2022 - A year in review

As Branding Science Group’s 20th year draws to a close, we thought it was a suitable time to sit down with founder and CEO Peter Cunningham to reflect on 2022 and the nineteen years that came before it.

How would you sum up 2022?

I think this year has been all about adapting. Coming out of Covid we’ve had to find new ways of working that meet the needs of our clients and our colleagues. People learn more from each other when they’re together and they’re more creative and innovative. Given our work is about problem solving and growing, being together is very important and we’re trying to find a balance that works for us. We still don’t have it completely sussed, but we’re lucky to have a great team that enjoy working together in person. It has made overcoming this challenge much easier.

What are some of your highlights of 2022?

The positive difference that we’ve made for our clients and the fact that we’ve grown in a year that has been challenging for a lot of businesses. We’re incredibly lucky to work in an industry where, if we do our job correctly, engaging with the right people at the right time, then we genuinely have an impact on reducing suffering and helping people live longer, even if we don’t see that directly.

Beyond that, I’m incredibly proud of the charities that we have supported this year and the work we have done in our local communities. In the London office, we hosted students from a local SEND school, giving them an insight into our work and the inner workings of an office environment; in the Princeton office we’ve been supporting a charity that works to provide underserved children with gifts and other everyday necessities during the holiday season; in Manila, the team have been working all year to raise funds for the Philippine Cancer Society. We are proud to be supporting Hari Budha Magar in his attempt to be the world’s first double above-the-knee amputee to climb Everest and, for the seventh year running, we took part in the Halow 250 bike ride from London to France.

Obviously, the big highlight this year though was the 20th anniversary of Branding Science.

What would you say are some of the highlights of the past 20 years?

That’s a really difficult question. So much has happened in the past twenty years. We could be here all day discussing the highlights. Off the top of my head, I would have to say winning our first multi-country integrated consultancy and research project back in 2006, opening our first office in the US twelve years ago, and realising after eight years that we were already working with the top ten global pharma companies in the world. We’ve won various research and marketing awards which were all amazing, we were certified as a Great Place to Work in 2020 and again in 2022, and we won the Queens Award for Enterprise this year. Also, all the charity work we’ve done and supported.

How did you celebrate Branding Science’s 20th anniversary this year?

We really wanted to do something that would be a bit of fun, involve the entire global team and give us a chance to raise funds for charities that are very close to our hearts. As such, we came up with the idea of splitting into teams and having a virtual race around the world to raise money for three rare disease charities (The MOG Project, Eurordis and Nnet). It was great fun, everyone got involved and we managed to raise £10,000 for our chosen charities.

Once the race was over, we held parties in London, Princeton, Manila and Tokyo to celebrate our 20 years. It was great to see the team and to be joined by so many other people who have been on this journey with us. These included former members of staff, clients, suppliers, and charity partners. Everyone who attended has played a large part in Branding Science Group’s success over the past 20 years, so it was great to see them all and catch up.

What does the future hold for Branding Science Group?

I think integrated projects are going to be a huge growth area for us moving forwards. Clients are increasingly seeing the benefits of not just gaining insights but working with experienced professionals to bring those insights to fruition through organisational change.

At Branding Science Group, we very much follow the Japanese approach of kaizen. We’re always looking to improve and do better. Next year, as with previous years, we’re going to be focussed on constantly improving our work and our offering to better meet the needs of our clients.