Our blog’s just like any other, except it’s useful, nice to look at, and fun to read.

As Regional Mexican singer, Chalino Sánchez, put it… Ya se fueron las nieves de enero, Y llegaron las flores de Mayo. Or, the January snows are gone and the flowers of May arrived. And with them, another Cinco de Mayo.

International Women’s Day (IWD) connects women from every background – amplifying their voices to demand change, exhale frustrations and celebrate triumphs. IWD and Women’s History Month offer a unique chance to honor the often unsung contributions of women throughout history, as well as reflect on how we must continue to uplift all women in today’s society.

Tune into any of this year’s Super Bowl ads, and it’s clear that brands are here to make us laugh again. Gone are the earnest and heartfelt montages of 2021, abandoned in favor of absurdist humor, big time celeb collabs and clever culture cues.

I remember when I started wearing a mask during the pandemic.It was late March 2020, and as a socially-minded person, I was an early adopter of the mask. It was a pretty obvious decision for me – raised by a Japanese mother, “wearing a mask because you’re sick” was normal. But I soon realized this was the complete opposite in the States.

As we uphold our commitment to sharing annual progress against our DEI goals, it’s important that we reflect on the past year to not lose sight of our role in driving change. 2020 was a year of disruption. The Pandemic-Era. A Year of Social Unrest. A Racial Reckoning. Its impact will last a lifetime, and we saw its immediate effects in our workforce - it’s rapidly changing, and we know we have to continue adapting quickly. At Praytell, the status quo has never been enough, and we welcome the pressure to build a better industry.

This year for PRIDE, Prism, Praytell’s LGBTQIA+ Employee Research Group has its focus on community. Following 2020’s isolation during PRIDE, 2021 is the time to focus on something way bigger than ourselves. The past year and a half have been particularly challenging for all marginalized groups, with 42% of LGBTQIA+ youth seriously considering suicide and 94% believing that recent politics have negatively impacted their mental health — according to a recent report from the Trevor Project.

Our agency is built on optimism. We've always seen it as an essential ingredient in our best work and our company culture alike. Don't worry, our optimism isn't blind and doesn't come at the expense of clarity. In fact it coexists quite nicely with the other isms - stoicism, pragmatism and even pessimism.

As a group established just last summer, this year was the first time elevAsian was able to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month as a community at Praytell. Amidst an especially challenging time for us in the U.S., we took this time to celebrate our diverse community and cultures with programming that reflected that depth and breadth.

In March of 2020, employers everywhere were forced to quickly rethink their models to accommodate and adapt to the new normal – working from home. We saw hiring freezes across the board as agencies looked to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of their existing employees.