clients, won awards, helped raise thousands for charity and perfected our best ‘blue steel’ poses (but more on that later!). We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s dive in!
AN AWARD-WINNING YEAR
Our first taste of glory in 2023 came from across the pond. The Gramercy Institute named our ‘Dare to Care’ campaign ‘Best ESG Marketing Strategy’ at their annual awards in New York. Sustainability is woven into our DNA, so it meant a lot to receive this honour.
Closer to home, we had a great night at the Star Awards. We captured two golds and a silver for our work for Scottish Water’s Nature Calls and Top Up from the Tap campaigns. Top Up from the Tap also claimed top prize at the Marketing Week Awards. Winning there for the third year in a row made the victory even sweeter!
GIVING YOUNG PEOPLE A CLICK START
An estimated 82% of jobs now require digital skills. We were appointed by the Institute of Coding (IOC) to promote ‘Click Start’, a new training course for young people which addresses this skills gap.
‘Click Start’ gives young people the chance to enjoy better pay and opportunities. Our creative encouraging them to get ‘Next Level’ digital skills was rolled out across Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat.
RAISING THOUSANDS TO FIGHT CANCER
Our Director Lou Kiddier is the Chair of Edinburgh Business Beats Cancer (EBBC), who had their most successful Annual Dinner ever this year. An incredible £130,000 was raised, and the highlight of the evening was a talk by Paralympian David Smith MBE. His positive attitude in the face of adversity is inspiring and life-affirming.
Lou and the Always Be team also took on the EBBC 7 Hills Challenge, as well as providing creative support for the event. In the end, £50,000 was raised, a phenomenal increase from last year’s total of £22,000.
FORTY YEARS OF BOOK BLISS
The Edinburgh International Book Festival turned 40 this year, and our outdoor campaign ‘Book Bliss’ marked the occasion in style! Using playful imagery, we portrayed the different ways you can experience the joy of words. Just like eating an ice cream, going on holiday, or listening to music, reading is one of life’s simple pleasures!
DARE TO CARE WHAT YOU WEAR
It’s estimated the global fashion industry produces 100 billion garments every year, contributing around 8% of global carbon emissions. As a certified B Corp, we wanted to show there is an alternative to fast fashion.
Our book ‘Dare to Care What You Wear’, features sustainable style that has stood the test of time. We had great fun modelling our beloved gladrags and our photos even adorned the walls of the Dundas Street Gallery for the book launch!
BRANDING A NEW STYLE OF LAW FIRM
We were proud to create an innovative new brand identity for MFMac which captured its vision of being a ‘new style’ of law firm.
Formed by the merger of two highly respected firms, Morton Fraser and MacRobert, it is now one of the largest in the country. It was important for us to convey MFMac’s strong tradition while also reflecting their forward-looking values.
STRENGTHENING SCOTLAND’S MARKETING COMMUNITY
Our very own Pete Martin was honoured to be appointed Vice Chair of the Marketing Society Scotland. He will be using his industry experience and positive energy to help strengthen our marketing community.
This year we also had the pleasure of continuing our creative partnership with the Marketing Society. We delivered creative for the ‘Changemakers Conference’ and their Annual Dinners and awards.
WHERE THERE IS COFFEE THERE IS HOPE
Doing better by doing good is our agency mantra, so, we jumped at the chance to brand new social enterprise Hopetown Coffee! An idea from Change Mental Health, it aims to open up conversations about mental health and encourage a sense of community.
All profits go back into the charity to support those who are struggling! Why not pop in for a cuppa next time you’re on Broughton Street?
A NON-ALC XMAS
‘Low and no’ drinks are set to be the big trend of 2024. So, we decided to use our annual Christmas card to give a shout out to support community SoberBuzz! We sent out bottles of non-alc fizz that won’t leave you feeling fuzzy the next morning. After all, you don’t have to be Merry to have a Happy Christmas!
We hope you’ve enjoyed our whistle-stop tour of Always Be’s 2023, bring on 2024!
Share & tag us @alwaysbecontent
