Magpie

What Magpie does

Magpie Creative Communications Limited is a Leeds-based, founder-led creative communications agency founded in 2009, operating as a private limited company with 11-50 employees. The firm specialises in behaviour-change campaigns that combine applied behavioural science, creative production, and community co-production to serve NHS trusts, integrated care systems, cancer alliances, local authorities, combined authorities, government departments, and purpose-led charities across the United Kingdom. Its core services span campaign strategy and creative development, behavioural science and insight (including research, evaluation, behavioural diagnosis via the COM-B model, and the proprietary '6 for Gold' framework), community co-design, multi-channel digital activation, filmmaking and animation, web development, and branding and campaign toolkits.

The agency's underlying methodology is anchored in evidence-based behaviour change frameworks rather than traditional advertising creative, distinguishing it from generic UK creative shops. It applies AI-mediated tooling (Copy.ai, Adobe Generative Fill, Adobe Podcast Enhance) for content generation, video optimisation, sentiment analysis, and predictive analytics around intervention design, all under human oversight. Its technical stack is service-delivery oriented: a small, named team of specialists including a PhD-level behavioural scientist (Dr Julie Van de Vyver), a Creative Director, a Senior Digital Strategist, and a Senior Behavioural Strategist. Magpie holds no patents and discloses no proprietary software product; its deliverables are campaigns, toolkits, and consultancy outputs rather than licensed technology.

Magpie's business model is professional services, with revenue generated through project-based and retainer engagements commissioned via public-sector procurement and direct outreach to charity clients. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, and the firm has not raised external capital. Geographic reach is UK-wide, with disclosed campaigns spanning Yorkshire and Humber, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and South Cumbria, Hull, Bradford District and Craven, Hertfordshire, Leeds, London, and South East London. The company maintains WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility conformance on its digital properties and pursues recognition through industry awards including the Smiley Charity Film Awards, Prolific North Champions Awards, and The Wow Company Top 25 Most Admired Agencies list.

Name

Magpie

Legal name

Magpie Creative Communications Limited

Website

https://wearemagpie.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Magpie is a Leeds-based creative communications agency that designs and delivers evidence-based behaviour change campaigns for UK NHS bodies, local authorities, government departments, and charities, combining applied behavioural science, creative production, and community co-production.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Communications and Behaviour Change Agency Services

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (541820), Advertising Agencies (54181), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Cause/Sustainability & Purpose-Driven Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reputation Management & Online PR (BPAFADAN), Social Media & Community Management (PR-led) (BPAFADAM)

Keywords

• Behavior change campaigns
• Creative communications
• Public health marketing
• Behavioural science consultancy
• Social marketing agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeds

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Creative Services and Campaign Delivery: Magpie generates revenue through providing professional creative communications services, behavioral science consulting, campaign development, and community engagement services to public sector and charity clients. Revenue appears to be project-based and retainer-based, with clients commissioning campaigns through procurement processes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Magpie is a creative behaviour change agency that designs and delivers evidence-based communications campaigns for public sector, NHS, charitable, and government clients. Their work combines applied behavioural science, creative communications production, and community co-production to influence public behaviour across health, harm reduction, sustainability, and learning impact areas. Campaigns are commissioned through procurement processes and delivered via multi-channel digital, film, web, and out-of-home activations.

Product overview

Magpie is an award-winning creative behaviour change agency based in Leeds that combines three core disciplines: behavioural science and insight, creative communications, and community collaboration. The agency operates as a unified service offering rather than a modular software platform. Their core services include campaign development, digital activation, filmmaking and animation, web development, and training consultancy, delivered across multiple campaign projects focused on public health, social good, and behaviour change. Their work spans health & wellbeing, harm reduction & safety, sustainable futures, and learning & opportunity impact areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Creative Communications Specialist campaign strategy and creative development service delivering accessible, evidence-informed campaigns using simplicity, logic, and empathy for changemakers in the public sector, charity, and government spaces.
• Behavioural Science and Insight Applied behavioural science consultancy providing research, evaluation, behavioural diagnosis using the COM-B model, logic models, training, and consultancy for organisations seeking evidence-based behaviour change.
• Community Collaboration Co-production service working alongside communities for co-planning, co-design, co-delivery, and co-evaluation, designed to give real power to people and surface unheard voices in campaign design.

Quantifiable outcome

• Epilepsy Action campaign: 1.84 million impressions, 4x click targets, 70% lower cost-per-click than benchmark, 1 million new people reached
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor, supporting and core.

• Magpie Line (UK)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Magpie Line in the UK is listed as a partner in the Richard Scarry licensing expansion managed by Art Ask Agency. This appears to be a product licensing partnership for branded merchandise, distinct from the creative agency's main business.
• Press RecordsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2024Video production studio that developed hard-hitting campaign films for the Chapter One gambling harm prevention campaign. Worked with Magpie to optimize video content for digital advertising.
• Learning CommonscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLearning Commons partnered with Magpie Literacy to build shared infrastructure including a Knowledge Graph that maps academic standards to learning science. Magpie's involvement suggests broader educational behavior change capabilities beyond their public sector focus.
• Lester Film CosupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVideo production studio that partnered with Magpie to produce campaign films for the Epilepsy Action 'If I Told You' campaign, bringing emotional storytelling to life on screen.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ogilvy UK: Global creative network with a strong public sector and health behavior change practice. Comparable in serving NHS/government behavior change briefs, but as part of a much wider portfolio of commercial work.
• M&C Saatchi: Large global creative agency network with public sector and behavior change practices. Comparable in creative campaign execution for government and health clients but operates at significantly larger scale with broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Forster Communications: UK-based PR and communications agency focused on social purpose, public sector and charity clients. Directly comparable to Magpie in client verticals (NHS, government, charities), behavior change orientation, and creative campaign approach.
• Whitehouse Communications: UK public affairs and communications agency with public sector focus. Comparable in serving government and public-sector clients with communications campaigns, though more public affairs/PR than behavior change creative.
• Reason Digital: UK digital creative agency focused on social good, charity and public sector clients. Directly comparable in mission, client verticals, and digital-first campaign approach for behavior and behavior change outcomes.
• Diva Creative: UK creative agency specializing in behavior change, social marketing and health campaigns for public sector clients. Highly comparable offering: combines creative communications with behavioral insight for NHS, local authority and charity audiences.
• Cowry Consulting: UK behavior change communications consultancy applying behavioral science to social marketing and public health campaigns. Comparable in behavioral science methodology and public-sector behavior change remit.
• The Behavioural Insights Team: Applied behavioral science organization working with governments and public services globally. Comparable to Magpie's behavioral science practice and public-sector behavior change work, though more consultancy/research-led than creative execution.

Regional players

• Threepipe Communications: London-based integrated communications and creative agency. Comparable in offering creative campaigns and digital activation, though serves a more commercial client base rather than Magpie's public-sector/social-good niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wearemagpie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/magpie-comms
• Instagraminstagram.com/wearemagpie

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Magpie