Holdens Agency

What Holdens Agency does

Holdens Agency Limited is a privately held, full-service creative and strategic marketing agency headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, with additional offices in Berlin and Barcelona serving the UK, DACH, and Southern European markets. The firm was founded in 2008 (with a separate reference to heritage dating back over 30 years) and operates with a reported 1-10 employee headcount. Its service portfolio spans ten integrated disciplines: branding, websites and apps, advertising (including TV, radio, outdoor, print, social and digital), social media, digital marketing (PPC, analytics, targeted advertising), content marketing, AR/VR/MR experiences, experiential activations, video and motion design, and 3D design/CGI. The agency claims first-mover status in Manchester for VR and AR services since 2016.

The company targets primarily scale-up and growth-stage brands alongside select enterprise clients, with a portfolio that includes McLaren, Bowers & Wilkins, Manchester United, Puma, Estee Lauder, Le Labo, Burger King, Pizza Express, National Trust, AIG, WSP, Keepmoat, and Renaker, among others. Notable recent wins include Space & Time (2024), Settio (2024), RSM Group (2025), and the CoppaFeel! charity (2025). Holdens earns revenue through project-based and retainer creative service fees, with pricing determined per engagement rather than publicly disclosed. Distribution occurs via direct enterprise sales through regional offices, competitive pitches, referrals, and inbound website inquiries.

Holdens is registered as Holdens Agency Limited in England and Wales. Leadership consists of Managing Director Ted Holden and Creative Director Dave Bird (who returned in January 2026 after a decade away). The agency has not raised external funding and operates independently. In 2025, Holdens won Best Leisure & Tourism Campaign at the Prolific North Marketing Awards and was shortlisted across five categories, and is shortlisted for the 2026 Prolific North Creative Awards.

Name

Holdens Agency

Legal name

Holdens Agency Limited

Website

https://holdens.agency

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Holdens Agency is a Manchester-headquartered, full-service creative and strategic marketing agency with offices in Berlin and Barcelona, delivering branding, digital, experiential, and AR/VR services primarily to scale-up brands and selected enterprises across the UK and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative and Strategic Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181), Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Creative Boutique Agencies (MPAAAAAB)

Keywords

• Creative agency services
• Brand strategy design
• Experiential marketing campaigns
• Digital marketing advertising
• Immersive AR VR experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Bournemouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Agency Services: Project-based and retainer engagements delivering branding, digital marketing, advertising, social media, content marketing, experiential activations, video production, and 3D/CGI services. Revenue is generated through creative service fees, production costs, and ongoing retainer arrangements with enterprise and mid-market clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Holdens Agency is a full-service creative and strategic marketing agency that partners with scale-ups and enterprise brands to deliver branding, websites and apps, advertising (TV, radio, outdoor, print, digital), social media, digital marketing, content marketing, AR/VR/MR, experiential campaigns, video and motion design, and 3D/CGI services. The agency blends creativity, strategy, and technology to accelerate brand growth, sold through project-based and retainer engagements to enterprise and mid-market clients across the UK, DACH, and Southern Europe.

Product overview

Holdens Agency is a full-service creative and strategic marketing agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of services. The agency operates as a single integrated offering combining creativity, strategy, and technology to help brands accelerate growth. The service portfolio includes Branding, Websites & Apps, Advertising, Social Media, Digital Marketing, Content Marketing, AR/VR/MR, Experiential, Video & Motion Design, and 3D Design & CGI. The agency targets scale-up brands and partners with clients across various sectors including automotive, tourism, retail, finance, and education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Branding Full-service branding offering covering brand strategy, brand identity, brand design, and brand guidelines to help brands understand their positioning and stand out in the market, delivered to enterprise and scale-up clients.
• Websites & Apps Website and application design and development service covering UX and UI design, SEO, CRO, software and digital product development, and hosting and maintenance for enterprise and mid-market clients.
• Advertising Multi-channel advertising service covering TV, radio and audio, outdoor, print, and social and digital advertising, designed to create ads that sell for enterprise clients.
• Social Media Social media marketing service covering social strategy, social content creation, channel and community management, social training, and paid social for enterprise and scale-up clients.
• Digital Marketing Performance-driven digital marketing service covering PPC (pay-per-click) advertising, data analytics, and targeted advertising for lead generation and sales, delivered by a Google Partner agency.
• Content Marketing Content marketing service covering landing pages and microsites, blogs, emails, infographics and data visualisation, whitepapers and e-books, case studies and customer stories, digital PR, video, and podcasts.
• AR, VR & MR Immersive technology service offering VR, AR, 360-degree experiences, and 3D and CGI production for enterprise brands seeking immersive brand experiences. Holdens claims to be the first creative agency in Manchester to offer VR and AR services, in 2016.
• Experiential Experiential marketing campaign service covering events and exhibitions, brand activations, pop-up stores, retail installations, and VR and AR experiences that connect brands with audiences through physical experiences.
• Video & Motion Design Video production and motion design service covering live action, drone footage, location and studio work, illustration, and animation for enterprise clients.
• 3D Design & CGI 3D design and CGI service covering 3D and CGI modelling, animation and motion design, virtual tours and walkthroughs, architectural visualisation, out-of-home, product visualisation, and character visualisation and animation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Won Best Leisure & Tourism Campaign at Prolific North Marketing Awards
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers44 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CoppaFeel!coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2025Holdens appointed by CoppaFeel!, the UK's only youth-focused breast cancer awareness charity, to facilitate promotion of CoppaFeel! Challenge 2025. The agency is working alongside student winners from Pendleton Sixth Form College to create an outdoor ad campaign featuring billboards across Manchester. This marks the first Manchester-based agency partnership for the charity. Breast cancer is a cause close to home for many within the agency.
• RSM GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Holdens partners with RSM Group for brand transformation project. RSM Group is a leading audit, tax and consulting firm.
• Tombola x Breast Cancer NowminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Holdens delivers creative production for Tombola x Breast Cancer Now 'Eyes Down, Check Up' experiential tour, supporting breast cancer awareness campaign.
• CoachhopminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Putting the wheels in motion for new client Coachhop - transportation/charter service brand.
• CityDaysminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Teaming up with CityDays to promote its urban adventure experiences.
• SettiocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024Partnership to design and develop a new website for Settio, a rapidly growing property lettings, sales and management company. The website will better reflect Settio's extensive service offering, expertise, and impressive portfolio across UK and international markets. Located in Manchester with additional offices in Birmingham, London, and Singapore.
• Space & TimecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Won the brief for Space & Time's new website after competitive pitch process. Space & Time is a media and tech growth marketing agency with five offices around the UK. The new website is part of a wider brand repositioning project to better reflect Space & Time's identity as a premium, people-focused agency.
• University of ManchestercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Won a pitch to create an immersive AR experience for the University of Manchester's Faculty of Humanities, celebrating their bicentenary. The project will utilize AR to highlight diverse career stories of Humanities graduates, engaging students, prospective applicants, and the local community.
• BOYHOUSEminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership with BOYHOUSE - Manchester to New York brand expansion story.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Rise at Seven: UK creative and digital agency of comparable boutique size offering creative campaigns, content and SEO-driven brand work for ambitious consumer and e-commerce brands. Directly comparable in target customer (scale-ups), integrated digital-plus-creative model and UK mid-market positioning.
• Holition: London-based creative technology agency specialising in AR, VR, 3D and CGI for luxury and retail brands. Direct match on Holdens' immersive/AR-VR-MR service line and overlap in luxury retail clients (Bowers & Wilkins, McLaren adjacency).
• Koto Studio: Independent brand and creative studio with offices including Manchester, serving ambitious tech and consumer brands. Directly comparable on full-service brand identity, digital and strategy offering and scale-up client segment.
• Amplify: London-based independent experiential marketing agency producing brand activations, pop-ups and immersive events for global brands. Closely comparable on Holdens' experiential and AR/VR service lines and shared enterprise client category.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/HoldenandSons
• Facebookfacebook.com/holdensagency
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/holdensagency
• Instagraminstagram.com/holdensagency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Holdens Agency