A London creative agency and Certified B Corporation that makes campaigns for charities and purpose-led brands, describing its work as 'creativity founded in protest'.
Don't Panic is a creative agency in London. It describes itself as a strategy and creative agency that builds "360 campaigns": ideas that start in one place, such as a film or a stunt, and spread across many channels so that people talk about a brand or a cause. Its work has included Save the Children's "Most Shocking Second a Day", WaterAid's "The Girl Who Built a Rocket", Netflix's "The Two Sides of Christmas" and an appeal campaign for the Disasters Emergency Committee on Ukraine.
The agency's own headline is "Creativity founded in protest". It says it began by handing out "Don't Panic Packs" on the street and became known online for satirical YouTube stunts, so it sees itself as content creators who grew into an agency. It says it aims for genuine change rather than boldness for its own sake, and that how it makes work is as important as what it makes. Its stated aim is that whether the client is a brand or a charity, the work should provide a social or environmental benefit.
Don't Panic is based at 12 Swan Yard in Islington, London N1. It is a Certified B Corporation, which means an outside body has assessed its social and environmental practices. Its charity clients named on its team page include WaterAid, UNHCR, Shelter, Barnardos and Tearfund, so most of its work is UK-based or UK-led, with international causes. Its blog also lists the kinds of work it makes: brand strategy, creative development, content production, social and influencer work, experiential and immersive projects, and measuring impact. Look for the phrase "earned media" on its site; it means attention that people give freely, such as press coverage or shares, rather than attention bought with an advertising budget.
The people page names Joe Wade as co-founder and Managing Director, described as a BAFTA-winning writer, satirist and campaigner. Around him are a creative team (from junior creatives up to associate creative directors), client service and production staff, finance and operations, and two non-executive directors, one a former creative content director at Save the Children and one a former managing director at Edelman Brand. The size of the team is small enough that the page lists people by name, including an executive producer and a head of client service, so you can see exactly which jobs sit around the creative team.
If you like words, ideas, film, design and campaigning, this is the kind of agency where those skills meet. The roles it employs include creatives (writers and art directors), designers, account and client service people, producers, engagement strategists and finance staff. Its own blog says it organises its team around Creative, Engagement Strategy and Client Services, which is a useful map of the jobs inside a creative agency. Its blog also says that choosing an agency partner means looking for earned attention, shared values, measurement and direct access to talent, which tells you what the agency thinks good work looks like.
Website: www.dontpaniclondon.com
PURPOSE helps school and university students explore 62 sectors and over 1,000 entry-level careers in the UK, then connects them directly with employers.
Explore PURPOSE