Somehow this week marked the beginning of December, and as Agent99’s resident lover of all things Christmas and New Year, I thought now would be the perfect time to do a trip down memory lane and reflect on the year that has been for our agency. With 2020 forcing so many unpredictable changes on us, Agent99 has been on a rollercoaster ride throughout the year – so here’s a look back on all that we were still able to achieve this year.
JANUARY
Agent99 started off the year off with a bang – we had just started working on a range of fun new campaigns for Greenall’s Gin, TVSN and Westward Whiskey. We also welcomed our first Agent99 puppy Rufus to the team, who spent January curled up under our feet and chewing away at our office carpet.
FEBRUARY
After a huge Summer season, Sharon surprised the Agent99 team by whisking us away to the South Coast for our very first A99 retreat. Over three days in Gerringong, Agent99 strategized and planned for another busy year…I had the opportunity to lead a session on building team culture, which was highly beneficial in helping me get to know my relatively new team mates. If only we’d known at that time, that it would be one of the last outings we did together for months.
MARCH
We all know where this is going…COVID-19 hit in mid-March and the PR and media sector went into a complete tailspin. Like many other businesses in Australia, Agent99 relocated to their living rooms and swapped out the daily meetings for Zoom calls. Thankfully, Agent Nic was able to squeeze in a trip to Portland Oregon before borders closed, taking a range of Australia’s leading drinks’ writers on a distillery tour and famil trip for Westward Whiskey.
APRIL
As Agent99 celebrated a socially distanced Easter, we also worked with our clients to pivot campaign strategies. During this time, we were able to support communities in need through Product of the Year grocery hamper giveaways, as well as partner with Fjallraven Australia to launch a new social campaign that called on artists and embroiders to design their own custom apparel for outdoor adventures.
MAY
Team members’ Nic and Amelia celebrated their work anniversaries (albeit from home) as Agent99 ramped up its marketing efforts to help encourage and support other businesses during the COVID panic. During this time, Sharon took centre stage running webinars, writing opinion pieces, and running training sessions to keep investing in the sector, despite encountering constant change from every direction.
JUNE
After a few months of strict lockdown, NSW finally started to see restrictions ease up and at much relief to the team, media coverage on the Coronavirus finally started to slow its pace. During this time, Agent99 teamed up with Tribe Breweries to launch whopping 99 Cans packs of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. We had a stellar launch, with the 99 cans packs selling out of retailers within 24 hours!
JULY
Agent99 back in the office!
After months apart working remotely, the team were able to start migrating back into the office for a few days a week. We were able to onboard 3 new interns during this time and also work with our clients to create some unique PR strategies. My absolute favourite had to be Click Frenzy’s Ju-Love shopping event, which allowed avid online shoppers (like myself) get access to a range of fab deals during a time when in-person shopping was still cautious.
AUGUST
By August, the momentum started to pick up once again in the office. Agent99 launched the brand new Selk’Bag (yes, a onesie sleeping bag) via a unique Tiktok influencer and social campaign. We were also thrilled to welcome two new clients to our roster, including Clean Tea/Breastfeeding Tea Co and Cape Byron Distillery.
SEPTEMBER
As we started planning for the Christmas season, Agent99 were delighted to hire two new team members, Netia and Romina. Now back in the office three days a week, Agent99 started working with clients to re-host events – albeit online. In September, we were able to partner with TVSN and host a virtual look book launch with special guests Katherine Kelly Lang and Dr. Paul Nassif!
OCTOBER
Agent99 hits the ground running with a slew of new client wins including two campaigns for Monopoly with Winning Moves, Pampelle grapefruit aperitif launch, Mornington Peninsula Brewery’s non-alc Mornington Free, Koobits and expert speakers and authors Vanessa Stoykov and Phil Slade. Oh and we also got to celebrate our amazing MD’s birthday with balloons and cake (in person, yay!)
NOVEMBER
Agent99’s biggest month TO DATE!
In November alone, Agent99 held over 6 virtual events and launches including the launch of Australian Community Relief Monopoly, which went towards supporting COVID-19 and bushfire affected communities. We also got a chance to announce our 2021 Product of the Year winners via a huge mainstream media campaign.
DECEMBER
While we’re still in the early stages of the month, we have already wrapped up our last event for the year, hosting a stunning virtual cocktail class for Pampelle at the Coogee Bay Pavilion. Today, the office Christmas tree went up and hopefully the team will give me permission to start playing Carols in the office sometime soon!
Stay tuned on our Facebook and Instagram pages to see all that we get up to over December and into the New Year! Thank you to everyone who’s joined and partnered with us on this crazy year – let’s go 2021!
Agent Emilie
Agent99 is an award-winning PR and communications agency based in Sydney. For more information about our services, contact us at info@agent99pr.com.
