Good stuff for good people: Reflections from the first decade of Luma Marketing
As we canter towards our 10th birthday, we’re getting all the feels.
Nostalgia. Pride. Excited about what’s next.
And it would be remiss of us not to take this moment to share some brief highlights from our journey (oops, we said the “J” word).
So join us, as we take a short walk – a mere stroll – down memory lane, over the last 10 years of Luma Inc.
Selling the car
The kernel of an idea for Luma came to Lucy on a Friday in August 2015 while she was reeling from the reality that her post-maternity leave return to work did not match up to her expectations. The new parenting juggle (picture sleepless nights and unexpected hospital visits) was hard enough on its own without the added dynamic of not feeling valued in her role.
There had to be a better way.
After an evening of gin-infused creativity with Lucy’s trademark coloured pens and paper, the plan was in motion. The car was sold, the gym membership and the wine order were cancelled, and Luma was born.
From the outset, Luma was built on principles that remain the same today:
Good work for good people who believe in leaving the world better than they find it.
Starting as you mean to go on
Luma was born not that long after Lucy’s daughter was born, so she got a front row view of its first baby steps.
Lucy knew what she wanted to build and the kind of people she wanted to work with. But she had very little idea how to actually build it.
People were excited for her. Advice and messages of support came from far and wide.
The most common piece of advice was to accept everything that came along. That rankled her. Lucy was embarking on this so she didn’t have to work for people she didn’t love working with.
Instead, the barometer of “good work for good people” was employed from day one. She held fast. It informed every key business decision, from the very first client to the latest, and everything in between.
Luma’s first visual identity brought positivity and light.
Embracing (and learning from) early mistakes
Who was Luma’s first client? The executive recruitment firm, Howgate Sable. They’d also been Lucy’s first employer when she was fresh out of university.
This project didn’t go brilliantly. Lucy made all the classic mistakes of a new business owner: over promising and under delivering.
But better things were in the wings. Lucy was already in conversation with planning consultant Iceni and Granit Architects. Both of which went A LOT better.
Growing in size and client roster
Lucy worked hard, and Luma grew. Rachel joined the team in 2018 and has remained a valuable member of the team ever since.
2018 was a big year for the company: we started working with wayfinding experts, Placemarque, who we still support to this day. It was also the year we first dipped our toe into international work. We advised architecture firm, Atlas, in Vietnam, closely followed by working with Australian international conference organiser, DBEI, in 2019, and then with global commissioning firm, Sygna in 2020.
Our work for Sygna began in 2020 and culminated in a new name and this beautiful website
Luma’s first employee, Eleanor, joined in 2020, quickly followed by some PR expertise in Adele Burns. In 2021, Luma welcomed two writers (in one day!) when Luke and Jen joined the team.
Our team has changed shape over the years – sometimes unexpectedly – but every goodbye has led to a new hello.
The Luma team is now seven strong!
Although already slightly out of date, this (soon-to-be-updated) photo gives a flavour of the fun we have in the studio.
MIPIM makes its mark (on Lucy as well as the business)
The Palais from MIPIM’s 2018 gathering
Lucy has been going to MIPIM every year that it’s been held (we’re looking at you, Covid) since 2002. Could she be one of the longest standing UK delegates?
And, in that time, the third week of March has gone from being “a busy period in the year” to being the crucial event of the business calendar.
In those early days of Luma, Lucy had to pay for it out of her own pocket. And at the price of a family holiday, that wasn’t an insignificant investment.
It became hugely influential on the business’s – and the family’s – plans, with Lucy’s husband saying at one point:
You HAVE to go to MIPIM or we're never going to go on holiday. You can't afford not to.
From our first office space to our home from home
Taking office space inside the brand new XYZ building was a big moment.
Our first office space was inside brand new XYZ in Manchester’s Spinningfields. With the business building momentum, Lucy soon moved into Michelle Rothwell’s ‘This is the Space’ on Quay Street.
Of course, like everyone else, Covid put paid to plans to grow the business further and the Luma team was back to its original homeworking patterns.
Roll on 2023, and Luma teamed up with fellow built environment experts CW Studio and Artform Architects to take up space in the Northern Quarter’s Stevenson Square. Studio Nine is a hive of creativity and activity and we love being a part of this built environment collective.
The next decade beckons
So what of the future? Where will Luma shine next?
Luma has been through a metamorphosis and is now seven strong. This team is what makes us who we are and it’s truly a joy to come into the studio.
And we’ve grown not only in number and breadth of expertise, but also in our technical capabilities. There’s so much more that we can do now, which couldn’t have even been imagined in 2015.
2024 was the year we geeked out on data and this year we’ve gone deeper still. We’ve invested in new technology to create intelligent dashboards and a proprietary AI that show not just what your marketing tactics are achieving, but how that compares against your KPIs.
Yes, we are officially excited!
Raise a glass
So let’s raise a glass to what the next decade holds, to the power of the collective, and to staying true to your values.
Here’s to the next 10 years, and all the good stuff that’s to come.
Luma’s not so little helper after ten years.
If you’re ready to take your marketing to the next level but need some expert help, call us today on +44 (0)161 706 1446, or email us at hello@lumamarketing.co.uk. We’d love to shine a light on your brilliance.
