This month Strategy Partner, Victoria Herrick, looks back on her 2022 predictions – to see how she fared – and takes a look forward to 2023.

In The House

Innovations and initiatives from Strat House clients and partners.

• Unilever helping women farmers to grow pineapples and their incomes
• Adidas takes on Samsung’s controversial ‘Night Owls’ ad in women’s safety campaign
• Unilever Study Reveals Influence of Influencers in Sustainable Behavior Change
• Dove are standing up for #KidsOnlineSafety
• Gong cha named best food & drink franchise at the 2023 Global Franchise Awards
• Find out why LinkedIn And Dove Are In It Together To Help End Hair Discrimination

Our 2022 predictions – a little too close for comfort.

As 2022 draws to a close, we’re reflecting on the year. It’s an interesting (and at times tough) process.  The year will likely be remembered more for its low points than its highs – overshadowed by war in Ukraine and culminating in a deep and far-reaching cost of living crisis.

We know you know it’s tough, so rather than dwell on that, we’ll try to inject a little light-heartedness into our end of year review, starting with a glance back at the predictions we made in January.

How did we do on our 2022 predictions?

In January, we dusted off our crystal ball and made some predictions for trends that might impact brands and brand teams.  How did we do?

We’ll still be speaking on mute.

We wondered out loud whether hybrid working and work from home would survive in a post pandemic world.  Our guess was that it would, and that we’d continue to adjust to new ways of working and evolving enabling tech. We got this one right. People are still working from home, still using collaboration tools and video chat. According to the ONS, spending in work canteens across the country is still 50% down on pre-covid times.  And though global web conferencing is down from its pandemic peak, it is still around 4x higher than Q1 2020.

Many firms have pressed for their employees to spend more hours in the office – some very publicly indeed.  Civil servants were ordered back to the office in May and Elon Musk told first his Tesla workers, then Twitter employees to get back to their desks. For Elon the message was clear – if you want a job here be here (or be elsewhere). It seems office location has become the new bargaining chip in the employee marketplace.  Where resources are scarce, and where hybrid working is a viable option, employees have the upper hand.    

Panic Buying isn’t over.

How we wish this wasn’t true.  But sadly it is, though not for reasons we could ever have predicted.  A war in Europe, a summer drought and a bird flu outbreak have all played their part in sparking bouts of panic buying. 

February saw a return to panic at the petrol pumps, as the prospect of conflict in Ukraine raised fears of shortages. Then in April we saw supermarkets rationing cooking oil, now as a consequence of Russia’s invasion. But as the world soon found out, that war would have far reaching and deep consequences for the global economy, leading to food price inflation, energy price inflation and the worst cost of living crisis in decades. 

Next, came the weather.  Extreme high temperatures and extended drought put pressure on crops in both the UK and globally, with many even predicting a shortage of the beloved Brussels Sprout (pause while children everywhere cheer). 

Right now, it’s eggs and turkey that are grabbing the headlines thanks to both the bird flu epidemic and feed cost challenges for farmers.    

The cost of living crisis may dampen panic buying, but it seems the urge will always be there, even when times are hard.

The Circular Economy will add fresh interest to the high street.

We predicted that there would be a continued push from retailers to inject fresh interest into their bricks and mortar stores by tapping into demand for sustainable offerings. The high street continues to have a tough time, with very little to cheer about as inflation stifled any hopes of a post pandemic rebound.  But perhaps the cost-of-living crisis will boost offerings that are inspired by the concept of a circular economy.  In the summer charity shops reported that sales were up 22% on pre pandemic levels, fuelled by bargain hunting shoppers and demand for sustainable goods.

And the desirability of circular fashion is still driving pockets of high street innovation.  In August 2022 Primark launched a new vintage clothing section in partnership with the Vintage Wholesale Company.  The promise of something unique that allows buyers to express their individuality might just be enough to keep the footfall coming. 

What’s kept us busy this year?

We continued with our record of returning clients, including Heinz, Dove, Unilever, Alder Hey, WPP, and Matrix.  We welcomed some fabulous new clients including an international luxury hotel chain, a bio-plastics start-up, a new razor brand, a sustainable conservation business and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (a sustainability brand we have been itching to work with).

We love the variety that a wide portfolio of clients brings.  From meaty strategies to quick turnaround projects – we’re always happy to help. Rachel, our founding partner says “one of the things that never gets dull is researching things you never thought you’d need to know”.  When pushed for an example she reeled off an astonishing list that even included a quick study on the sexual attitudes of Gen Z and the role of sex toys. 

For Strategy Partner Vic, the surprise highlight of the year was “selling drugs to Columbia”. When we pressed her for details it turned out to a Cold and Flu remedy and all very above board.  But Vic explains “I really love working on things that we often don’t pause to think twice about.  These can be the trickiest of challenges, especially when you need to put yourself in the shoes of an overseas consumer”. 

For founding partner Mel, the projects she has felt the most love for this year have all had a link to sustainability. Speaking up against Greenwashing at Cannes in an interview for TV Channel NBC, Mel pointed out that brands that hide behind definitions are missing the point – they simply need to get on with helping to fix the problem.  

And for 2023…?

We’ll share some predictions for the year ahead in January.  At Strat House we are typically sunny glass half full types.  You can expect us to be looking for silver linings. But we are realists too.  Tough times call for clear thinking.  That’s where Strat House can help you to make a difference.