We are in uncharted territory.
That’s a phrase I heard on a news show last week, one which the pundit suggested we will hear often in 2024.
I believe that she is right: 2024 will bring us a presidential election that is yet to unfold, but suffice it to say, it may very well leave a divided country even more divided. Bears and bulls are split on whether the economy will rally or falter. “Central to both views is the path of inflation and whether the Federal Reserve can return the pace of price rises back to its target of 2 percent before the economy sputters,” wrote Joe Rennison in the New York Times.
We will continue to navigate uncharted territory with the yet-to-unfold consequences of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, with changes in the climate, and the long-term impacts of the effects of social media and disinformation campaigns across the media we consume.
So yes, I’ll give you that we may be headed toward unchartered territory. But I am at heart an optimist – and I’d like to suggest that there are plenty of constants in this ever-changing world. At Ramey, we are working hard, and I mean hard, on our forecasting and budgeting for 2024, while at the same time, helping our clients with the heavy lifts of marketing and communications plans for the coming year.
Many of them are understandably concerned about the economy and their ability to forge stronger bonds with their respective consumers and achieve their goals. But technology has provided us with even better tools in 2024 to not only show short-term incremental gains, but continue to build strong brands over the long haul. As ever, we will be there for them.
I’ve said before that we’ve never seen a point of diminishing returns in the time and treasure that we invest in our culture at Ramey, because I believe that it is a big part of our special sauce. At our holiday gathering a couple of weeks ago, I looked around the room at a team of people who genuinely enjoy being together. That’s not going to change if I can help it, as I believe that a huge part of our personal success is driven by the people we surround ourselves with.
In terms of our corporate culture, we’ve continued to do well by doing good. By my last count, we have helped more than 300 college students at Ole Miss, MSU, and Jackson State through the Tommy Ramey Scholarships. We have invested in pro-bono efforts through our Reach Higher grants to nonprofits. We still provide our team with 40 hours of paid time-off in order to do community service. Those things are constant.
The central component of the Ramey ethos is to Reach Higher. We do it for our clients, our team, our community, and for the agency as a whole.
Reach Higher is our North Star. It serves as a constant – even as we navigate a world of uncharted territory.
Written by
