At
Thanksgiving, I reflected on how fortunate thunder::tech is to be surrounded by forward-thinkers, those not waiting for the old “normal” to return. This past year was the first real test of how brands and the professionals behind them are reacting to a changed world as the pandemic becomes endemic.
It was a seismic year at thunder::tech filled with a string of substantial assignments, a roster of strong new senior-level hires and alternatives on how to run our marketing agency in this evolved world. We have chosen to throw on our sunglasses and embrace the gleaming sunlight that is streaming through the parting clouds and embrace the storm’s aftermath. Because the opportunity abounds.
We are incredibly proud of the numerous wins we were able to share with our clients this year. A few memorable successes include:
- Assisting with notable events such as:
- The 2021 NFL Draft
- The delayed Tokyo Olympics
- Preparing for the 2022 NBA All Star Game
- Working with a number of established household CPG brands to re-orient to a digital future
- Winning Chicago-based, Simple Mill’s ecommerce agency designation
- Being chosen by Michigan’s Consumers Energy for content marketing
- Working with Marriott’s W Hotel brand on local announcements
- Winning multiple site assignments for the organization behind MarketResearch.com
- A historic year for our Food and Beverage marketing practice
- New clients across the United States from the Bay Area to Nashville to NYC, including more marketing work overseas in Germany, the U.K. and Italy
During the past year we were also fortunate to add new internal talent to several of our teams including Communications, Performance Marketing and Account Services. Our approach to continuing to guide our clients into the future must be demonstrated by the talent we provide them. The collective level of experience this group has makes 2021 the most impressive hiring year in thunder::tech’s history.
As an agency we cannot preach change without embracing it ourselves. We have completely reinvented our workplace and are practicing our tagline of working “in a connected world” better than ever before. We have adopted a remote-first, flexible workplace that rolled out a successful Summer Friday program as well as focusing on the importance of mental health. Since our founding we have believed in running a “human-friendly culture” but it’s not enough anymore, so we have been rolling out our
human-friendly work practices.
thunder::tech is at the intersection of technology, media, communications and culture which has gone through its own seismic shifts over the past two years. So, we have continued to evolve our services for our clients.
- Our influencer marketing program has new leadership and a fresh approach to working with the creator community on behalf of brands.
- The Performance Marketing Team continued to grow and has an official Marketplaces Practice to help clients navigate Amazon, Walmart.com, Target.com, Wayfair and others as consumers increase their online purchasing through these outlets.
- Our 3D motion services have expanded and are being utilized more to present client product offerings virtually as travel and tradeshows have been slow to come back.
- Sizable and meaningful employer branding and marketing work to help HR and Recruiting Teams as many brands look to modernize how they adapt to the problematic labor market.
- Fully integrated brand repositioning work from brand strategy to channel-by-channel redeployment.
Innovation is one of thunder::tech’s guiding principles, so we have always embraced change but 2021 was the real test on how fast and how much we could push ourselves. While we are not done evolving, I am proud to say that our talented t::team has stepped up and been alongside the brave brands that have a courageous curiosity about how to invent the future.
Happy holidays and onward into 2022!
::Jason Therrien