As the year draws to a close we are bombarded by industry retrospectives, usually written by CEOs, MDs and “industry leaders” (or their PRs). When doing so, the focus is naturally on “big picture” stuff, the winning pitches, the expensive TV campaigns, the awards dished out. These things are all important, of course they are but they don’t represent the heart of our industry.
At AJ, we believe in celebrating the little victories. These aren’t things that transform the balance sheet or make headlines but they are the moments that fuel our passion and keep us motivated. These are the wins that remind us why we love what we do, the personal achievements that bring us pride and satisfaction.
We often say the staff at AJ are a talented group of individuals, each bringing unique perspectives and skills to our collective work. We’re proud of our diverse talent, so when we asked the team for their professional highlights of the year, we weren’t surprised to see such a wide breadth of answers. From individual breakthroughs to collaborative triumphs, these stories each help to paint a picture of our progression this year.
We were struck by how each small win contributes to our larger success. There is a clear correlation between all of these individual successes and our grandest achievements, demonstrating that our strength lies not just in the big wins but the cumulative impact of our individual and collective efforts.
We share a few below:
Kat – Media Account Manager
Personally, I started at AJ in 2024 and everyone has been an absolute delight, a joy to come in every day!
As a team we’ve expanded into podcasts and executed some really successful campaigns for a number of clients, broadening our skillsets and a bringing fantastic new service to our clients to help diversify their media mix.
Lesley – New Business Director
A great moment for me from new biz corner is working with a client who I first contacted ten years ago. Over the years, each time we spoke, the timing just wasn’t right for him to make any changes to his media buying or suppliers.
In the autumn, however, the timing was right at last and we began working with brands Quartzize & Joe’s Doors. Here’s to 2025 – looking forward to a long and successful relationship developing this account.
Ibby – Creative Manager
My highlight would be our work on developing new Quooker creative. Hitting the mark with an extensive research project first and foremost and then building striking and evocative creative that delivered on the premise of the research. Working as a team, we saw the creative workshops of the last 12 months come to fruition and each member brought their own distinctive style to the fore in an exciting and fresh approach.
Jack Waldron – Media Excutive
I’m proud that I’ve been able to really progress this year, developing new skills and consolidating my experience to take on more responsibility. The has led to me becoming a key point of contact for many of the TV queries in the agency. It’s great to be able to use my skillset to help others out. In October we had more TV campaigns live than ever before. Whilst this was a challenging time, being able to get everything delivered and keep the clients happy was a fantastic feeling!
Eva – Head of TV
My personal highlight was the continued success of the Quooker TV campaign. We have been working with Quooker for a number of years and the results keep going from strength to strength. 2024 saw the TV advertising activity deliver stronger results than ever. These positive results have given the client confidence to test new avenues such as Adsmart and Connected TV. Seeing a client’s results continue to improve is one of the most satisfying things about my job!
Jack – Media Manager
Personally, our work with Yankee Candle has been a particular highlight. Exploring new channels with this client this year– pods/ TV / socials/ YouTube, has been fantastic. Of course, winning the creative production contract was amazing.
I’ve also got to mention the team. I think this is the best we’ve ever had. We have a real strength and depth now. In terms of how everyone works together, it feels smoother than ever. New staff have brought a whole host of new skills to the agency but also the everyone has stepped up their game. The mood and morale are higher than ever.
Alice – Managing Director
I think my highlight has to be the office move. Having more light and space has had such a positive impact. Most importantly, I have seen what a difference it has made to the way that we all work together which feels far more collaborative.
The AJ year in a nutshell
Overall, it’s been pretty great. We moved to a fantastic new office, we’ve added plenty of new clients to our books, we’ve brought in new team-members and the existing staff continue to work hard to develop their skills.
Of course, there have been challenges. The economic uncertainty continues to affect us all and the media landscape is shifting more rapidly than at any other time. However, where there are challenges there are also opportunities and the agency is finishing the year stronger and more resilient than ever before. Here’s to 2025!
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