Twenty five years on from its founding, The BIG Partnership has grown into one of the UK’s largest independent agencies. With Manchester now its fastest-growing base, the agency is doubling down on the city’s reputation for creativity, ambition and commercial drive.
When Allan Barr first joined The BIG Partnership in 2006, the approach came not from his brother Alex, one of the founders, but from fellow co-founder Neil Gibson. “Neil knew that Alex and I are extremely close,” Allan says, “and he also knew there would be understandable reluctance on my part about joining a business where my brother might technically be my boss.
“Neil reassured me that wouldn’t be the case – that I’d report directly to him and focus on what the business needed most at that point, which was someone to lead their biggest account, Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank.”
The timing proved right. Allan had been working in national communications roles with KPMG and PwC, giving him the experience BIG needed as it expanded into larger UK-wide briefs. “It felt like a great fit – a chance to bring what I’d learned from big corporate environments into a fast-growing independent agency with huge ambition.”
He joined to head up the Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank account and, in the process, brought KPMG on board – which quickly became one of the agency’s biggest clients. “BIG already had brilliant people and great momentum,” he adds. “It was the early days of digital and social media, and you could sense the industry shifting. It felt like a great time to join and help build something really special.”
Broader than PR
Fast forward almost two decades, and BIG is generally regarded as one of the biggest independent agencies outside of London.
The original PR remit – “get stuff in the papers” – has evolved into something much broader, with Allan spearheading a creative and digital transformation over the last 15 years.
“Is there less demand for getting stories in traditional print media than 15 years ago? One hundred per cent,” Allan says. “But what clients need hasn’t disappeared – it’s evolved. They still want influence, trust and advocacy; they just want those things to work harder commercially.
“For us, PR has never been just about column inches. It’s about understanding audiences and using every available channel – owned, earned, paid and shared – to build reputation and drive performance. That might mean blending storytelling with digital targeting, influencer marketing or data-led content.
“The days of PR sitting in a silo are long gone. The brands that win treat reputation, marketing and sales as part of the same ecosystem – and that’s exactly how we operate in Manchester, where integrated briefs and multi-disciplinary teams have become the norm.”
Historically, it wasn’t uncommon for a medium to large-sized brand to have an advertising agency, digital agency, web agency, brand agency and creative agency. Fast forward to today and clients want economies of scale – they don’t want to brief six different agencies. “Fortunately, as a full-service agency, we can meet that need,” Allan adds.
Digital is now a core part of the agency’s DNA, and BIG was ahead of the curve in helping brands develop using social media – launching Stagecoach on Twitter, NHS campaigns across multiple platforms, and The Macallan whisky brand, which at the time became the world’s most-followed premium spirit.
Taking control
The second chapter in The BIG Partnership’s story started in 2014. The founding directors – Allan’s brother Alex and Neil Gibson – agreed to an £11 million management buyout that reshaped the agency’s ownership and set up the next phase of growth.
The gradual transfer – structured to conclude in 2023 – saw ownership shift from the founders to other board members, with Allan eventually emerging as majority shareholder. Today, he owns 75% of the business, with Alex retaining a 25% minority stake.
“The buyout wasn’t just about succession,” Allan says. “It secured our independence and gave us the freedom to invest where it matters – in people, technology and client growth.”
“I’ve always run the business like a business, not a lifestyle business,” Allan says. “We’ve got really strong covenants, never had an outside shareholder, never had a loan, never even been on an overdraft. Now that the MBO is complete and we’ve paid off the previous ownership structure, we’ve got the cash within the business to invest and really grow.”
Leading the next chapter
After an unsuccessful six months with an external CEO in 2020, the board asked Allan to take on the top job himself. His tenure has coincided with the most successful period in BIG’s history, driven by a focus on sustainable growth and stronger integration between offices.
The agency now employs more than 80 people across four offices – Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Manchester – one of the agency’s key growth engines for the next chapter. “One of the facts that never ceases to amaze me is that Greater Manchester has a bigger GDP than Scotland as a country,” Allan says. “The scale of ambition, the diversity of talent and the number of brands here that think big – that mirrors exactly where we see BIG’s future.”
That vision is already being realised through a growing portfolio of Manchester-based clients, including Morris Homes, Booking.com, George at Asda and men’s skincare brand Rockface – alongside long-standing relationships with major national names such as Aldi and Loganair.
While Manchester is a huge focus for growth, Allan is quick to emphasise that it builds on the strength of BIG’s established network across Scotland and beyond. “Our success in Manchester wouldn’t be possible without the foundations built in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh,” he says. “We’re one business, powered by incredible teams across every office – and the sense of collaboration between them is what really drives BIG forward.”
A laser focus on ROI
Certainly, Allan remains relentlessly focused on growth – even if he refuses to let go of the client work he loves so much.
What sets the agency apart, he argues, is a laser-focus on delivering ROI for clients.
“We’re not an agency that trades on flash or buzzwords. Clients trust us because we’re clear about what success looks like and we measure it. When we talk to a client, it’s ‘give us access to the sales data; let’s connect the work into your CRM so we can demonstrate return.’”
To keep standards high, BIG uses Relationship Audits, a consultancy that surveys its top 100 clients every 18 months. “We’ve been in the top 10% for client satisfaction every year for 15 years. Last time, we were in the top 5% globally.”
Winning Aldi
Perhaps no client better exemplifies the approach than Aldi. When BIG was invited to pitch for the Scottish account six years ago, Allan thought they were there to “make up the numbers.”
“We were the only independent agency and the only non-network multinational invited to tender. We pitched at half past eight in the morning – clearly the warm-up act.” The 18-week process was “the most intensive we’d ever seen”, with the entire UK board flying to Scotland for final presentations.
A focus on bottom-line benefit and measurable footfall won the day. “I told them I was surprised, but they said that our ideas and enthusiasm and ability to demonstrate ROI was better than anything from the network agencies.”
Aldi is now a long-standing client relationship, and BIG is among the longest-standing agencies Aldi has worked with in the UK. Results in Scotland often outstrip UK performance, with ideas propagated back to the wider business. The agency handles proactive and reactive media relations, paid social, organic content, store openings and experiential campaigns. “It’s that same data-driven creativity that’s powering our expansion in Manchester, where we’re building cross-disciplinary teams for national and international brands,” adds Allan.
A no-ego culture
Despite the commercial focus, Allan is clearly passionate about culture. “Our number one recruitment rule is simple: no egos, no drama. We’ve passed up phenomenal talent because we knew they wouldn’t fit our team-first environment.”
That principle applies all the way up to the board. “I’m surrounded by an exceptional group of colleagues – the board and senior leadership team are some of the most capable people I’ve ever worked with,” Allan says. “The culture, resilience and growth we’ve achieved are down to them as much as anyone.”
The result is a place where “people actively want to come into the office.” A lot of the best development is “training by osmosis – sitting next to some of the most talented people in the industry. If you want to be entirely remote, that’s not for us.”
The agency is famous for its social events, with weekly activities across offices and legendary summer and winter parties. “We’ve had people meet partners and get married after meeting at BIG,” Allan says. “If you get the culture right and give people support and autonomy, a lot of the other bits take care of themselves. That proposition is resonating in Manchester, where senior hires tell us they came for the blend of scale, independence and great culture.”
‘Bigger than the internet’
If there’s one topic that really animates Allan, it’s artificial intelligence. He describes it as “the most important race most agency leaders will see in their lifetimes.”
“I would argue that it’s bigger than the internet. It’s the biggest thing that will disrupt not just our industry, but every industry. Agencies that don’t sprint towards it as fast as possible will struggle over the next decade.”
BIG’s proactive AI investment is now one of its largest line items. Allan meets weekly with AI ambassadors from each office to share use cases and build capability. The agency sends people to external training and delivers training in-house, with ambassadors in every office.
But he’s realistic about what AI can and can’t do. “If you’re an agency that’s purely producing content, I’m not sure you’ll be around in three years – the basic content creation piece is being commoditised. But AI can’t anticipate the questions clients haven’t yet asked or the context behind a brief. You still need people to interrogate that brief.”
“The point isn’t novelty – it’s using AI to strip out the time-intensive work so our teams can spend more time on creativity, immersing themselves in a client’s business and building relationships.” He adds: “Clients increasingly ask how LLMs will form part of delivery. That’s a positive. And until AI can replicate human relationships, I think we’re going to be okay.”
Looking ahead
Allan’s plan for the next five years is straightforward. “There’s nothing particularly sexy, I’m afraid. It’s just a relentless focus on delivering value for clients and building a culture where people want to come to work.”
The agency now pitches for clients it “couldn’t have dreamed of speaking to” years ago, works across 350 clients in virtually every sector, and caps exposure so no single client exceeds 5% of revenue.
“There are lots of agencies that are high-profile and pretty flashy,” Allan says. “If that’s what you’re looking for, you probably won’t come knocking on BIG’s door. But the work we do, the longevity of the business, the brands we work with and the results we produce – that speaks for itself.”
“Manchester is a huge part of that future. It’s a city that matches our energy and ambition – and we’re only just getting started.”
