As Prolific North’s Top 50 Integrated Agencies list returns, we can now reveal a handful of new entrants set to feature on the ranking this year.
With the full list released on Wednesday 2 April, you’ll notice a number of new, rising independent agencies and established players in the North making it onto the ranking for 2025.
As a reminder, for the past decade Prolific North has teamed up with long-term research partners Mustard to create this list and ensure the research process is rigorous, confidential, diligent and, most importantly, entirely independent of Prolific North. The top 50 combines financial metrics such as turnover and profit with other factors like growth and headcount.
READ MORE: A decade of the Top 50 Integrated Agencies – how the Northern agency landscape has changed
READ MORE: The Prolific North Top 50 Integrated Agencies 2025 list revealed
So who are the new entrants on this year’s list?
CNS Media
CNS Media, founded by Andy Hattersley back in 2006, is an integrated full-service marketing agency with a vision to be the “trusted partner that empowers growth for both our clients and our people, creating meaningful impact through innovation, collaboration, and a shared pride in the results we deliver together.”
The team has a wide range of experience and specialisms from digital marketers, TV and radio directors, media buyers, social media strategists, designers and video producers.
The agency is majority owned by an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). It allows the team to share in the financial rewards and also have a greater say in the direction of the business.
READ MORE: The North’s top agencies drive £568m growth burst – but profits sink 18% in tough market
“We’re proud to be a world-class, award-winning integrated marketing agency outside of London. We’re at the cutting edge of marketing innovation through our unique combination of expertise. As a result, we deliver strong, integrated digital and media campaigns that have built long-lasting national, regional and local client relationships,” a spokesperson for the agency said.
Brandon Consultants
Founded by Richard Taylor, Brandon is a brand strategy and creative agency headquartered in Manchester. Brandon has managed to “buck the trend” and “drive growth” despite a challenging economic 12 months for the design sector. The agency has also secured new client partnerships with the likes of Coca-Cola, Kimberly Clark and Kraft Heinz which has helped “accelerate” Brandon’s growth.
“We are seeing multinationals look beyond the confines of the networks to find the best independent design partners in market and we have been lucky to ride that wave of opportunity. We built on our strong expertise of unlocking brand potential through ideas, design and experiences,” explains founder and CEO, Richard Taylor.
In 2024, the agency unveiled the launch of a new London studio. Taylor continues: “Beyond the commercials, the business opened a London studio at the start of 2024 and then one year later we moved into our new 86 Princess Street home in the heart of Manchester, three times the size of our previous home in Altrincham.
“In the last year, we have also achieved a B Corp accreditation ensuring that we do the right thing for our people and the planet beyond simply focusing on profit. It has been one hell of a twelve months, and the business is optimistically looking to the future, with some exciting announcements breaking in the next few months.”
Excite OOH
Excite OOH may have only launched two years ago, but the independent outdoor advertising agency is already making major waves across the North with its mission to “transform the way brands buy outdoor media and connect with their target audiences”.
The agency, founded by Elliot Ward in Manchester, has a small Northern team and recently partnered with Germany’s leading sports nutrition brand, Elite Sports Nutrition (ESN), for a major awareness campaign in the UK.
Edison Media
In 2023, Edison Media was unveiled as one of Prolific North’s Independent Agencies to Watch. And what an impressive few years it has been for the female-led agency.
Co-founded by Nicola Orrell and Jodie Howe in 2019, Orrell recently told us she wanted to create a workplace “where no one had to choose between career success and personal priorities”.
She continued: “We’ve gone from two to 17 employees in just a few years, and though we’re now handling international campaigns across Europe, the US and the UAE, the essence of who we are hasn’t changed. We’re a people-first agency, and that ethos is the backbone of our service.”
In the lead up to the list being published, Prolific North has crunched the numbers and taken a look at the economic impact from agencies on the list, plus a deep dive into how the Northern agency landscape has shifted over the past decade.
Research partner
