Collective creativity that twists and shouts: The&Partnership's 2023

The&Partnership’s 2023 has been marked by a prolific set of diverse work that showcases the strides made by the agency both creatively and in the breadth of the solutions it offers for its clients.

From rebrands to new brand identities to mammoth campaigns and thought-provoking films - the full-service agency has not let up this year.

The introduction of the group’s ‘Amplified Creativity’ positioning has seen the agency change the way it has approached briefs, delivering campaigns that combine a multitude of disciplines, strategic ways of thinking and creative solutions.

We talk to The&Partnership's hugely respected CEO Sarah Golding to uncover the agency’s achievements this year and, below, also give our verdict on its 2023.

Sarah Golding, CEO at The&Partnership, on the agency's 2023

What three words would you use to describe 2023?

Intelligent &mplified Creativity.

Talk us through some of your agency’s highlights this year?

Despite economic pressures, we've seen growth in our business by expanding relationships with existing clients and winning new ones like KitchenAid and Mars Food. We've also focused on operational excellence, investing in areas such as AI to drive future success and growth.

In 2023, we embarked on a transformative journey, uniting all group companies and departments under one roof. Our 'Amplified Creativity' positioning represents a step beyond integration, creating a powerful impact on business and cultural footprint. We've developed hybrid roles within our team, blending traditional creative direction with innovation.

We championed diversity and inclusion, launching impactful campaigns like 'Ban conversion therapy' and winning the Channel Four diversity and advertising competition for E45. As we move into 2024, we're committed to embedding &mplifed Intelligence into our agency fabric and complete the training of our entire 1,500 person organisation in AI.

Over the past 12 months, we've worked on numerous projects showcasing our unique strengths and capabilities. From launching new brand campaigns for Toyota and Mars, to relaunching old ones for Dolmio and Pets at Home, to creating experiences for Lexus and working with influencers on E45, we challenge and champion the status quo on behalf of our clients.

We're excited to continue amplifying creativity, challenging norms, championing our clients and people, and shaping the future of advertising in 2024.

What one thing are you proudest of this year?                

Our Channel 4 Diversity Award win – it’s symptomatic of the culture and values of The&Partnership. We remain committed to creativity, diversity, and always - the power of &. We believe that these principles, along with allowance for individual passions and imaginations, culminates in an inclusive and productive work environment. We are proud of our commitment to supporting underrepresented communities and for the opportunity to help highlight some of the most important and pressing issues of our generation. 

And what’s been your biggest challenge?

We work with many clients in categories that came under intense pressure and scrutiny over the last few years. The cost-of-living crisis took hold across the UK, and we knew that we would need to guide our clients through the most difficult time for businesses since the end of WWII.

I think we’ve done just that. Ensuring that they’ve been having the RIGHT conversations and interactions with their customers at the right time. British Gas is a great example of just that. Launching their first brand campaign for years, that focusses on the customer and rewards households for using energy outside of peak hours. Not only was the scheme aimed at helping customers do their bit for the environment, but it's also a commitment from the nation’s leading energy supplier to help customers keep bills down as winter approached.

It’s work like this that really makes a difference to households around the UK, and only comes from clients who are committed to making a difference and are willing to listen to and work with their agencies to do just that. 

What are you most looking forward to in 2024?

We are excited to fulfil our promises, ambitions, and goals. Our focus is on producing exceptional and unforgettable work that sets the standard for quality. We are prioritising the growth and development of our people by investing in AI training and integrating it into our best practices, as well as developing our innovative &model and implementing it across new platforms. Additionally, we are expanding The&Academy with the introduction of our content management apprenticeship and content creator programmes, and continuing to invest in High Viz Creatives, our program that supports under-represented creative voices. We’re so excited to see what the next generation of our industry can do. 

And what one change would you most like to see in our industry next year?

The realisation that we are, and have always been, stronger together than apart.

Creative Salon on The&Partnership’s 2023

The&Partnership has gone from strength to strength this year and its new ‘Amplified Creativity’ positioning has boosted its output, with the idea being to combine diverse skill sets to multiply and amplify solutions. “The UK side of our partnership and the worldwide side came together and we went from a creative department of 25 to a department of 50,” Toby Allen, executive creative director, recently told us.

This year, The&Partnership has also connected more with siblings mSix&Partners and Halpern in a bid to stretch ideas to have a real impact on clients' business and broaden the cultural footprint of the work.

The agency has taken on some impressive rebranding efforts throughout the year. For Pets at Home, The&Partnership led a relaunch of its brand with a new identity and creative platform that brought together all elements of the business and celebrated the love the nation has for its pets. The agency also unveiled a fully reworked brand identity for Dolmio, leaving the Italian puppets behind and embracing the new signature tagline: ‘Dolmioooo-Yeahhhh!’ For Karo Healthcare, The&Partnership and mSixGroup also launched a million pound campaign to relaunch E45, driving reappraisal of the brand in an increasingly competitive category.

The agency also won the Channel 4 Diversity in Advertising Award for a piece of E45 work that will air next year, bagging £1 million worth of ad space across the broadcaster’s portfolio. This only solidified the agency’s mission to create amplified and diverse work.

Adding to The&Partnership’s powerful work in 2023 was a film the agency created alongside a collective of 21 LGBTQA+ charities, coordinated by Stonewall, about the abusive practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy’. The heart-breaking campaign supported the introduction of legislation for a full ban on conversion therapy that includes trans people and protects the whole LGBTQA+ community.

Throughout 2023, The&Partnership also produced a plethora of big campaigns, including an Easter spot form M&M’s, a campaign for the Lexus RX range and several tie ups with The Times - one campaign for a King Charles ‘The Wait is Over’ piece and another for the paper’s ‘Rich List’ article. Additionally, the new brand platform for Argos (‘There’s more to Argos’) saw The&Partnership introduce Toy Story-like characters Connie and Trevor to the world. The campaign aimed to drive reappraisal for the brand and remind consumers of its tech, homeware, and household product offerings. For Christmas the toy-duo returned, with Connie struggling to contain her excitement in anticipation of the big day.

It was certainly a strong finish to the year for The&Partnership also. A ‘Let’s Go Beyond’ campaign for Toyota saw the brand champion diversity and featured sports star, pundit and new brand ambassador, Billy Monger, an inspirational individual who overcame a life-changing motor racing accident. The work is but one example of amplified creativity led by Andre Moreira, (creative partner at The&Partnership and CCO at StudioX -WPP/Coca-Cola), that impressively extends beyond one sole market effectively and innovatively. “Let’s Go Beyond is more than just a campaign, it marks a new era for the Toyota brand and a mindset that starts from within the culture and DNA of the organisation," Moreira added.

Separately, in October, the agency also had British Gas team up with Team GB and ParalympicsGB to create a nationwide campaign that promoted the brand’s PeakSave scheme which rewards British Gas customers with half-price electricity on Sundays - useful in a cost of living crisis.

A piece of work for RNIB also saw The&Partnership dispel myths surrounding sight loss. ‘Before You Ask’ also embodied the agency’s ‘Amplified Creativity’ positioning as it was written by its creative Jane Reader who has lost her sight in one eye.

The&Partnership also rounded off a busy and successful year by winning the business of KitchenAid Major Domestic Appliances across the UK and Europe. The win will see the agency deliver strategic thinking across customer, media and creative as well as execution across multiple touchpoints from experiential to influencer and digital. The ambition will be to drive awareness and long-term brand engagement with KitchenAid’s large domestic appliances and The&Partnership will be working as the integrated agency across both B2B and B2C, from pre-purchase to post purchase.

Creative Salon says: The&Partnership's new creative positioning has given the agency something to rally around, and has driven further growth. CEO Sarah Golding, ECDs Toby Allen and Micky Tudor, and head of planning Rebecca Munds should be hugely proud of the agency's impressive performance this year, in particular the work for Toyota, British Gas and E45 which all displayed the agency's drive to pull different skill sets together and produce effective and powerful campaigns. And don't expect any let-up in 2024 from this ambitious bunch.