This time last year, we were celebrating the end of a decade and eagerly looking forward to what 2020 would have in store. Major events like the US Election were on our radar, but no one could predict the impact that COVID-19 would have on our world. From delaying the Olympics to running out of toilet paper, heightened social justice awareness to widespread working from home, there was no such thing as a simple “day in the life” routine. “I believe the most important lesson from this year is always to be grateful for what you have; at any second, everything could change so quickly,” said Taylor Bilthuis, Senior Recruitment Manager at Division-D.
Businesses were challenged to look out for their employees in work-from-home environments, adapt and work through an unexpected recession, and try to keep a silver-lining outlook as this year pressed on. “Companies needed to adopt flexible models quite literally overnight by adjusting their goals and resources to account for ever-changing constraints, opportunities and unpredictability,” states an article on Forbes. However, implementing flexible practices relies on employee’s ability to adapt. “We knew this already, but this year reinforced that our team is our most valuable asset,” said Lori Dillender, CEO of Division-D. “There will always be factors and forces out of our control, but the strength of a team separates good companies from great companies.”
Keeping employee morale high was crucial as we shifted to a work from home environment across all offices. “The most important takeaway from 2020 is to keep our work/life balance in check. Hosting virtual events helped our team create some sense of normalcy while working during a pandemic,” said Senior HR Manager Emily Foreman. Finding new ways to stay in touch was pivotal for both employee and client relations. “Another important takeaway from this year is that communication is key. We all learned to communicate in different ways and found new ways to connect with clients, vendors, and co-workers,” said Dillender. “Open lines of communication and support helped maintain connections and ultimately helped us grow together.”
From an industry standpoint, digital was able to withstand the year’s challenges and proved to be a core pillar of modern commerce. “This year’s challenges were unique to each brand. As a collective, digital media was in an excellent position to reach people who were spending more time at home, increasing their screen time by streaming videos and scanning their social feeds,” said Michelle Slinkard, Chief Business Development Officer at Division-D. “While future years likely won’t see the same surge in growth across these channels, this year will have a lasting impact on consumer behavior.”
As tumultuous 2020 draws to a close, optimistic outlooks are pervasive with the promise of a new year and the potential to build upon new foundations. Adweek projects that the pandemic-driven spike in eCommerce, and a related impact on advertising budget allocations, are both projected to continue. “We had a record year despite the trying times, which is an incredible accomplishment,” said Dillender. “Looking ahead, we are pumped for 2021! We have seen tremendous progress this year with diversifying and strengthening our services, and will continue to drive those ahead. The team is truly firing on all cylinders!”
Information for today’s blog came from the article “How the Pandemic is Transforming Company Culture” on Forbes and the article “What Marketing Trends to Expect in 2021” on AdWeek. See our “2020 At A Glance” one-sheeter to see how we grew our media offering this year, and follow us on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on the latest industry trends!
