A Reflection on 2020

This end-of-year blog post seems strange to write during a year we'll never forget; and of course it was, since there was a 100-year pandemic that occurred. But you know that by now after being endlessly subjected to months of advertisers telling you "in these uncertain and unprecedented times" (check out this compilation of pandemic ads if you haven't seen it). 
 

While there was plenty of uncertainty this past year, we were grateful that thunder::tech has been a digital-first, integrated marketing agency since 1999. Twenty-plus years of working in digital marketing and building technology stacks for clients meant that we were ready for the explosion of brands ramping up digital efforts to adapt to consumer behavior changes. 
 

One thing I believe that rings true in any crisis, is that you learn more about people when times are tough, and the opportunity to grow and learn was all around us in 2020. This year, our long-term bets on who we surround ourselves with, both our teammates and the clients that make up our roster, made all the difference. 
 

I believe that thunder::tech has always looked for smart, caring, curious humans to work together. It was critical during the early days of the pandemic crisis when we needed to roll up our sleeves to help many clients change direction and then throughout the year where we assisted all of our clients that were adapting to the new reality. This servant leadership mentality has ultimately allowed us to grow our team and we have more open positions that we are looking to find great talent for. Finally, the team didn't just adapt to a work-from-home world, but thrived as we evolved and permanently moved to an "all of the above" work environment. 
 

On the client side, we partner with brands that are serious about accelerating growth in a connected world and this has led us to be surrounded with clients that have a growth mindset. Whether they're near our Cleveland headquarters or in Connecticut or California, we have chosen our clients well over the years and are proud of how many are doubling down and finding ways to win right now. 
 

Some specific highlights of the team's tenacity and ingenuity this past year:

The curve balls thrown at all of us were endless, but with each one people and brands had decisions to make. As we close out the wildest year I've ever seen, all I can say about what I saw from teammates, clients and partners is that I'm tremendously proud to be associated with all of them.
 

Happy holidays, and happy marketing from thunder::tech!