Advertising and marketing took a big hit at the start of the pandemic. As brands worked out how to communicate with consumers and restrictions halted production and threatened to limit people’s creativity, it required a big shift in thinking and approach. 

Despite the last 18 months feeling so precarious, there have still been people out there willing to take a risk with a plethora of new creative agencies launching during this time. Some have been created to pursue a life-long goal, others to change the way brand problems are solved, and most simply to create good creative work on their own terms. Here CR speaks to the founders of three agencies – Motel, Friendly Giants and Other – to find out the ups and downs, their approaches, and their plans for the future.