1) The most important thing I learned in 2019 was there is no path. There’s no standard “if I do A, I’ll progress to B, and then we can get to C” in this world. What worked in the past for others won’t work for you. You have to find your own path. It was tremendously freeing to realize this, it has helped Pluck cut through the b.s. and helped position us to fearlessly pursue new opportunities.
2) In 2019 our brand-direct clients outnumbered our ad agency clients. It’s exciting because brands are actively reaching out to content studios instead of always going through their agencies. And not just for the typical fast-turnaround, lower budget projects. This trend will absolutely continue in 2020, and there’s huge opportunity here for content studios and for agencies who can adapt to clients’ needs.
4) Right now we’re creating two new campaigns for a large financial services client. Each of them will live on digital rather than broadcast, and I think that’s fantastic. It means we get to stretch beyond the parameters of a typical TV campaign. We’re doing it all for them, from creative through post.
5) Pluck is different from a lot of more established, traditional shops in that our teams have always been exceptionally diverse. We didn’t really plan it that way, it just happened that the best people we could get happen to be racially and gender diverse. I’ll add age diverse, too. It’s just part of our DNA, I guess. Maybe it’s because we’re new and sort of an underdog. We don’t come with a lot of baggage. That said, yes we feel diversity does matter. Having a variety of voices makes the work better. And we’ll keep valuing talent and craft above all.
