Few industries in the UK have changed as much as marketing since the dawn of the new millennium. The digital revolution is still underway, and consumer behaviour has changed immeasurably, which has led to a seismic shift in the way that brands and businesses market themselves.
Traditional marketing methods still remain, but have been supplemented by a host of new techniques, delivered by a new breed of marketing agencies that are all vying for a piece of a multi-billion dollar pie!
The Marketing Landscape in the UK
Marketing firms in the UK take many forms, from full service agencies offering a range of client solutions across broadcast, print, and online media, to digital agencies that rule the online world.
Social media specialists such as Social Chameleon have also emerged, many of whom are experts in the increasingly important influencer space. Many agencies also specialise in a particular vertical, such as sport, finance, fashion and luxury, travel, or consumer products.
What binds every agency together is the importance of audience insights in making real connections that can elevate campaigns into the stratosphere. Technology has a massive part to play too, opening up opportunities for the best UK marketing agencies to offer services such as bespoke online platforms that can help clients plan and monitor their campaigns.
Thought leadership is on the rise too, with many marketing firms in the UK publishing reports and white papers, producing podcasts, or even hosting events for the great and the good in the marketing world to learn a thing or two!
Our UK agency guide includes marketing firms spanning the length of and breadth of the country. All of them offer a different spin on the marketing game, but share a deep commitment to providing excellent results for their clients.
Our Top 30 Marketing Agencies
Social Chameleon
Best Overall Agency
Finding a new, effective approach in the marketing game is no easy task, but it’s one we have achieved at Social Chameleon, thanks to our pioneering Search-First Social Media strategy.
We know that the way users engage with brands online is changing for good, with social media searches on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram on the rise, and just like the Chameleon that inspired our name, we have adapted accordingly! Furthermore, our integrated campaigns across multiple sectors have led to a hatful of awards and a 94% client retention rate.
M&C Saatchi
Marketing Heavyweights
With an enviable body of work spanning almost three decades, M&C Saatchi are not only one of the top advertising agencies in the UK, but one of the most well-known too. They offer a wide range of services, including above the line advertising, brand design, content creation, PR, performance marketing, and social.
We love how they’re moving with the times too, with an influencer talent management platform that can help clients secure the right person for their social campaigns. M&C Saatchi has also found a new way to secure invaluable insights, with their “On the Money” initiative, which shares how regular people are navigating the cost of living crisis.
Ogilvy
Best International Network
Some of the top advertising agencies in the UK have huge international networks to call upon when formulating client solutions, and that’s certainly the case with Ogilvy, who are part of a vast network of over 120 offices in nearly 90 countries.
Ogilvy offers all of the services you would expect from a company of their stature, but their commitment to getting under the skin of both their clients and their target audience, and using that information to understand how to connect both sides meaningfully, sets them apart from many of their peers.
BBH
Tangible Client Results
Bartle Bogart Hegarty sounds like a firm of solicitors, but shorten it to BBH and you’ve got yourself a creative agency! Part of the Publicis network of companies, BBH has offices across Europe, Asia and America, and a wide network of colleagues all committed to doing things differently.
It seems to be working too, as BBH have won the IPA’s Effectiveness Agency of the Year Award on multiple occasions, and can boast ROI in the billions for clients such as Audi and Tesco.
Dentsu
Best for Thought Leadership
One of the largest marketing and advertising networks in the world is Dentsu, with a presence in over 145 countries across five continents. They offer a range of marketing creative solutions to a wide roster of clients, but what really sets them apart is their work in the thought leadership field, with numerous reports and white papers published each year, along with a series of events addressing the key issues facing the marketing industry.
Taylor Herring
Best for Publicity Stunts
With numerous stunts under their belt, including a polar bear roaming the streets of London, the world’s first amphibious ice cream van, and even a chocolate bust of Benedict Cumberbatch, Taylor Herring is well-versed in creating headline-grabbing stunts. Perfect if you’re looking for campaigns that are a little bit different!
Octagon
Excellence in Sports Marketing
When it comes to the world of sports marketing, Octagon is one of the most well known and highly respected names, having worked with some of the biggest brands in sports sponsorship, such as ABInBev, BMW, Coca Cola, and Mastercard.
Mother
Leading Independent Agency
If you’re a fan of Meghan Trainor, you’re probably humming the same song as us right now. Pop songs aside, Mother’s modus operandi is to do things a bit differently, bringing an independent spirit to the marketing world, while at the same time creating eye-catching campaigns with unique spins, for clients such as Ikea, KFC, and Uber Eats. They were also named one of the Best Places to Work in 2024, by the Times and Sunday Times.
Don’t Be Shy
B2B Marketing Experts
B2B marketing can be a tricky business, with a smaller target market and more complicated products and services. Don’t Be Shy have excelled in this space, largely due to their insight-driven approach that not only allows brands and businesses to effectively target new customers, but uncovers useful hidden elements about the clients themselves.
Yorkshire Marketing Agency
Best for SMEs
Agencies that can provide affordable marketing solutions for SMEs are extremely useful for businesses that don’t have the budget or internal resources to devote to advertising. Yorkshire Marketing Agency offers comprehensive marketing services in the UK for companies or individuals, including blog posts, content plans, press releases, and marketing strategy.
One Green Bean
Earned Media Experts
Earned media specialists One Green Bean offer PR, Social Media, content marketing, and campaign management services, with offices in Amsterdam, London, and Sydney.They also have an eye catching array of client work under their belts, for big name brands such as Costa, Nike, Nestle, and Virgin.
The Union
Best for Global Insights
They may be based in Edinburgh and Leeds, but The Union has a global footprint that few agencies can match, as they are part of one of the world’s largest networks of independent advertising and marketing agencies, with over 60 sister companies in 40 countries.
This network not only provides useful insights that can inform brand campaigns, but can be an invaluable asset for clients that wish to expand globally.
Leith
Experiential Experts
Uber-hip Leith is Edinburgh’s creative hub, and home to Leith, a creative agency that is unafraid to name itself after the place it calls home.
Leith offers a wide range of branding, digital, video production, and web design services, and we were also impressed by their prowess in the experiential sector, with some attention grabbing activations north of the border, for clients such as IRN BRU, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and the Scottish Government.
GOOD Agency
Purpose Before All Else
Some of the best UK marketing agencies are purpose-driven, with a specific ethos to be catalysts for social and environmental change that underpins everything they do. GOOD works on fundraising and brand campaigns with a wide range of businesses, not-for-profit organisations, and charities, and their amazing work has helped raise over £1.5 billion to date.
Black And Ginger
Best Community Engagement
A key feature of successful marketing agencies outside of London is how they effectively embed themselves within the towns and cities in which they are based. Liverpool agency Black and Ginger champions brands both globally and locally, and their “Good Market” initiative has grown from an online marketplace for local retailers, to a regular event attracting shoppers and traders in increasing numbers.
The 10 Group
Eye Catching Activations
London-based marcomms agency The 10 Group is making worldwide waves after a series of successful campaigns for luxury watch brand IWC Schaffhausen, including the award-winning “Speed City” event, ahead of the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Closer to home, the 10 Group team showed they could effectively leverage the power of sponsorship, linking up with Marks & Spencer to amplify their partnership with the Football Association, and educate the UK population about a healthy diet and lifestyle.
Klowt
Personal Marketing Specialists
Some companies are making waves by marketing people, not businesses, and Klowt are industry leaders when it comes to building personal brands. They offer social media management, web design, podcast production, and ghostwriting services, along with the world’s first personal branding platform, designed to help clients utilise social media more effectively.
Ear to the Ground
Excellence in Audience Insights
It’s no coincidence that Ear to the Ground is named as such, given that their USP is a global network of over 11,000 “fans”, providing invaluable insights that power every campaign they undertake.
Ykone
Innovations in Influencer Marketing
In May 2024, global influencer marketing group Ykone opened their brand new London office, expanding what was already an impressive global reach. Ykone has earned its reputation as one of the leading influencer agencies in the world, thanks to its huge influencer network, expertise in the Fashion and Luxury field, and a commitment to embracing new technology which is perfectly encapsulated in its online influencer marketing platform.
Goldmine Media
Financial Marketing Specialists
Financial marketing agencies face a touch task when it comes to creating compelling campaigns in a sector that is jargon-heavy and feels closed off to many. It takes creativity and thinking outside of the usual marketing strategies, which is something that Goldmine Media has perfected with their suite of branding, content, digital, and strategy services.
Moreish
Finance with Feeling
Sticking with the financial sector, one way to effectively cut through is to hit them in the feels, which is the strategy employed by award-winning financial services and B2B marketing agency Moreish. Working with a variety of clients in healthcare, fintech, investments, and pensions, Moreish has created a number of campaigns that have engaged both the hearts and minds of their target audience, delivering some sterling results to boot!
Orchard
Top Marketing Agency in Wales
Cardiff-based integrated marketing agency Orchard have worked with some marquee names, including Admiral, Aston Martin, British Gas, Netflix, and Qatar Airways. However, they haven’t lost sight of their roots, working more locally with Cymru Wales, Principality Building Society, and the Welsh Rugby Union.
Walker Communications
Best Design Services
Headquartered in Belfast and flying the flag for Northern Ireland in the digital marketing space, Walker Communications has extensive experience in the worlds of advertising, digital marketing, PR, and social media. In addition to creating compelling campaigns, they can also help brands build a more effective base to market themselves, with branding and web design services.
Screaming Frog
Best for SEO Innovation
Hats off to search marketing agency Screaming Frog for having one of the best names on our UK agency guide, but magnificent moniker aside, they are doing great work in the SEO sector. Screaming Frog has developed their own proprietary in-house tools, such as the SEO Spider, which is a website crawler that helps identify common SEO issues, and the SEO Log File Analyser, which provides valuable SEO insights in a number of ways.
The Good Marketer
Social Media Solutions for Small Businesses
Social media marketing agencies risk being jacks of all trades but masters of none, as every platform is different, and requires unique marketing approaches. However, The Good Marketer has delivered quantifiable and tangible ROI for clients, time and again, across multiple platforms, and their small business-friendly pricing structure allows SMEs to tap into a well of potential customers that runs into the billions.
Sassy Plus
Best for Live Event Activations
When it comes to the streaming and amplification of film premieres, big corporate announcements, and live events all over the world, Sassy Plus has a huge amount of expertise to call upon, including an in-house team of Producers, Editors, and creatives. This all means that they are the go to guys for clients such as Acer, Bentley, Jaguar Land Rover, Warner Bros
Champions
Flying the Flag for Print Media
Print advertising may seem a bit old school on the surface, but it provides a unique opportunity to captivate readers, without all the distractions of digital media. Champions markets itself as a business solutions partner, offering a huge range of services to its clients, but they are also a leading print advertising agency, with over 20 years of experience delivering work for clients such as Hovis, Jet2.com, and Lloyds Banking Group.
Lemonade
Best Gaming Content
Gaming is big business, and full service marketing agency Lemonade are effectively leveraging the potential of an ever-growing gaming community, thanks to innovative video content shot by their own in-house production team and shared on the channels where gamers hang out. Lemonade also provides social media consultancy, and they are at the forefront of new technology in the gaming sphere, allowing them to provide invaluable insights to their client base.
twin
Best for Client Relationships
Client relationships are crucial in the marketing game, and twin has taken it a step further by actively seeking to keep their client list small, to allow them to service existing clients in the most effective way possible. At twin they have a small core team too, allowing them to provide consistency in their client relationships, backed up by an Advisory Board compromising industry experts at the forefront of their fields.
Bird
Luxury Travel Marketing Specialists
One of the most glamorous verticals in the marketing game is undoubtedly the luxury travel and hotel sector. Bird are a small team of PR professionals and industry influencers who have over 60 years’ experience collectively in this field, with a finger on the pulse of all the latest luxury travel trends, and a string of video, print and PR campaigns featuring some of the most glamorous destinations in the world.
Strengthening Your Brand with the Right Agency
WIth so many of the best UK marketing agencies vying for your attention, it can be hard to narrow down the field and select the right agency for you. However, the starting point should always be your marketing goals as a brand or business, and from there you can narrow your focus to agencies that have a proven ability to meet these challenges.
It’s also important to choose an agency with deep expertise in your sector, and one that shows a commitment to gaining a deep understanding of your brand, and more importantly, the people that you are looking to reach.
Size matters too, as you should consider whether a boutique agency offering a more personal approach is preferable to a larger organisation.
However, with so many agencies doing amazing work, sometimes it just boils down to whether you like the people you will be potentially working with, and whether their company culture is one that appeals to you. So, you need to get to know any potential partners, trust your instincts, and if you like what you see and hear, the rest will inevitably fall into place!
