How to find the best marketing agencies in the UK

INTRO : From Backstage to Panel Stage

“I’m not without confidence, and I certainly don’t lack opinions. But I’ve always preferred a 2–10 person room to a stage.”

That’s how Rachael Hand, Head of Strategy and Performance at Pixelbuilders felt going into her very first live panel at the Northern Marketing Festival. Known for her behind-the-scenes brilliance, stepping into the spotlight wasn’t her usual play. But when the topic was holistic growth, the moment was too fitting to ignore.

So, what is holistic growth? And how can brands, agencies — and individuals — embrace it meaningfully?

Here’s what Rachael shared on stage, and what we’re still thinking about today.

What does Holistic Growth truly mean for a brand today. And why is it no longer enough for vital marketing functions to operate in isolation ?

When I reflected on it, I realised that, in hindsight, it's probably never been enough for vital marketing functions to operate in isolation. But hindsight is 20/20.

Today, holistic growth means just that - growth as a whole. It is not just about driving bottom-line metrics like conversions or revenue. It’s about increasing market share, improving brand equity, enhancing sentiment, and, crucially, understanding how all those metrics interrelate.

If I had to sum it up in a single sentence:

“Holistic growth means winning meaningful space in both the hearts and minds of your audience”

Win their hearts, and you get loyalty, advocacy, repeat purchases, glowing reviews…
Win their minds, and you earn market share, visibility, conversions…

When all those signals are trending positively together, that’s true holistic growth and it builds resilience into your brand and business.

Where are we seeing it done well ?

This question stumped me at first, not because there aren’t examples, but because I realised how critical I’d become once I started looking. But a few clear examples came to mind:

Bellroy
Bellroy consistently champions user-generated content on their socials, which has helped them build a truly engaged community, no small feat. But what’s impressive is how they’ve integrated that content across their marketing channels, using it as a social proof on their website, and by showing real people using their products in creative ways, they’re not just building loyalty, they are expanding their reach.

Who knew a hanging washbag could double as a travelling stationery cupboard? Bellroy did — or rather, a customer did, and they amplified it. That’s holistic thinking.

First Bus & MadeBrave
Another example, fresh in my mind from attending the Northern Marketing Festival in Leeds, is MadeBrave's transformation work for First Bus. This is a brilliant example of Integrated thinking in action. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend checking it out.

The biggest pitfall to avoid?
Focusing On Delivery over thinking

Too often, brands and agencies focus on delivering holistically, rather than thinking holistically.

Just because you didn’t use every single channel doesn’t mean your strategy isn’t integrated. It might actually be better for it. The point is to make informed decisions.

I like to think of it like this:

“Marketing channels are tools in a toolbox”

Your challenge, your brief, is the mission. You don’t need to use every tool you’ve got to achieve it. Instead, rule tools in.

Ask, “Is there a good reason to use this?” If yes, it goes in. If not, leave it out... And this ties in closely with taking an audience-first approach. Be where your audience actually is

How do we encourage more holistic thinking in our teams?

My favourite question — and I couldn’t give just one answer. So I gave one idea, with lots of ways to apply it:

“Deliberately shift your anchor point when you’re solving a challenge or working on a brief”

Where you start naturally becomes your anchor. If you’re a social media manager, you’ll naturally solve everything through a social lens. That’s fine, so get those ideas down first. But then... change your anchor. Step outside your silo. Look at the problem from a different perspective — that’s where the interesting answers often begin.

Ways we do this at Pixelbuilders :

Bring in “wildcards” to ideation sessions. Alongside the logical roles a brief or challenge demands, (creative, strategic, channel expert), invite someone unexpected. A developer. Someone from HR. Different people have completely different anchor points so they might just bring an idea to the table that sparks something great.
Flip the question. Before solving the problem, ask: “How could we make this worse?” first. It’s counterintuitive, but it surfaces angles you might miss otherwise.
Try the "what would X do?" method. Ask “What would Disney do? What would Patagonia do?” Stepping into a different industry lens can surface new insights.
Temporarily drop constraints. Forget the budget. Forget the timeline. Forget what the client wants. (Just for a minute.) Enjoy the power and possibilities of simply asking “what if”.

Looking ahead: we’re moving from a doer’s economy to a thinker’s economy

The final question looked at the future, and for me, this is where it gets exciting.

Over the past few years, our industry has leaned heavily into deep specialisation; channel experts, platform specialists, and people working right on the cutting edge. That’s amazing, and we shouldn’t lose it. But we need to layer something over it: “the ability to see the bigger picture".

We need more T-shaped people
People with deep expertise in one area, but also a strong understanding of the wider ecosystem, so they can collaborate and connect the dots.

This matters even more in the context of AI. AI is doing some of what we do. But we have time yet, before it can think, create, feel and imagine like we can. And if audiences are already starting to reject AI-generated content—something we’re seeing hints of, with the return of physical media and the desire for more “real” experiences, then I think the future isn’t less human.
It’s More Human.

Final thought:

Holistic growth means winning meaningful space in both the hearts and minds of your audience.
Visualise marketing as a toolbox: don’t use every tool just because it’s there. Ask: “Is there a good reason to include this?”
AI is changing execution, but human imagination still leads. The future isn’t less human, it’s more.

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