2020 at a Glance: Stories That Shaped Itch
It feels surreal to recap 2020—a year where the highs were pretty lofty (at least to this year’s standards) and the lows were quite rocky. Despite the challenges and curveballs this year, Itch was still able to persevere, grow, and live out our purpose—develop authentic creatives. Let’s take a look at all the noteworthy moments that shaped our 2020!
Welcomed Change With Open Arms
This year was a momentous time for a lot of us at Itch. Some members of our team transitioned into different roles for the company. AJ, once a baby demon (read: Accounts Executive), has converted and joined our Digital team. And Sab, our former Strategy Planner, is now our Business Development Executive.
There are also other baby Itches who grew up to take more senior roles in the company. Aira is now a “mami” to the copy department as a Senior Copywriter and Creative Lead; Sophia took on the role of a full-time mother demon as our new Senior Account Manager; our baby girl Erm is now ready for more mature roles as our new Account Manager; and Dennish is now the momshie to our graphic designers as our Senior Art Director. We couldn’t be prouder of our teammates and we’re excited to see them achieve more in the coming years.
Grew in Size and in Strength
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Because of all the major changes that happened at Itch, we had to adapt and expand. This year, we hired six (6) new Itches spread out across our different departments. Jervic, our Operations Manager, gave us much guidance and stability through his graphs, charts, and lists; Josh and Marielle added an extra flair to our Art Department; Ely and Mia, our newest baby demons, strengthened our Accounts Department; and Anton added more brain cells to our Copy Department.
Brought the Big Relief to More People
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2020 presented us with a unique opportunity to take on projects that are quite different from what we’re used to. With the help of writer Boom Enriquez and illustrator Elbert Or, we created “In the Town of Kamayanan, and the Legend of the Dancing Hands”, the first Philippine children’s e-storybook created as a response to the alarming COVID-19 outbreak. Besides this, we were also able to release a video last May entitled “Bayanihan ang Panlaban sa COVID-19” to inspire more Filipinos to flatten the curve, made possible with our friends Brainfarts Media and Ayi Mondragon.
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We were also given the opportunity to do a 4As Philippines website takeover! This was an especially exciting week for us because we were able to share our own virtual experience of The Big Relief to different people. It was also a proud moment because we were given a chance to showcase the authentic creatives we’ve been developing in our small shop while helping people cope.
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Our partnership with FleishmanHillard turned one this 2020, and we’re so happy that it’s stronger and more fruitful than ever! This year, we were able to explore the meme-making side of the internet with them as we worked on accounts like HBO Go, Warner TV, and Cartoon Network.
We also continued to find extraordinary new roads with our long-time partner The Covenant Car Company Inc. We are thrilled that this year, we got to work with Chevrolet and MG not just for regular campaigns, but also for special projects for the frontliners who have driven us forward this 2020.
And just because we stayed at home for most of the year doesn’t mean we weren’t able to make new friends! We won our first Genero pitch this year which allowed us to work with FWD, a brand that’s changing the way people feel about insurance. We were also able to form a thriving relationship with In Circle, an influencer marketing agency, and now we’re working with them for our newest key account, Grab Philippines!
Care Knows No Bounds
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It goes without saying that 2020 was a challenging year for everyone. But as we went through this especially rough year, we made sure that the wellness of everyone at Itch was our priority. We took time to look at our internal systems, assess them, and make adjustments to accommodate everyone. We sent members of our team care packages complete with alcohol, a bespoke face mask, a face shield, and a special key ring to keep them safe against the virus. We also made it a point to do regular pulse checks through surveys to help us gauge how everyone is coping. To give everyone a bit of motivation and inspiration while working from home, we continued our tradition of giving Employee Recognition Forms (ERFs). And when things became too overwhelming, we gave everyone some time off work to pause, relax, and recharge so they can come back healthier and stronger.
With all the difficulties we had to face, we are blessed that as an advertising small shop, we have survived the year without having to do retrenchment or pay cuts. This was all thanks to our partners who continued to work with us and all the Itches who remained collaborative, adaptable, perseverant, excellent, and full of integrity.
Gave Work a New Meaning
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Despite the many jarring changes that happened this year, we wouldn’t be able to navigate our way through it without the support of our fellow Itches. Monthly town halls felt like wellness check-ins and catch-up sessions than business meetings. Zoom wasn’t just used for meetings, it’s also for e-numans, game nights, and chismisan sessions. Our Telegram group chats are no longer just for work updates. It became our way to recreate our office environment virtually. We joked, bantered, and laughed as if we were all in the office together on a beautiful weekday. It was also through these channels that we said hello to new friends and bid farewell to those who left to pursue other things. These small online interactions everyday reminded us that despite the physical distance, we still had people who love us and care for us, even from afar.
As tumultuous as it may have been, 2020 was still a year of growth for Itch—a lot of pitches were pitched, clients were serviced, and authentic creatives were developed. As we face a new year, we hope to continue growing and being excellent at everything we do.