With 70% of British businesses stating that they’re at risk of insolvency due to the Coronavirus pandemic, it’s a natural instinct for business leaders to go into survival mode, protecting their staff, clients and bank balances. The impact of this has been many businesses stalling their plans for 2020, at the behest of the government’s weekly updates on the state of the economy. In contrast with this approach to the strange times we have found ourselves trading in, brand experience agency, Swarm, have embraced the proverb “when life gives you lemons…” by using this unpredictable year to restructure the business in response to the new economic climate, focusing on re-establishing connections, reigniting creative spirit and adapting to the new model of flexible working with the freelance community.
Swarm has always operated an agile business model, scaling in accordance with their client requirements which ensures that budgets are directly fed into the client project rather than into agency overheads. This lean model also enables Swarm to acquire and manage specialist talent for each unique project as it has built a trusted talent network from over a decade of creative and digital projects, globally.
Due to the cancellation of a summer of events and live instore activations, leading to many talented producers becoming available for work on the freelance circuit, Swarm has taken advantage of this opportunity by reconnecting with newly available talent to develop their pool of talent further, ready for upcoming projects and creative and technical development.
Remaining inspired and creative throughout lockdown has been a common challenge many professionals in the industry have experienced. With this in mind, since mid-lockdown, Swarm has been publishing a weekly selection of their industry ‘picks’ from the brand experience world, covering news and projects that have inspired them from sectors such as retail, events, marketing and PR. If lockdown has taught us anything, it’s that the way that people communicate and collaborate has moved online for the long-term, and Swarm’s weekly picks have been a digital love letter to physical and digital experiences, showing appreciation and admiration for creative work and ideas that inform the work we love to produce.
As the next few months continue to deliver curveballs, we predict that more agencies will be moving to a more agile way of working to service their clients more efficiently – calling on talent as and when it’s required, resulting in a renaissance for the freelance community. Swarm will continue to swim against the tide, expanding their horizons while others hunker down, growing their talent network and sharing ideas to spark inspiration and applaud those who continue to deliver creativity and innovation in the face of adversity.
For freelancers interested in joining Swarm’s network, register via the website www.swarm.group or contact us at info@swarm.group
Read Swarm’s weekly picks and insights here.
Receive a monthly dose of insights and inspiration from Swarm by subscribing to their Monthly Picks round-up here.
