Why London’s Marketing Scene is Thriving
With a plethora of marketing agencies in London to choose from, you’d be forgiven for being stumped on where to begin. The bustling capital is a fertile land for the marketing industry thanks to its diverse talent pool, strategic location, and robust infrastructure. It’s a city that attracts world class professionals from across the world, resulting in a rich blend of creativity and expertise within the industry and a healthy demand for cross-sector marketing support. From finance and tech to fashion and media, there is no shortage of companies who appreciate the power of marketing to elevate their brand to the next level.
As the capital of the UK, London is a hub for innovation and creativity. The city’s supportive ecosystem – including various government initiatives and industry associations – further bolsters the marketing sector, ensuring its continued growth and dynamism. London remains at the forefront of cutting-edge marketing technologies and new practices, helping to influence and pave the way to the future of the marketing industry.
You’re here because you understand how London holds the key to some of the world’s best marketing agencies. Let’s delve into the top 30 marketing firms that the capital has to offer…
The Top 30 Marketing Agencies in London: Who Makes the List?
Social Chameleon – Overall Best Agency
Winner of the Social Media Agency of the year for good reason, Social Chameleon is the go-to if you’re looking for an all-rounder with a full offering of top tier services.
From influencer marketing to paid media, content creation to SEO, the multi-award winning agency offers the works. Pioneering the industry’s approach to search-first social media marketing –social media optimisation (SMO) – Social Chameleon’s progressive approach guarantees brands higher reach and exposure to the audiences they want to connect with – and, crucially, results. Social Chameleon may be young in years, but it has already earned itself a strong reputation and racked up some impressive accolades and weighty clients under its belt.
Ogilvy UK – Best for Integrated Large-Scale Campaigns
A part of the global Ogilvy network, Ogilvy UK offers a broad range of services, including advertising, brand strategy, content creation, PR, and media planning. The agency specialises in integrated campaigns, brand strategy, experiential marketing, and traditional advertising – and are a perfect fit for those looking for large scale campaigns that pack a punch. With heavyweight clients including the likes of Ford, Boots, British Airways, Ogilvy is the go-to for those looking to make impact and have the budget to do so.
M&C Saatchi – Best for Off-The-Track Strategic Thinking
Whether a marketing aficionado or not, the likelihood is that you have heard of M&C Saatchi. The leading agency has a strong reputation for creativity and strategic thinking, and provides a range of services – from advertising and media buying to PR and brand consulting. They specialise in creative campaigns, media planning, public relations, and branding, and with clients like L’Oréal, NHS and Coca-Cola, they’ve got the portfolio to back up their big rep.
AMV BBDO – Best for Creative Advertising
Part of the BBDO network, AMV BBDO is renowned for its creative advertising and effective marketing solutions that span TV, print, and out-of-home advertising. Their lateral thinking and creative, integrated campaigns have earned them the likes of Mars, Guinness, and BT – to name just a few!
Hallam – Best Range of Services
Research-led, customer-oriented, and wholly integrated, Hallam’s integrated marketing framework links together strategy, creative, media planning and measurement to deliver your KPI’s. They claim their goal is to reduce the gap between a buying trigger and a purchase by remaining constant throughout the customer journey, and do so through offering a range of services including SEO, PPC, digital PR, social media marketing, and web development.
Click Consult – Best for Search Marketing.
Self-described as experts in action, Click Consult is a multi-award-winning search and digital marketing agency that specialises in search marketing. Both Google Partners and Microsoft Advertising Select Agency Partners, their primary focus is on organic (SEO) and paid search (PPC). The agency is part of a global brand building business, Ceuta Group, with a team of 55 specialists and a portfolio of over 40 clients worldwide.
Saatchi & Saatchi – Top all-rounder
As the name might suggest, this well-known global agency is a distant relative of M&C Saatchi. It split off from the M&C Saatchi group in 1995 and has been making waves ever since. Now part of Publicis, the agency continues to dominate in the marketing landscape. Offering a full range of marketing services including traditional advertising, brand building, and strategic communications, Saatchi & Saatchi counts some big names amongst its clientele, including Toyota, Procter & Gamble and Visa.
Impression – Best Client Base
If you’re looking to make an impression, Impression could be the agency for you. With an impressive client base – including the likes of Clarins, Topps Tiles, Cancer Research UK, and Funky Pigeon – this cross-sector marketing agency works across the e-commerce, B2B, Saas, Sustainable, and FinTech industries. They are also the winners of the Digital Agency of the Year and Independent Agency of the Year awards at the 2023 European Agency Awards.
Grey London – Best for Varied and Comprehensive Marketing Solutions
Part of the Grey Group, Grey London is known for its strong creative output and comprehensive marketing solutions, including TV advertising, print media, and experiential marketing. The agency specialises in advertising, brand development, and integrated marketing campaigns and count the likes of Volvo, GSK and Vodafone among their clients.
Stickyeyes – Most Technology-forward
Though technically not in London this techy-forward firm uses a “technology suite like no other,” according to them. Developed in-house over the course of a decade, it uses data from some of the world’s leading data sources and software. Their enterprise-level tech suite uses insights to inform and develop their search marketing strategies – and is their crowning glory.
Counting the likes of GHD, Lloyds Bank, and Etihad Airways among their clients, if you stick with Stickyeyes you’ll be in good company.
Found – Great Case Studies
If you’re looking for an agency with an impressive catalogue of case studies, you’ve found it in Found. The multi-award winning SEO agency specialises in SEO, PPC, Social and Digital PR and was the winner of The Drum’s Elite Agency award in 2022. Having worked with the likes of AllClear, Randstad, and Funkypigeon.com, their case study portfolio offers an insight into the work they have done and numbers they have achieved.
Brave Bison – Best for Brand Awareness
Known for their brand awareness prowess, Brave Bison has pioneered a new model that offers clients everything they need to grow in the digital era—across social media, performance marketing and commerce technology.
The multi-faceted agency provides services including SEO, PPC, social media, and content marketing, as well as a holistic approach to marketing in the modern era.
Elixirr Digital – Great Case Studies
From creative strategy to ad management, asset creation to data analysis – Elixirr (formerly known as Coast) offers a range of services for businesses and brands looking to grow their numbers. Their case studies speak for themselves, showcasing the impressive ROAS they have delivered to their clients.
Colorido Studios – Best for Small Business
This ad agency specialises in marketing for small to medium sized businesses. Their bespoke solutions are designed around the needs and targets of SME’s. Whether they’re looking for brand strategy or data visualisation, Colorido Studios is the agency for small businesses in London and beyond.
Together Agency -Best for Digital Campaigns
Together’s philosophys is to work with their clients to “mix creativity with behavioural insight to help brands connect with people better” – and their impressive portfolio is testament to this. The agency offers the usual digital marketing services such as SEO, content creation, analytics, PPC, and CRO, but it is their multichannel digital campaigns where they shine.
Absolute Digital Media – Best Awards
This multi-award winning SEO agency claims to get you guaranteed results through their targeted and focused SEO, PPC, Link Building and Digital PR campaigns. But it is their search campaigns that really set them apart, as reinforced by their impressive catalogue of awards that they’ve accumulated over the years. From the European Search Awards to the UK Digital Excellence Awards and UK Search Awards, this agency has racked up an impressive number of nods from various awards ceremonies.
PHA Group – Best for Crisis Management
Whilst PHA Group has the standard strings to its bow that most marketing agencies offer, it is their offering of crisis management that really sets their service apart. If you’re looking for a multi-service agency that’s able to deliver award-winning digital campaigns and support whilst also being able to provide crisis management – this could be the agency for you.
Circus PPC – Best for PPC Campaigns
As its name might suggest, this agency specialises in PPC. All of their staff are trained in paid media for Google, Bing, Facebook, Amazon, YouTube, Instagram and more, and they offer a bespoke PPC package for each client based on experience. Circus PPC’s self-proclaimed objective is “to see companies grow through successful and intelligent PPC marketing”, so if you’re looking to prioritise PPC in your digital marketing then Circus PPC could be the agency for you.
Push Group – Best for AI-Driven Marketing
Instead of bucking the trend or shying away from its anti-human element, Push Group have harnessed the power of Artificial Intelligence, making it a central part of their offering. They claim that their AI-driven marketing can “transform your marketing and outperform competition” – pushing the boundaries of marketing as we know it.
Propeller – Best for Data-led Digital Solutions
If you’re looking for marketing support that is driven by data, Propeller could be the right fit for you. Each week they publish their own original insights, covering everything from emerging trends to practical tips to apply to your marketing strategy. For over 20 years Propeller has put the latest trends, technologies and data at the forefront of their offering – making it the ideal fit for someone who feeds off of statistics and analytics.
Jellyfish – Best for Leveraging Partnerships with Major Platforms
Jellyfish is all about leveraging partnerships with major platforms. They use technology to empower their clients and team, such as their technology suites – J+Creative, J+Media, J+Data, and J+Commerce – which were all developed to “enhance people’s abilities to do what they do, better.” Jellyfish claims to put people at the centre of all that it does. From its clients to its employees, the agency is focused on bringing people together to perform to the very best of their ability. Their Jellyfish Academy is a good example of their philosophy in practice.
MediaVision – Best for Tech-Driven Solutions
Even from perusing their website, it’s clear to see that this agency was created by techies for techies (or at the very least, the tech-focused.) Whilst its layout may be unique, its offering is equally so. The agency is all about tech-driven solutions and search optimisation. They have built various bespoke technologies, including their pioneering platform, MediaVision Metis, to deliver maximum conversion and speedy results. MediaVision’s mantra is that there is ‘potential hidden in every search’ – and they claim to ‘find it 4x faster’ than their competitors!
RocketMill – Best for Full-Service Marketing Performance
They’re the self-proclaimed “fastest growing, independent, full service agency” in the UK, helping businesses grow through marketing performance. They provide a full funnel service that fuses technology with craft and performance, offering – Analytics, Strategy, Media, Creative, UX, Technology and CRO. Having worked with a variety of cross-sector companies, including the likes of Travelex, Huggies, and New Scientist, RocketMill has something for everyone.
Gravytrain – Best for E-commerce Brands
If you’re looking for a marketing agency that specialises in e-commerce., then Gravytrain is likely the choice for you. The agency offers performance marketing for the e-commerce sector, claiming to fuel “the growth of ambitious brands by building exceptional customer experiences, customer acquisition and retention campaigns.” Partners with Google, Shopify and Hubspot, Gravytrain, the agency offers a range of services (including paid acquisition and organic marketing) for brands within the e-commerce industry.
Calibre – Range of Services
Using a combined approach of Search Marketing, Direct Marketing, Media Marketing and Content Marketing, Calibre offers a range of services to support their clients’ marketing needs. Their full range of marketing and marketing communications services includes the strategic planning, development, implementation and analysis of marketing programmes – and is the ideal choice for someone looking for a combined approach and support in various areas.
Barracuda Digital – Best for a UX-Centric Approach
Barracuda Digital pride themselves on their “commercial creativity and…ability to transform results.” Their unique approach to digital marketing takes both the user’s (UX) and the machines experience (MX) into account to create campaigns and websites that convert. They offer a range of services including SEO, CRO, and Analytics & Tracking, and are a go-to for those who are seeking to prioritise their UX and MX.
Builtvisible – Best for End-to-End Organic Strategy
Builtvisible are all about “end-to-end organic strategy,” using their team of specialists to create marketing campaigns that drive numbers and get results. Whilst they cover all sectors, the bulk of their work seems to be within the financial services, e-commerce, and travel industries. If you’re looking for a hands-on human approach that puts people at the centre of all of their strategies, Builtvisible could be the agency you’re looking for.
Merkle – Best for Experience-led Consultancy
Merkle is all about the user experience, focusing primarily on how brands can enhance the UX and increase customer satisfaction. The London-based agency claims to do this through their key pillars – Growth & Business Agility, Future-Ready Technology, Customer-First Experiences, and Brand Loyalty & Engagement – and their massive team of 1,000+ award-winning designers, 4,500+ data scientists, 5000+ engineers and 4,5000 strategists. They’re the self-professed “world’s leading experience consultancy” and with over 30 years of consulting under their belt, it’s fair to say this is a safe bet for anyone looking to prioritise the UX of their business.
City Press – Best for Financial Services
One of the fastest-growing PR firms in London, City Press is renowned for specialising in financial services, alongside a host of other professional industries.
Since being founded in 1961, the agency now has over 90 consultants working across its four offices, and has racked up an impressive amount of awards along the way. From PR Agency of the Year, Consultancy of the Year to Best Place to Work, these accolades demonstrate how City Press is a pioneer within the industry. Its clients include the likes of Lloyds Bank, SunLife, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland, and it’s the obvious choice for any financial service firm.
The SEO Works – Best for SEO-focused strategy
As its name might suggest, this agency is all about SEO. The aptly named SEO Works promises to maximise potential by helping to make businesses more visible through search engine optimisation. Using a full range of digital marketing services, this agency pledges to reach target audiences and increase ROI – and is the obvious choice for those looking to increase the ranking and visibility of their brand.
Choosing the Right Agency for Your Business Needs
There are over 25,000 (and growing!) marketing agencies in the UK, and with the majority being based in London, it might rightfully feel like a minefield finding the right one for you.
Selecting the right one out of the expansive list of London advertising agencies involves a few crucial steps. Firstly, it’s important to understand and clearly define your unique business goals and marketing needs before searching for an agency with a proven track record of meeting these specific goals. Finding the right agency for you is such a personal choice, it’s important to get to know what they are about before choosing them – read up on London agency reviews, evaluate portfolios and client testimonials, and check out their personal philosophies… and don’t be afraid to ask questions! If you aren’t clear on their communication style or don’t feel reassured that they understand your brand vision, then be sure to raise it with them – remember, they are here to support you.
It’s also important to consider their pricing structure to ensure it aligns with what you are prepared to spend – there’s no point finding your dream match if it is out of your budget. Finally, just like with any good relationship, you should try to look for a long-term partner who will be flexible and adapt to your evolving needs.
Our list of the 30 best marketing services in London is just a guideline of what we think are some of the best firms in the capital – but, as the saying (kind of) goes, London is your oyster!
Final thoughts: Partnering for Success in London’s Competitive Market
In London’s dynamic and, let’s face it, competitive marketing agency landscape, partnering for success requires a strategic and considered approach. It’s so crucial to align with partners who share the same values and vision. This not only enhances creativity and streamlines operations, but results in the most impactful and far-reaching campaigns and fulfilling long-term working relationships. Only when there is a true affinity between agency and client can an effective partnership occur – which will ultimately lead to sustained success, growth, and maximum impact.
