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November 13, 2023 / Thought Leadership
Charting the Next 25 Years of CP
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Steve Connelly, President & Copywriter
Connelly Partners is about to embark on a big anniversary – 25 years in this business. Not many make it this long. And while one can never discount the roles both luck and hard work have played in our success and longevity, I am convinced that our mission and mandate from day one to stay moving, to keep reinventing/reinvesting, to never be a sitting duck, have been a major factor in our success. While we’re not reckless, we do embrace calculated risks and move with purpose.
As we set our sights on our 25th year, we find ourselves competing in a different world, working in different ways, and standing on a different platform. A global platform. Today, Connelly Partners is an independent global agency with 150 employees across three locations in Boston, Dublin & Vancouver. That’s certainly impressive and allows us to compete for opportunities we might not have been able to in earlier years, but what makes us stand apart is not just that we have 150 people. It’s how we are actively investing in bringing those 150 people together. While we are not perfect, and we have much left to do, our intent is to create something that our business has never seen – a truly integrated group of people who live all over the globe, but know each other, respect each other, listen and learn from each other and can come together in ways that benefit both client and employee. Simply put, we believe our clients get bigger ideas when we shrink the world.
I just used a derivative of a word you’ve probably heard tossed about quite a bit in the last few years – integration. I’m going to ruffle some feathers here – but it’s total B.S. Simply having different skill sets available does not guarantee an agency will not still work in silos. Sounds really cool when an agency says they have an integrated offering, but I’m willing to bet they do little to nothing to create a culture and atmosphere that encourages people globally to actually work together. To build one culture together. To worry not about whose P&L client revenue goes to, but rather worry about the client challenge and inviting a wide range of people to the table to sit and solve that challenge.
Let the other agencies talk about integration. It’s a cold, mechanical word anyway. Let’s talk about how we at CP are devotees of convergence. Integration might be people sitting together. Convergence is ideas coming together. Actively, aggressively, relentlessly.
Now creating convergence requires two things holding companies don’t want to spend – time and money. Convergence does not come cheaply or quickly.
At CP, we’re committed to investing our time and money in ways that bring our people closer, to create the familiarity, honesty and respect needed to create bigger ideas. We’ve made strategic acquisitions, invested in new verticals and leadership, filled gaps within our offering, reinvented employee experience and converged skillsets & mindsets for a stronger CP.
Again, we are not perfect. But we are not standing still either. Never have, never will.
To that end, we have a whole lot going on right now that we are going to start shouting from the rooftops. We’re launching CP West, our new West Coast office, born from CP’s acquisition of VRX Studios. We’re strengthening CP’s position as a global digital leader. ZOO Digital – a Dublin-based, digitally-driven creative agency that joined the CP family a few years back – will be expanding into North America – and will serve as CP’s Digital offering globally. We’re bringing CP Education, a new dedicated education practice to market as part of our integrated offering. And this follows our launch of CP Health in 2021.
Lots of news converging at once. See what I did there?
CP never sits still. And we hope that 25 years from now we’re still the restless industry agitators we are today.
Rock on.
In a world where making meaningful connections in professional settings can be difficult, I feel extremely grateful that Connelly Partners recognizes this and helps provide me and my female colleagues with the warmth, support, and empowerment needed to successfully network. 
Not only was I given the privilege of being surrounded by a room full of driven females from all different backgrounds, but this became an opportunity for us to get to know one another in a safe space for authentic connection. Whether it was talking business or simply forming friendships, the women in attendance were eager to share their experiences, advice, insights, and wisdom. It was uplifting to see genuine connections forming rather than just mere business transactions. 