Operating a successful business for 20 years is a significant milestone that shouldn’t be ignored. And I believe there are some key learnings relevant to many.

Here’s what we’ve learnt from 20 years of business. Warts and all.

As a team with over 100 years of experience just in Taxi Advertising, we had plenty to share.

Trust is the thread that connects everything we do.

In preparation for our 20th anniversary event, we had honest conversations with our industry partners regarding success in OOH. The word ‘trust’ was frequently used as a connecting thread between great work and successful relationships.

If we go back to the very start (2005 doesn’t seem that long ago, does it?), Ubiquitous’ Founder and CEO Andrew Barnett didn’t just put his faith in the strength of the format – he trusted his business intuition.

Thanks to the beauty of hindsight, we know that Ubiquitous establishes itself as the leading Taxi Advertiser in the UK. But it’s fair to say that it might have been hard to imagine that much success on day one. But trust provided reassurance for Andrew and his business partner and wife, Lisa in those early days.

Don’t be afraid to embrace tradition.

Dan Plant, the Chief Strategy Officer of Starcom, is a strong advocate of OOH. He made the interesting point at our anniversary event that there will always be a requirement for traditional media that gives clients control over their environments.

I agree with Dan. I’ve worked around Taxi Advertising for over a decade, and I’ll be the first to admit that taxis are an OOH format that has remained mostly unchanged for over half a century. And I am proud of that. If it ain’t broke…

Dan’s statement is intriguing because we know that our industry enjoys drawing attention to the ‘next big thing’ with plenty of fanfare. This isn’t a bad thing. But while we are the first to admit that new technology and initiatives have only been a good thing for clients, we’ll always advocate for traditional formats that consistently deliver high-quality work that let brands own moments.

…But don’t be afraid to embrace technology too.

20 years of business provides just as many challenges as wins. I don’t have to remind you that 2020 was a difficult year. I think the memories are enough to remind us of that. Nicole Lonsdale of Kinetic made a thought-provoking point about how the OOH industry navigated a difficult time by using data that highlighted changing audience behaviours.

A sigh of relief was felt across the industry as many realised that audiences hadn’t disappeared, rather, their daily habits had adapted to a ‘new normal’.

Ubiquitous was no different. Even as a traditional format, data painted a picture of where audiences lived, worked, and played. It reminded us that even in the darkest days of a global pandemic, our cities are full of stories that deserve to be seen.

And finally: Give your all to your clients.

We’re lucky to have worked with some brilliant clients over the years. Even better, we work with many of them still. While there isn’t just one reason why, we’d like to think that a commitment to excellence has played an important part.

Talking to Director Lisa Barnett, who has been a major driving force behind our commitment to consistency understanding clients at Ubiquitous since the very beginning, reminds us that high-quality work and rigorous attention to detail have always been our trademark. Our team continues to maintain the very high standards that the industry expects when they see a Ubiquitous taxi.

Because after all, if you can give your all to your clients, why shouldn’t you?

We’d like to think that we’ve been able to condense some of our favourite lessons from the last 20 years into the above. However, if there is one thing you can take away from our 20th anniversary, it’s this:

Thank you.

None of what we’ve been able to achieve would have been possible without your support, and naturally, trust, in our business. And for that, the team at Ubiquitous says thank you.