Onward – A Blog from Into the Blue’s Creative Director

Oh, what a year. Seriously – if you asked me in January, I could never have told you I’d be
sitting where I am writing this. Not a chance. It’s truly been a roller coaster – for all of us. So as
we continue to chug along in the weird hangover from the series finale of the dumpster fire that
is 2020, let’s focus on the things we can do for the coming year.

First things first – let’s not pretend any lingering undertow of 2020 will magically disappear just
because it’s 2021. We will be dealing with the fallout of the markets shifts, business closures,
mergers, separations, etc. for quite some time. But this doesn’t have to all be doom and gloom!Brands have a golden opportunity, as I see it. You’re entering a new year on the back of a miserable one. We’re finally approaching what appears to be (fingers crossed) the end of the
pandemic. There is truly no better time than now to reevaluate all aspects of your brand. As we
all reemerge into regular life slowly but surely, every single competitive business in every single
sector is going to be raring to go and soak up any market share they possibly can. This will be
for two reasons: 1. They’re trying to make up what they’ve lost, or 2. They’re trying to get out
ahead of still struggling competitors. Back to real life, back to blood sport.

Let’s also not forget about all of the new brands and startups that will be making their way into
the arena for a piece of the spotlight. My guess is that we will see some of the most motivated
displaced employees from all sectors of business start some amazing new companies. I’m
honestly excited about that, and hope I have the opportunity to work with them all. This means
brand work for agencies is about to be a ‘thing’ again. And I’m sure most agencies will tell you,
“We handle brands!” … Sure you do.

Don’t be fooled. Stay focused, take a long look in the branding mirror, select the right partners
that understand you, your business, and both your short-term and long-term growth. I say, let’s
use this fresh and exciting start as a springboard to something even greater. They say the night
is darkest just before dawn. Well, with 2020 being what it was, I think I’m already seeing the
light.

Call us today to help your brand see the light in 2021. Learn more about Into the Blue, and
some of the growth we drove for our clients in 2020 here.
Onward. Together.