For the past decade, Prolific North’s Top 50 integrated agencies ranking has established itself as the benchmark league for integrated agencies across the North of England.
The wait is nearly over as Prolific North will unveil all the integrated agencies that have made the cut for 2025 on Wednesday 2 April. But what goes on behind the scenes to pull this highly anticipated ranking together?
Over the next few days we will crunch the data and pull out some interesting – and rather surprising – details from the research, including changes to headcount across the industry and the economic impact of the top 50. Some of the details might just surprise you.
Want early clues? Remind yourself of the Top 50 integrated agencies for 2024 here
Karl Holbrook, Consulting Editor of Prolific North, said: “This year’s results have been surprising on several fronts, but what really stands out is the incredible resilience and strength of the Northern integrated agency sector.
“Our Top 50 list is a snapshot of the wider industry, and as our readers know, the creative sector faces significant headwinds. Yet, this research shows businesses are tackling those challenges head-on. We’re fortunate to have such outstanding agencies across the region, and we’re excited to reveal the full ranking soon.
“In the meantime, we’d love to hear your predictions for the coveted top 10 – as well as your views on the key strengths and challenges shaping the industry.”
From its inception, Prolific North has teamed up with long-term research partners Mustard to ensure the research process is rigorous, confidential, diligent and – most importantly – entirely independent of Prolific North.
All eligible agencies are included in the rankings, with Mustard combining financial metrics such as turnover and profit, with other factors like growth and headcount, to create the final list.
“The rankings are determined through a comprehensive analysis of both financial and non-financial factors. We assess key metrics such as turnover alongside operational data such as headcount,” explains Robyn Mason, research manager at Mustard.
“Whilst some information holds more weight than others, it’s typically the better you do as an agency (for example, the higher your turnover or % growth) the higher you’ll appear on the Top 50 list.”
On what to expect from the ranking this year, it’s all about growth. She adds: “The agency landscape this year shows continued growth and resilience. Whilst agencies are expanding and driving revenue, sustaining profitability has become more challenging.”
A look back at last year’s ranking
So who might make the highly covered top 10 and into the wider top 50 ranking this year? While we can’t reveal much until we publish the list next week, there has been a considerable amount of jostling for positions in recent years. And it might be the same again this year…
It’s worth remembering at this point that this is not a list that aims to find the biggest agency or necessarily the most profitable agency, but it uses instead a carefully considered algorithm – that has remained constant throughout the last few years – that seeks to identify the top agencies in a given year.
Looking back at 2024’s ranking, McCann Manchester took the top position after spending two years running in second place. Havas Lynx moved into second place, and APS Group steadily climbed up the rankings from fifth to third position.
There were some real standout performers elsewhere on the ranking in 2024 as new entrant THG Studios joined the list for the first time in fifth position while Born Ugly soared up 25 places to enter the top 10.
It was fantastic to see Leeds agency Syn – a new entry last year – and Ride Shotgun appear on 2024’s ranking, showcasing the growth of the North’s ambitious indie agencies featured on Prolific North’s Independent Agencies to Watch list for 2023.
Regionally, there was a good mix of agencies across the North with Greater Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle all widely represented.
In the lead up to the ranking for 2025 being revealed on Wednesday 2 April, we’ll be looking back at a decade of the top 50s to explore how the Northern agency landscape has changed.
We’ll also be shining a spotlight on four agencies joining the ranking for 2025, an exclusive glimpse into the economic impact of Northern integrated agencies, and much more!
Research partner
