immediate future
Independent UK social media marketing agency, founded 2004, providing data-led strategy, creative production, and paid social campaigns to enterprise B2B and B2C brands including BBC, Google, IBM, Fujitsu, HSBC, and Sony.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersKingston On Soar, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What immediate future does
Immediate Future is a UK-based, independent social media marketing agency founded in 2004 by Katy Howell and headquartered in London. The firm specializes exclusively in social media marketing, delivering data-led, audience-first strategy, creative production, and paid social performance campaigns to B2B and B2C brands across sectors including technology, automotive, broadcasting, retail, financial services, and FMCG. Named enterprise clients include BBC, Google, IBM, Fujitsu, HSBC, Sony, Diageo, ASOS, lastminute.com, AutoTrader, and Bayer. The agency differentiates on 20 years of category experience and a deliberate stance on using AI tools with human oversight and transparency, codified in a published AI Policy.
The business operates as a professional services agency rather than a product or SaaS company, with no proprietary technology platforms or APIs disclosed. Revenue is generated through client engagements sourced via a direct, consultative sales motion. The agency maintains standard B2B marketing infrastructure — Microsoft 365 for productivity, Salesforce for CRM, Mailchimp for email, and Google Analytics for measurement — and outsources lead generation activity to SoPro (Prospect Global Ltd). Thought leadership is delivered through a blog, the Serious Social podcast, and webinars hosted on Brightalk. Operating geographies are stated as UK/Europe with no global footprint claimed. No funding rounds, acquisitions, M&A activity, or institutional investors are disclosed; the entity (immediate future Ltd) is privately held by the founder.
Commercially, the firm positions itself as a specialist challenger to full-service creative agencies, focused exclusively on social channels and oriented toward enterprise clients that want measurable business outcomes (e.g., cited 6% ROAS versus a 1-3% industry average) rather than vanity metrics. Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees, and the leadership team includes Katy Howell (CEO/founder), Colin Jacobs (Managing Director, ex-BBC News analyst), and Tom Platt (Senior Account Director, host of Serious Social). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.
immediate future firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- immediate future
- Legal name
- immediate future Ltd
- Website
- https://immediatefuture.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Independent UK social media marketing agency, founded 2004, providing data-led strategy, creative production, and paid social campaigns to enterprise B2B and B2C brands including BBC, Google, IBM, Fujitsu, HSBC, and Sony.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
immediate future industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Media Marketing Services
- NAICS
- Advertising Agencies (541810), Media Buying Agencies (54183), Advertising Agencies (54181)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Content Strategy & Planning (BPAFAIAG), B2B Demand Generation & Lead Nurture Agencies (BPAFAKAA)
Keywords
Where immediate future is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kingston On Soar
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
immediate future business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Social Media Marketing Services: Professional agency services including social media strategy, content creation, paid social campaigns, and social media management. Operates as a service-based agency model delivering business impact through social channels.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels9 records
immediate future product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Immediate Future is a UK-based social media marketing agency that delivers data-led, audience-first social media strategy, creative content production, and paid social performance campaigns for B2B and B2C brands. The agency provides end-to-end social media services including strategy development, content creation, community management, and paid media execution across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and X, helping brands demonstrate business impact beyond vanity metrics.
Product overview
Immediate Future is a service-based social media marketing agency rather than a product company. Their core offering is social media agency services delivered through specialist consultants. They provide data-led audience-first marketing, creative content production, and paid social performance services. The agency has been operating for 20 years (founded in 2004) and works with brands across B2B and B2C sectors including Fujitsu, Sony Music, lastminute.com, Google, IBM, Diageo, and Autotrader. They produce proprietary research reports, podcasts (Serious Social series), and educational content on social search and AI marketing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Social Media Marketing Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 6% ROAS achieved for clients (industry average 1-3%)
Companies that use immediate future
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
immediate future technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
immediate future partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Microsoft UKcoreMicrosoft UK provides office and email system hosting (Microsoft 365), serving as the agency's core technology infrastructure partner for productivity and communication.
- SalesForcecoreSalesForce is used for sales and marketing customer relationship management, enabling client engagement tracking and pipeline management.
- MailchimpcoreMailchimp handles email marketing campaigns for client communications and newsletters.
- Google AnalyticscoreGoogle provides website tracking and statistical services for measuring campaign performance and user behavior.
- The Conversion CocoreExternal agency that built, hosts, and manages the Immediate Future website.
- SoPro (Prospect Global Ltd)minorProspect Global Ltd (trading as SoPro) is a digital marketing agent that conducts marketing activity on the agency's behalf. Registered UK Co. 09648733, ICO registered: Z123456.
- Social Platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, LinkedIn)coreSocial platforms used for client campaign delivery. The agency uses hash data to create custom audiences and has platform partner relationships for campaign optimization.
Scale indicators1 record
Expansion highlights5 records
immediate future competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Circus Social: Asia-Pacific social media marketing agency offering social media management, content, and analytics. Comparable service model but geographically distinct, making it more of a regional parallel than direct UK competitor.
- Hootsuite: Social media management platform with agency and managed services arms. Comparable focus on social media marketing and audience-first strategies; productized SaaS foundation differentiates the business model.
Direct peers
- Social Chain: UK-based social media agency offering social strategy, influencer marketing, and content production for enterprise brands. Closely comparable in geography, service mix, and target customer profile.
- Brainlabs: UK-headquartered digital marketing agency specializing in paid media, SEO, and data-led campaigns. Comparable in data-driven, audience-first approach and enterprise client focus; broader channel scope than Immediate Future.
- Born Social: UK social media agency delivering social strategy, content creation, and community management for B2B and B2C brands. Direct competitor for mid-market and enterprise social retainers.
- Propellernet: Brighton-based digital and social media agency focused on data-led, creative campaigns for challenger and enterprise brands. Comparable in performance marketing orientation and UK enterprise client base.
- The Social PR: UK social media and influencer marketing agency serving consumer brands. Comparable in social-first delivery and UK market positioning; tilted more toward influencer and consumer work.
Broad incumbents
- Ogilvy: Global advertising network offering social media as part of broader integrated campaigns. Overlaps in enterprise B2B social work (e.g., IBM, HSBC relationships) but operates at vastly larger scale with full-service creative and media capabilities.
- Dentsu: Global advertising and marketing services group with significant social media capabilities across its agency brands. Competes for the same enterprise social mandates as Immediate Future but with integrated media buying and global delivery.
Regional players
- Wagada Digital: UK digital and social media marketing agency serving SMEs and enterprise clients. Comparable in geography and core social services, but smaller scale and more mid-market oriented than Immediate Future.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
immediate future social profiles
Digital presenceimmediate future financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
immediate future leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
immediate future funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
immediate future M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about immediate future
What does immediate future do?
Immediate Future is a UK-based social media marketing agency that delivers data-led, audience-first social media strategy, creative content production, and paid social performance campaigns for B2B and B2C brands. The agency provides end-to-end social media services including strategy development, content creation, community management, and paid media execution across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and X, helping brands demonstrate business impact beyond vanity metrics.
Is immediate future a public or private company?
immediate future is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was immediate future founded?
immediate future was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is immediate future based?
immediate future is headquartered in Kingston On Soar, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does immediate future make money?
One revenue line is on record: social Media Marketing Services.
Who are immediate future's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Circus Social and Hootsuite. Direct peers are Social Chain, Brainlabs, Born Social, Propellernet and The Social PR. Broad incumbents are Ogilvy and Dentsu. Wagada Digital is listed as a regional player.
Does immediate future have an API?
No public API is recorded for immediate future.
What industry is immediate future in?
immediate future's product category is Social Media Marketing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAAAA, Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies, with a secondary code of BPAFAIAG, Content Strategy & Planning. Its NAICS code is 541810 and its SIC code is 7311.