Last month we received some amazing news. Pragmatic were listed in a recent article featured on The Drum as one of 8 UK agencies ranked as ‘Most Inspirational’. The article coincides with the release of the Wow Company’s annual agency benchmarking report, BenchPress.
The news came through on a sunny Friday afternoon, spreading good vibes throughout the office, which seems to be lasting for quite a while. Although we’ve won a number of awards over the years, and have been listed on many sites for our work, it doesn’t dampen the feeling we get when our peers vote for us.
Incidentally, the BenchPress report cites their aim as ‘to take an accurate snapshot of agency life in the UK and to share insight and analysis with ambitious agency owners.’ It’s a report eagerly awaited by us, because it’s full of genuine insight from over 500 agencies in the UK, of different sizes and specialist areas. The report is for independent agencies, voted by independent agencies. We think of it as a bit like the Mercury Prize. Along with statistical questions, participants were asked which agencies inspired them. The results were published in this The Drum post, and in this report from the Wow Company. Being listed alongside such incredible talents, such as UsTwo, Kyan, and MadeBrave to name but a few, is genuinely a great honour for us.
The details of the survey don’t go as far as to say why Pragmatic are inspirational, but something must be hitting the right spot with our fellow agencies. Our best guess (and it is just that – a guess!) is that the story of Pragmatic, and David Lockie, making it from freelance developer to the largest WordPress agency in the UK, is an achievement most businesses would appreciate. As a former agency owner myself, I can testify to how tough that is. Somehow Pragmatic fought its way through a tough industry, and carved out a first-rate reputation along the way.
The agency also fosters learning and teaching amongst its employees. When I first met David, about 6 or 7 years ago, he was organising the first WordUp Brighton, and making plans to put on a WordCamp in Brighton. Now, WordUp Brighton regularly attracts in excess of 40 people every month, and this August saw the largest WordCamp Brighton to date (and the second largest WordCamp in the UK!) – attracting over 250 attendees from all over the world. As you would imagine, Pragmatic sponsored and provided around a dozen volunteers. Finally, add to that our new design capabilities headed up by Rich Copping, and our much-loved agency is connecting with people in new ways and making friends as we go.
As humans we are predisposed to influence others, we spend a vast amount of our time trying to persuade others that our thoughts and processes have value, perhaps this why being ‘inspirational’ is one of the best compliments anyone can receive. It’s left us all feel rather warm and fuzzy. With that in mind, we’d like that thanks everyone who voted and the The Wow Company for putting it all together, you really made our day!
Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash