2012 in the Rear-View Mirror

Wow, what a year it’s been. I felt the need to jot some thoughts before the end of the world today (thanks Mayan civilization – I’ll forgive the whole End of the World thing, since ya’ll also invented the tequila I’ll be drinking to soften the blows of the comets and lessen the sting from all the zombie bites).

The year has been eventful, to say the least. Presidential election, Hurricane Sandy, the tragic shooting rampages in Colorado and Connecticut, the inspiring Olympics, Baumgartner’s space jump, Gangnam Style, etc., plus the tentative but genuine climb of the U.S. economy from the abyss of the recession.

Here at SHIFT it’s also been a wild ride. We hired amazing new executives. We developed and have been rolling out an innovative new strategy for converging media. We became an Employee-Owned agency, with the summertime launch of our ESOP. We were named Digital/Social Agency of the Year. And in addition to a slew of other cool wins, in 2012 we added household name brands like H&R Block and McDonald’s to the client roster. Heck, we even changed our logo.

That’s a pretty big year.

This is the part where I’d normally say something like, “And we’ve got big plans for 2013!” but, true as that may be, at this time of year I prefer to hang back a little. Just reflect on the challenges and accomplishments of the previous twelve months and allow the fatigue to marinate in my bones. We are all driving ahead but can take a long look in the rearview mirror to appreciate where we’ve been, eh? Appreciate the people we’ve met, who’ve helped us along the road. Make amends with the family members we sometimes overlooked; remember that a home is more than a pit-stop between airports.

So: thank you. Thank you to my family (love you)! Thank you to my colleagues at SHIFT. Thank you to our clients. Thank you to the readers and supporters of this blog. Just: thank you. I am a lucky, lucky fella. I know it and appreciate it.

Honestly I have precious few clues about what 2013 holds in store. But I am glad we’re on this trip together.

Assuming we beat the Mayan curse, gang, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!