We can’t believe how much we’ve grown up in the last eighteen years, from starting out with just two people in Abercynon back in 2004, to becoming the leading digital partners in Cardiff (and beyond) in 2022. We’ve had a huge rebrand, a whole new office, expanded the team and added even more accreditations to our name. 18 is a huge milestone to reach, so here’s a whistle stop tour of our 18 years and what we’ve achieved along the way.
18 years of Spindogs
In 2004, where it all began, Spindogs was established by two University friends – who knew that 18 years later, we’d be sitting here writing this blog and wow, what a journey it has been.
In 2005 we welcomed our first employee, Dave Morgan, our Technical Director. It was also a big year for us as we launched Spindogs’ very own CMS. Skip ahead 10 years later and in 2015, our staff count had reached 23 – meaning in just seven years we’ve more than tripled our staff number to a team of just over 70 in 2022!
In 2018 we were awarded Silver at the EXA Awards for Employer of the year along with two Kentico website awards. It was a huge year as Liam Giles was awarded the SME Director of the Year Wales by IOD! With two business acquisitions of Nuance and Fathom and Unifed, we further expanded our full service offering to include digital marketing, a dedicated print design team and more complex CMS solutions.
Moving towards an audience-first mentality
Now, some of you may remember the very first Spindogs logo (the bulldog) but we’ve come a long way since then and we are always evolving and considering who we are and how we present ourselves. In 2019, we undertook a rebrand ahead of our 17th birthday. As part of our brand review we identified a need to redefine our vision for Spindogs, our mission, purpose and values, to cement our shifting perspective and reflect our growth.
Underpinning the new brand is something that we call ‘three-dimensional thinking’ – introducing the audience as an active third member of the client agency relationship. While always advocates of the client-first mindset, we believe that keeping the audience front of mind strengthens the structure of the relationship, providing a consistent point of reference that ensures our decisions are founded on genuine audience benefit rather than individual opinion or uninformed bias.
The three-dimensional thinking is represented by the three circles and is at the heart of everything from content to working on projects with our fantastic clients.
Our icon is now the three white circles that have a red background. The simplicity of the circles mix with different pops of colour in the background. We might have lost our ears but we’re still listening!
Turning 18 in our new Cardiff Bay office
In 2008, our HQ moved to Pascoe House in Cardiff Bay, located near the train station. As our business expanded, by 2019 we occupied four floors in the building, with different teams sharing different floors. In 2022, our new office in Cardiff Bay looks worlds away – it’s one open-plan space located on Havannah Street, overlooking the water.
The office is the perfect place for us to flexibly work and hold events and training sessions for clients and staff members alike. We’ve hosted several of our first in-person events this year following the Covid-19 pandemic. Since restrictions have eased, we had our first in-person office event with our client Mrs Buckét! Founder Rachael Flanagan shared her experience with Spindogs.
What’s next?
We’ve lost our ears, occupied a new office, and have a growing team of experts – so what’s next on the agenda?
We’re not here to stand still – we’re forever learning and growing to become better versions of ourselves. We continue to add to our global client base, tackle even bigger challenges than before and provide unique digital solutions that work for our clients and partners.
It goes without saying, this journey wouldn’t have been possible without the support of all our clients, team and friends who have worked with us over the past 18 years. So, we’d like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to you all, raise a glass and… here’s to the future!
