Glasgow PR and creative agency Smarts ranked largest outside of London by PR Week
Pippa Arlow
This week, Glasgow-based Global PR & creative agency Smarts was recognised in three categories within PR Week’s esteemed Top 150 rankings; named the largest agency outside of London, 30th largest agency in the UK overall, and the 4th largest consumer agency.
These significant milestones are reflective of a decade of growth for Smarts, reporting a total revenue of £16m in 2024. The agency now employs close to 200 people across its five offices in Glasgow, Belfast, London, Amsterdam and New York.
Offering a range of communication services – including design, content, influencer marketing, media relations, and employee engagement – Smarts has made substantial investments exceeding £2 million in content production, digital infrastructure, and influencer capabilities since 2020.
Recent highlights include working with US actor Tina Fey on Booking.com’s 2024 Super Bowl ad, creating immersive experiences for global media and influencers to explore Diageo’s Brand Homes in Scotland – and expanding into mainland Europe with a new office in Amsterdam, with European campaigns in the past year include an experiential engagement programme to showcase Booking.com’s new Amsterdam HQ to more than 6,000 employees.
This expansion aligned with Smarts’ strategic growth plan, positions the agency as a global leader in culture-driven, consumer-focused communications.
Reflecting on this milestone, Smarts Global CEO Pippa Arlow underscores the agency’s vision for driving expansion and ambition on a global scale, rooted in the agency’s local teams, said: “To be recognised in three categories in PR Week’s annual agency rankings is a fantastic achievement. Our growth over the past five years is a reflection of the amazing, creative, specialist and collaborative team we’ve built and the amazing work they do every day to help our clients create the connected moments that drive their place in culture.
“Over our thirty-year history, we’ve always challenged ourselves to consider, ‘what’s next?’ and these achievements reflect our ambitions to deliver exceptional work locally and drive our business globally. At a time when the industry as a whole, is showing real growth as flat, we grew by 16% from an already significant base. It’s a remarkable achievement and one we’re keen to celebrate.”
In Scotland, Lesley Alexander, Head of Corporate & Public Sector (Scotland) has been joined by Emma Falvey as Head of Consumer (Scotland) to run operations locally.
Head of consumer (Scotland) Emma Falvey, added: “It’s brilliant to be recognised for our offering outside of London, showing the wealth of great talent and skills we have locally. As we continue to develop our consumer offering here in Scotland, hitting #4 in the UK is an accolade we’re all extremely proud of”.
Pippa Arlow
This week, Glasgow-based Global PR & creative agency Smarts was recognised in three categories within PR Week’s esteemed Top 150 rankings; named the largest agency outside of London, 30th largest agency in the UK overall, and the 4th largest consumer agency.
These significant milestones are reflective of a decade of growth for Smarts, reporting a total revenue of £16m in 2024. The agency now employs close to 200 people across its five offices in Glasgow, Belfast, London, Amsterdam and New York.
Offering a range of communication services – including design, content, influencer marketing, media relations, and employee engagement – Smarts has made substantial investments exceeding £2 million in content production, digital infrastructure, and influencer capabilities since 2020.
Recent highlights include working with US actor Tina Fey on Booking.com’s 2024 Super Bowl ad, creating immersive experiences for global media and influencers to explore Diageo’s Brand Homes in Scotland – and expanding into mainland Europe with a new office in Amsterdam, with European campaigns in the past year include an experiential engagement programme to showcase Booking.com’s new Amsterdam HQ to more than 6,000 employees.
This expansion aligned with Smarts’ strategic growth plan, positions the agency as a global leader in culture-driven, consumer-focused communications.
Reflecting on this milestone, Smarts Global CEO Pippa Arlow underscores the agency’s vision for driving expansion and ambition on a global scale, rooted in the agency’s local teams, said: “To be recognised in three categories in PR Week’s annual agency rankings is a fantastic achievement. Our growth over the past five years is a reflection of the amazing, creative, specialist and collaborative team we’ve built and the amazing work they do every day to help our clients create the connected moments that drive their place in culture.
“Over our thirty-year history, we’ve always challenged ourselves to consider, ‘what’s next?’ and these achievements reflect our ambitions to deliver exceptional work locally and drive our business globally. At a time when the industry as a whole, is showing real growth as flat, we grew by 16% from an already significant base. It’s a remarkable achievement and one we’re keen to celebrate.”
In Scotland, Lesley Alexander, Head of Corporate & Public Sector (Scotland) has been joined by Emma Falvey as Head of Consumer (Scotland) to run operations locally.
Head of consumer (Scotland) Emma Falvey, added: “It’s brilliant to be recognised for our offering outside of London, showing the wealth of great talent and skills we have locally. As we continue to develop our consumer offering here in Scotland, hitting #4 in the UK is an accolade we’re all extremely proud of”.