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26 AUGUST 2025
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Behavioural Research and Behaviour Change
Why Standing Out (Clearly) Matters More Than Ever
If you work in an agency, you already know the market’s crowded. Long pitch lists, ultra-specific briefs, and a rise in AI-native studios, TikTok shops, performance labs, niche specialists, you name it.
It’s exciting. But it also means it’s easier than ever to get overlooked. That’s why clarity about what you do, who you do it for, and why you’re the right fit has become a real differentiator.
A Snapshot of the UK Agency Market
The UK is still Europe’s largest ad market. In 2024, total ad spend reached approximately £42.6 billion, a 10.4% nominal increase year-on-year (1). But where that spend goes and who wins it is shifting fast.
Digital formats are driving growth, especially online video, social, and retail media ( online formats overall growing 13.2%)(1). This trend is fuelling demand for more agile, channel-specific partners.
Meanwhile, Statista reports over 28,000 advertising and marketing firms now operate in the UK , up nearly 20% in five years.
A Marketplace Wearing Many Hats
The UK agency world was never one-size-fits-all. But today, it’s more layered than ever.
Creative agencies still lead on brand storytelling. Digital-first agencies are booming with double-digit growth in 2024, fuelled by demand for SEO, paid media and conversion-focused work. (2)
Performance and analytics agencies are seeing strong double-digit growth(3), and content studios, influencer specialists, and comms pros are helping brands stay visible in a fragmented landscape.
Whether full-service or niche, there’s room for every shape of expertise — as long as it’s clear what you bring.
AI Is Changing the Brief and The Buyer
One of the biggest disruptors? AI. From content creation to campaign optimisation, it’s reshaping not just how agencies work but what clients expect.
More than half of global ad budgets (59.5%) are now handled by algorithmic (AI-enabled) media, with that share projected to reach 79% by 2027.(4)
Marketers are leaning toward agile partners who understand data, automation and the tools shaping tomorrow, not just sharp creative. So it’s no longer enough to list services. Clients want to know: why you, and why now?
Final Thought: Visibility Is Strategy
The UK agency market isn’t just expanding, it’s evolving. With more fluidity between disciplines, growing pressure to prove relevance, and 28,000+ players in the mix, clarity has become a strategic edge. Whether you’re big, boutique, or somewhere in between, standing out isn’t about being the loudest, it’s about being unmistakably clear about you: Here’s what we do. Here’s how we think. Here’s the evidence. Here’s why it matters.
In a sea of sameness, the agencies that win are the ones that know how to tell their story brilliantly and show up in the right places.
Sources :
1. Advertising Association
2. IAB UK 2024
3. Agency By Agency 2025
4. Dentsu Global Ad Spend Forecasts, December 3, 2024
