Highlights
of the year
Time flies when you are having fun. And there’s been no shortage of highlights in 2023.
We’ve welcomed new clients, new staff and new opportunities.
From our legendary charity bake sales to getting active and winning a prestigious award, we have created lots of amazing memories during the last 12 months.
As ever, we would like to thank our clients, suppliers and partners for their continuing support and wish everyone a great 2024 - our 30th anniversary year!
January
Getting under the skin of a business or organisation is what we do best. We were pleased to welcome many new clients across a range of different sectors.
We were delighted to support the British Blind & Shutter Association to amplify its Blinds Make Better campaign as well as support other organisations in this sector including Grand Design Blinds and Just Shutters Business.
We have also been providing design support to the marketing team at PGL, which is a school trips and adventure holiday specialist.
Our digital team is working with Precision Polymer Engineering, Cure It and Carbonbit to create new websites as well as helping the team at Sterling Properties improve its online presence.
February
It never fails to deliver and it is a wonderful time for creating memories.
This year’s ICG Annual Conference took place in Alicante - one of our favourite locations for a weekend away. A little sun, sea and sand in the depths of winter provides a much needed dose of vitamin D.
There were sea swims, castle walks, shopping and good times!
March
Like so many people across the country, the scale and impact of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria shocked and upset us all.
The team came together for a fundraising day including a charity raffle and delicious bake sale to raise money for the Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal.
There were some great raffle prizes on offer including homemade cushions and a BBQ sausage holder but the one everyone wanted to win was an extra day’s annual leave.
Our Senior Account Manager, Alison took the top prize and used it for a trip to Barcelona!
April
Like so many businesses, our people are our greatest asset.
We welcomed four new members of staff to the ICG family, and it’s been a pleasure to get to know them.
Matthew joined us at the start of the year as Digital Marketing Manager, closely followed by Beth, as a Digital Marketing Executive.
Liam joined our team of developers while Erin joined our marketing team. Check out our Take Five series on our blog to find out more about them, including how they take their brew.
May
Going out of our comfort zone is all part of a day’s work for some members of the team. We are quite an active bunch and there’s always someone preparing for a big challenge.
Sam took part in an ultra marathon in the Lake District - finishing 12th out of 815 runners, running 47 miles in just over 10 hours.
Matt and Beth braved the Manchester 10k Tough Mudder experience, while Simon once again clocked up some mileage with marathons in Antwerp and Manchester.
Hayley took part in the Blacksticks Blue 10k run at Beacon Fell and Julie joined more than 1,200 runners to take part in the Beaverbrooks 10k.
June
They say the best ideas happen over coffee. Well, we need to be full of ideas here at ICG so it was time to spruce up our cafe area to make it more welcoming and inviting.
And we didn’t need to call in DIY SOS.
Sam and Sarah rolled their sleeves up to refurbish, recycle and renew our cafe with great results!
Feel free to drop by for a chat over coffee any time!
July
You can’t beat a good face-to-face.
While Hangouts, Teams and Zoom are the new go-to, it was great to get out and about visiting clients and taking part in events.
Amy and Dave visited London Designer Outlet in Wembley for its 10 year celebrations.
Julie joined fellow members of the Fylde Coast Responsible Business Network to celebrate its five year anniversary at Blackpool Football Club.
Alison met the team from Sunbelt to attend the Staffbase Comms Club 2023 which included workshops and talks on internal communications.
August
Summer time, and the living is easy…
The weather gods smiled upon us for our annual staff family barbecue.
As usual, we called in the experts - Paula’s husband and son to fire up the grills, and we all polished off a healthy stack of flame-grilled sausages, kebabs and burgers.
We also welcomed Liam’s pet lizard, Luke, who basked in the summer rays too.
September
We were blown away to see our names in lights at the sensational Blackpool Tower Ballroom.
ICG was crowned Digital and Marketing Business of the Year at the Be Inspired Business Awards (BIBAs). We were also finalists in the Service Business of the Year category too. It was a great night!
Earlier in the year, ICG was also shortlisted for Integrated Agency of the Year - Medium in the Prolific North Champions Awards.
October
Take one shark, a dinosaur, a clown and a zombie - and you have the perfect line up for a Halloween party.
Team ICG never misses an opportunity to dress up so when Halloween came along, we went all out!
There was some inspired spooky face painting - including excellent dead eyes by our Senior Designer, Stephen.
And in true ICG style, there was a charity bake sale with delicious treats to raise money for MIND.
November
Breathe in, hold… and breathe out…
During our very first Wellbeing Week as we recentred, refocused and found our inner calm in a series of activities that spread a little joy around the studio.
We started with Meditation Monday, followed by Yoga Tuesday and a healthy and hearty breakfast and wellbeing talk on Wednesday. Comedy Thursday went down a treat, and we rounded off the week with a visit to our virtual pub via Google Meet.
The Wellbeing Week was a huge success and gave us all the boost we needed during a very wet and dreary November.
December
December is all about Give Back Fridays. For the fourth year running, we have donated to local charities and good causes. This year, the big focus has been on our home village of Warton.
We donated food essentials and Christmas goodies to the Fylde Foodbank which supports communities in Warton, Lytham St Annes and Kirkham. We met up with Anne-Marie who runs the Warton branch of the foodbank alongside Reverend Tracy J Swindells, the Vicar of Holy Trinity Freckleton and St Paul’s Warton.
Next stop was the Warton Book Exchange. Team ICG collected books and jigsaws from home to donate and we also made a financial contribution towards the cost of a new community space in the heart of the village.
Once again we visited the Streetwise Youth Community Group. This year we have supported their EGG Performing Arts and Wellbeing School. It works with young people to support mental health and help build confidence.
Finally, we donated two trolley loads of toys and goodies to Cash for Kids, Mission Christmas.
Well, it's all over for another year and time to say goodbye to 2023.
In 2024 we celebrate our 30th anniversary - a fantastic opportunity to reflect on how much marketing has changed during that time and what the future holds.
If you are looking for marketing support next year - a fresh pair of eyes on your current activity or a welcome extra pair of hands - then please get in touch.
Contact Simon Couchman to find out more - simon@icg.agency
