As we round off Third City’s 11^th year, it’s time for our annual reflection on work, people and achievements we’ve made in 2022. From attaining B Corp status to implementing our ‘work from anywhere’ policy, moving into a new office and ranking third in PR Week’s top ESG agencies, it’s been a good one.

Here’s our tale of 2022, starting in depths of winter back in January…

Winter

Founder Graz featured on both the PR Moment podcast (listen again here) and in the Women in PR’s inaugural 45 Over 45 list

And it wasn’t long until we scooped our first awards of 2022 – ‘Best Use of Social Media and Influencers’ and ‘Best Insurance Communications Campaign’ at PR Week’s Corporate, City & Public Affairs Awards, for Youth Against Carbon (for Zurich). That’s 12 nominations and seven wins for that one!

Spring

Awards continued to flow as the winter ice thawed and we headed into Spring, scooping a PRCA Digital Award (Best Use of Content Marketing) for Make Money Equal, which explored gender equality and money, for Starling Bank.

Purposeful work like this led us to being placed at number 3 in PR Week’s top ESG agencies!

Notable new work included blanket media coverage for The Donkey Sanctuary’s ‘Stop the Slaughter, End the Donkey Skin Trade’ campaign, while we explored how the pressure to be a ‘supermum’ was impacting mothers’ mental health for Bupa, accompanied by some amazing illustrations from Helene the Illustrator.

Oh, and on the first of April [ahem!] we launched Numan’s first Viagra candle.

Rounding off the season, founder Mark spoke at the PR 360 event and Creative Director Henry wrote about ‘When Good Ideas Turn Bad’ for PR Week.

Summer

As the all-too-hot summer arrived, so did tonnes of coverage!

Notable campaigns included creating the very first Fantasy Football for the Women’s EUROs with Jill Scott, celebrating the nation’s volunteers as part of the Platinum Champion Awards for Royal Voluntary Service, and encouraging people to overcome their ‘Poo Taboo’ and look for signs of bowel cancer for Bupa.  

And Jill Scott wasn’t the only big name we spent the summer with. We helped Billie Eilish to promote her Overheated event at the O2, bringing together climate activists, musicians, and designers to discuss the climate crisis, and the work they are doing to make a difference.

And we turned Dr Emily MacDonagh into an actual iron woman to increase awareness of iron deficiency in women and how red meat can help as part of a balanced diet (for AHDB).

We had some great team time together, both at Clerkenwell Design Week and on our company away day in Brighton, while Liam and Mara were among many of us who took advantage of our ‘work from anywhere’ policy, spending a portion of the summer working from France.  

Lauren ‘Safe Hands’ Westmore was promoted to partner (having started as our very first trainee a decade ago!), and before Joe Lycett had even ordered an Attitude to shred, Liam had warned brands: ‘Don’t Be a Beckham!’ for PR Week.

And as we welcomed our new B Corp accreditation (which we marked with Graz writing about PR and the sustainability agenda for PR Week), we said goodbye to our old office.

Autumn

Autumn brought yet more industry gongs: a highly commended at the PR Week Awards and a win at the PRCAs for Make Money Equal, while our ‘Trade Inn’ campaign for tech recirculation service Spring picked up two ESG Awards.

Meanwhile new work continues to generate headlines:

We created The PlayGap Toyshop for Starling where everything costs girls more, raising awareness of the 20% gender pocket money gap on Equal Pocket Money Day.

Our Zurich campaign called on the Government to make access to IVF leave a requirement for all companies, bringing it in line with other medical and pregnancy-related leave in the UK, and we launched Bupa’s Health Tracks, a playlist of feel good music compiled by Gok Wan and sung live by the incredible Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir. British Paralympic triathlete and swimmer Lauren Steadman also attended while presenter Adele Roberts fielded broadcast interviews about how music aided her recovery.

To round off the year with a Christmas campaign, we launched a range of digital greetings cards designed to help Brits have conversations with family and friends about spending less this year for Vanquis.

We found out we rank 33^rd in PR Week’s most awarded agencies, and in the top 10 for independent agencies.

Last but not least, we’re about to step foot in our brand-new office… see you there in 2023!