What's your New Year's resolution?

After an incredibly tough year, what is adland hoping to achieve in 2021?

2021: the year the 21st century comes of age?
2021: the year the 21st century comes of age?

2020 – aren't we glad to see the back of that? Much of the UK may be under strict measures to stay Covid-safe, but there is an air of optimism in adland when looking ahead to the rest of the year.

There are plenty of learnings to move on with. For example, agency leaders have realised the value of flexible working and are keen to make sure mental wellbeing and diversity are high on the agenda.

As we enter a year when we hope for a return to some normality – albeit holding on to working in pyjamas at times – ±±¾©Èü³µpk10 asked adland for their New Year's resolutions.

Natalie Bell

Chief executive, Manning Gottlieb OMD

My New Year's resolution may sound weird given the year we've had, but it's to ensure I look back as much as I look forward. I have a tendency to focus on what's next and to thrive on the new, but I'm going to encourage myself to take the best from the past as we head into 2021.

Turning 30 has given us real reason to reflect and has been a brilliant reminder of what we're all about and what needs to remain a constant in MG OMD, even if the world around us is ever-changing. The power of ideas, relentless focus on clients' needs and an energetic, collaborative culture are as important today as when we were set up in 1990.

And while it's easy to think 2020 is a year to forget, I think there's so much we need to remember and learn from it – it will definitely have a lasting effect; we need to make sure it's the right one.

Alastair Milne

Co-founder, Guappp

This year, Paloma Gardiner and I want to make so much work that our fingers drop off. Then we want to find creative solutions to how we can carry on making ideas without fingers.

After that we want to get a job. Somewhere nice. With dogs, maybe. Or maybe we want to give it all up and become Eurovision contestants.

No. Not that. Paloma and I want to be successful. In advertising. And meet more people. We won't stop until we've met everyone. All of you. Even you, the Covid warden of Mother, and you too, the guy who sits in the corner of Uncommon. All of you – prepare to meet Paloma and me.

Anna Vogt

Chief strategy officer, TBWA\London

While there is very little from this year that I want to carry over into next, 2020 has presented a few revelations worth adding to the "resolutions" list for 2021. And because I've already tried and tested them over the past eight months, I'm hopeful they will actually stick. Like wearing slippers to work, worrying less about co-ordinating my top self and bottom self and, of course, lockdown hobbies, such as hanging out with my lockdown puppy, which has quickly grown into a giant, messy, selectively deaf poodle.

My other sizeable lockdown hobby is the podcast series Sara Tate [chief executive of TBWA\London] and I launched, which is dedicated to stories of personal and professional rebuilds. I'll definitely be trying to harness the much-needed inspiration and can-do spirit of these stories in 2021.

Martin Beverley

Chief strategy officer, Adam & Eve/DDB

1 To have more fun;
2 To remember how lucky I am.

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