Pitch Perfect: The Projects We Enjoyed Most In 2021
It’s been almost two years since the team transitioned from a typical office-based agency to a WFH hybrid – with members as far away as Tenerife! But you’d be forgiven for thinking nothing had changed. In that time, we’ve won awards, worked with more industry leaders, and taken on new wordsmiths.
And with editors and writers still working in tandem to actually engage readers (not just rank on search engines), 2021 has been yet another year of exciting projects to sink our teeth into. So much so that we’d like to celebrate some of our collaborations over the past 12 months…
Giving a long-standing client a new lease of life – Silven (Kelly)
It goes without saying that a lot has happened in three years, so you come to appreciate the few things that have stayed the same all the more. We started working with Silven back in November 2018, and we’ve been on quite the journey together since then.
Silven initially took us on to help with their tone of voice, before rolling this out across their ongoing content (like blogs and case studies) as well as social media. Now, our remit has expanded considerably – especially since Grace finished her apprenticeship and became our designer! Today, we help them with everything from presentations to full-blown campaigns.
When Silven decided to embark on a new website project and brand refresh in 2021, we rallied the troops (Courtenay, Grace, Helen, Ria, and our friends over at Embryo) and got stuck in. As we come to the end of the year, Silven has a gorgeous new website, a whole suite of PDFs in their new branding, and plenty of success stories to showcase in 2022.
A new way to engage students – Cheadle Hulme School (Lucinda)
Occasionally, a brief comes along that immediately makes you go, “this’ll be fun”. This year, it has to be one from Cheadle Hulme School.
The job? Take a digital brochure they’d done a few years previously and turn it into a Horrible Histories-style story all about the evolution of their school. It would be paired with illustrations from one of their alumni, and printed and posted out to their new students ahead of the upcoming school year. No pressure then!
While of course it made for an entertaining few days in the office as we added in little quips and jokes, it was great to help a name with roots as far back as the 1800s bring themselves up to the modern day. Supporting brands as they take a new direction (big or small) is something we love doing here at MYC.
Sam was on words, and Grace handled all the design around the original drawings. And I mean, just take a look at the results.
Content to kick-start a new business – Lily’s House London (Ria)
I hadn’t been at MYC long when Lily’s House London came on board. As an up-and-coming faux flower business, they were bursting with ideas about what they wanted their website to look and sound like – so we got to work.
It’s safe to say that when we started this project, I didn’t know the first thing about faux flowers! But Nicole and Audrey’s passion for their craft was infectious. Before I knew it, I’d written content for roses, rudbeckias and just about everything in between.
As with all MYC jobs, this was a true team effort. Dale had the blog covered, penning pieces ranging from sustainability in the flower industry to faux foliage collections. Meanwhile, Helen took the social channels to new heights and Grace worked her usual magic on the graphics.
Watching the Lily’s House London website come to life was a real joy. Nicole and Audrey loved the content, and we produced something that I can honestly say I’m super proud of. Even now, when people ask me “how’s work going?”, it’s the first thing I talk about. I’ve also developed a small obsession with faux flowers – who knew?!
Painting a hire business as the life of the party – Go Event Hire (Grace)
Obvious statement alert: design is different to copy. At least, inasmuch as clients have a feeling of what they want but aren’t always able to express it until they see it. With Go Event Hire, though, we hit it off straight away.
Their product range made my job easy; the inflatable pubs, hot tubs and gazebos all look amazing. And the MYC team was tasked with promoting them on social media through Instagram and Facebook ads.
We even helped them through a rebrand and saw the guys capitalise on the rising popularity of outdoor events as everyone got reintroduced to socialising. With Helen handling social, we also got to create original designs for posts on cocktail ideas, autumn parties and sales offers.
These are my favourite types of clients: B2C companies owning a niche and unafraid to be bold. Plus, they’ve given me inspiration for my next birthday!
Making staffing solutions straightforward – hap (Helen)
Having made a name for themselves staffing festivals, hap has spent the last few years expanding their sectors and solving new problems. With a service list that includes stadiums, stewarding and hospitality, it’s fair to say there’s not a skill set they can’t find.
And it’s this diversity that makes hap such a treat to do social for. With both a client-facing and staff-facing account, we balance tones of voice, messaging and benefits while promoting their services.
Being able to work on both sides means we get a really good feel for the business and speak with all members of the hap team. Our relationship is especially collaborative as a result, and it leads to high-quality posts that get incredible levels of engagement.
I’ve now looked after hap’s accounts for a year, and it’s amazing to reflect on the progress we’ve made. We’ve managed to not only cover their fascinating work at events, but embrace tools like TikTok to capture the Gen Z audience. I’ve loved supporting a client who’s willing to explore new things, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for hap!
Leadership tips from the pros – Cast UK (Miranda)
I’ve seen my fair share of client webinars during my time at MYC. But the most interesting has definitely got to be the one hosted by recruitment agency Cast UK: ‘What now? Building high-performing leadership teams’.
It featured an all-star panel: Pete Lowe (leadership consultant and previous Head of Education and Performance Management for Manchester City Football Club), Mert Salur (Co-Founder of Getir, an ultra-fast grocery delivery pioneer), and Simon Perks (Managing Director of boutique consultancy Squarcle). Through it, I discovered a whole bunch of insights on how to build agile teams – from those who’ve been there and done it.
I learnt the importance of seeing failure as an opportunity, the balance between confidence and ego, and how to enable people to shine. Pete also explained the learning environment behind MCFC’s success. I now have tons of knowledge about football too, so I can finally contribute to sports conversations – did you know that before 2000, MCFC hadn’t won a trophy for 40 years?
Following the webinar, I got the joy of crafting these valuable insights into a meaty 3,500-word whitepaper. It was a big piece, but something that’s proven to be worth its weight in gold – it’s even led to a number of spin-off blogs.
An industry that never sleeps – Harri (Courtenay)
Hospitality is an industry that never stands still. Many venues were even busy working behind the scenes during the pandemic. And our client, Harri, was busy supporting them.
I write four or five blogs per month on the most recent hospitality news to promote Harri’s all-in-one human capital management platform. This requires me to constantly keep my eye on the news and jump on weekly client calls to discuss the latest sector updates. Devoting time to research is the key to writing accurate copy that resonates with this audience. Once I’ve done my part, Ria then ensures the blogs are flawless.
Being a full-time remote worker didn’t stop me from developing a strong relationship with the team at Harri this year – I’d even dare to say it enhanced it! – and I’m looking forward to seeing what 2022 will bring.
Changing the shape of DIY hair grooming – Sustain Grooming (Dale)
After a month of settling into life at MYC, an immersive project came along and really got my creative juices flowing. It was a full website write-up for Sustain Grooming, and the unique concept struck a chord with me. After all, what’s the use of professional products if you can’t unlock their potential beyond the salon?
The brain behind Sustain solves the age-old problem of having all the gear and no idea. How? With in-app tips from expert stylists, guiding you from your bathroom mirror.
Bar the brand name, everything was created from scratch – from the tagline right through to the product descriptions. With male, female and gender-neutral angles to consider, I had to make the content dynamic while encapsulating Sustain’s USP.
With Ria on hand to tighten up each wave of content as it passed through, we helped Sustain kick-start their vision to change the shape of DIY hair grooming.
Paving the way for affordable energy – Social Energy (Sam)
Living in the North, solar panels always seemed like a nice idea with limited real-life application in the green energy debate. But after working with the guys at Social Energy, I’m ready to move off-grid.
Operating in both the UK and Australia, this disruptive upstart aims to convert the masses to renewable energy. By selling batteries and installing panels in certain locations, Social Energy moves homeowners away from traditional energy sources and towards solar power, gradually lowering their bills in the process.
But that’s not why I loved working with them. Aside from supplying homeowners, they also work with housing authorities. The aim? To lower the energy bills of society’s most vulnerable and bring about an end to the UK’s ‘eat or heat’ crisis.
It’s a practical solution to a genuine problem. And through their website and additional copy, I like to think Ria and I did our bit to raise awareness of these issues and pose a path forward.
So, what’s next for MYC?
The end of the year is always a busy period for content creators. Clients are keen to wrap up their winter campaigns and hit the ground running in the new year.
If that sounds like the kind of work you’ve been putting off at the moment, then you’re in luck. Not only can we support you with your immediate requirements, but we can also host a winter workshop – not unlike Santa’s – so you can start 2022 with a clear content strategy in place.
All you need to do is reach out to a member of the team. Who knows, maybe your project will join our list next year…
