Consolidated PR

How would you sum up 2009 for your agency?

It was a good year again despite an uncertain economic backdrop. Big campaigns for HPV, MTV, HSBC, Mishcon de Reya and Disney stand out.

What was the high point of 2009 for your agency?

Winning Air France, KLM and City Jet against stiff competition.

What was the low point of 2009 for your agency?

The morning after the Client Christmas party.

Please give an overview of your staffing through 2009, including significant hires and internal promotions.

Linda MacIntyre was promoted to Associate Director – a sign that our Scottish office is booming. We also brought in two new folk to our digital offer.

What was your best client/account win of 2009 and why?

Working on the Swine Flu campaign. Probably the most challenging campaign of the year given the extraoridinary potential for a pandemic.

What were your three best campaigns of 2009?

We’ve taken a major healthcare campaign – getting girls to sign up for the HPV vaccination – out direct to mums and daughters through a tour of Britain at festivals and places where mums and daugthers spend time together, we’re really proud of our work for The Children’s Mutual which helped them pass 800,000 child trust fund accounts and painting Scotland and some bemused sheep blue for St Andrews Day to celebrate Homecoming Scotland.

How did the recession affect your performance in 2009 and what trends did you notice throughout the year – e.g. clients taking longer to sign off budgets etc?

We were canny enough to be more profitable despite a drop in income – we kissed more frogs but fewer turned into princes.

Of which achievement in 2009 are you most proud?

Helping to save the lives of 400 young women through our HPV vaccination campaign for the Department of Health.

Describe your agency in five words

Creative, ethical, thriving, supportive, inspiring.

How have you embraced social media in 2009?

We’re early adopters. Head of Digital and Social Media Paul Borge joined us in 2008, built up his team and it’s very much part of our integrated offer to all clients.

What are your plans for 2010?

Buy low, sell high, don’t eat yellow snow.

If your agency were an animal, what animal would it be and why?

The Platypus. It is one of kind; it’s the best of three beasties brought together to create an extremely adapatable mammal that has evolved to meet the challenges of its surroundings. It’s a burrower that likes to dig down into things; it enjoys nightlife, it’s largely genial but dangerous if provoked and it lays surprising eggs... like us...