Poke Marketing

What Poke Marketing does

Poke Marketing is a privately-held, full-service creative marketing agency founded in November 2020 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. The agency provides brand strategy, brand identity, advertising and creative campaigns, website design and development, social media management, copywriting, SEO, photography, video production, and animation services to mid-market and enterprise clients. Its delivery is anchored in a proprietary Strategic Behavior Change Framework intended to convert messaging into measurable commercial outcomes, with fee structures tied to KPI delivery rather than hours billed.

The agency serves clients across multiple verticals including charity, hospitality, heritage and tourism, sports, professional services, finance, technology, and religion. Notable engagements include full rebrands for Liverpool Cathedral (won against 18 competing agencies), the National Football Museum (logo featured by Creative Bloq as one of the best logo designs of 2024), Professional Liverpool, Oxford River Cruises, Gateway Angels, and the EFL. The business operates on a sales-led go-to-market through competitive pitches, tenders, and referrals, supported by an active awards program (Prolific North Independent Agency to Watch 2024; PR & Marketing Agency of the Year 2025) and a presence in the Professional Liverpool and Downtown in Business networks.

Poke Marketing is independently owned by its founding team, with no disclosed external funding or institutional investors. Headcount has grown from approximately 10 in mid-2023 to 12+ in 2024, and revenue was disclosed as on track for a seven-figure turnover (~£1M+) at the 2023 benchmark. Leadership comprises Nicola Docking as Managing Director alongside founders Andrew Binns (Director) and Mark Harrington (Creative Director). The firm relocated to Old Hall Street in Liverpool in 2024 and runs an apprenticeship pipeline through The Juice Academy to support talent development.

Name

Poke Marketing

Legal name

Poke Marketing

Website

https://pokemarketing.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Poke Marketing is a Liverpool-based independent creative marketing agency founded in 2020, providing branding, campaigns, digital, video, and content services to mid-market and enterprise clients across charity, heritage, hospitality, sports, professional services, and technology sectors in the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Marketing Services

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Employer Brand Strategy & Talent Branding (BPAFAEAH)

Keywords

• Creative marketing agency
• Brand strategy services
• Integrated campaign development
• Brand identity design
• Digital marketing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool

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. Professional Services / Retained Agency Work: Marketing agency providing comprehensive services including branding, advertising campaigns, digital development, creative campaigns, content creation, and strategic consulting. They use an agile payment structure, basing fees on hitting KPIs rather than on time.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Poke Marketing is a Liverpool-based creative marketing agency that provides strategic positioning, brand development, integrated campaign creation, website design and build, social media management, copywriting, photography, video production, animation, and SEO services. Engagements are delivered through a behavior-change-led strategic framework, with services typically structured as project-based or retained assignments won via competitive pitches and tenders.

Product overview

Poke Marketing is a full-service creative marketing agency based in Liverpool, established in 2020. The agency provides a comprehensive suite of marketing services including strategic positioning, brand development, website design and build, social media management, copywriting, content creation (video and animation), photography, advertising campaigns, and tone of voice development. The agency works with diverse clients across sectors including sports (English Football League, National Football Museum, Knowsley Safari), charity (Alder Hey Children's Charity, Claire House Children's Hospice), heritage (Liverpool Cathedral, Diocese of Liverpool), hospitality (The Folly, Oxford River Cruises), professional services (Professional Liverpool, Gateway Angels, River Capital), and various other industries. The agency operates on a strategic, behavior-led framework and uses an agile payment structure based on hitting KPIs rather than time-based billing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Development and Rebranding Full brand strategy, positioning, tone of voice, identity and rebranding services for organisations such as Liverpool Cathedral, National Football Museum, Gateway Angels, Professional Liverpool, Oxford River Cruises and Port Sunlight Village Trust.
• Integrated Campaign Development Cross-channel creative campaign development across digital, print, video, social, animation and out-of-home for clients including English Football League, Alder Hey Children's Charity, Knowsley Safari and Wolseley.
• Website Design and Build Website design and build services for clients including Liverpool Cathedral, Diocese of Liverpool, Liiift (Awwwards-nominated) and Placed Academy.
• Social Media Management Social media management and strategy services, including content calendars, community management and social-led campaigns for clients such as Everton in the Community and Wolseley.
• Copywriting and Content Creation Copywriting, content strategy and content creation services, including written content, photography, video and animation production.
• Photography, Video Production and Animation In-house photography, video production and animation services, including emotive video content, animation assets (e.g. English Football League Rainbow Ball), and motion content for social and campaign use.
• Strategic Positioning and Behaviour-Change Consulting Upfront strategic consulting based on Poke's Strategic Behavior Change Framework, covering audience segmentation, messaging strategy and KPI design that underpins brand and campaign engagements.
• SEO Services Search engine optimisation services delivered as part of Poke's digital offering.
• PR and Award Entry Support PR support and award entry preparation, evidenced by increased award submissions for clients at industry awards including the Communiqué Awards and Prolific North Awards.

Quantifiable outcome

• Record-breaking ticket sales for WoWFEST literature festival
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers39 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Downtown in BusinessminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2026Strategic Partnership announced on 29/05/2026. Downtown in Business is a business networking and awards organization in the Liverpool City Region. Partnership likely involves collaborative marketing and event participation.
• P&D GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 February 2026Liverpool-based hospitality group. Poke will lead strategic positioning across restaurant venues including Panoramic, Italian Quarter, and Il Forno, developing a unifying 'Italian Experience' narrative. New client brief won in February 2026.
• Claire House Children's HospicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 February 2026Children's hospice requiring messaging support for its proposed second hospice development. New client brief secured February 2026.
• Port Sunlight Village TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 February 2026Heritage trust requiring full brand review following a competitive pitch process. New client brief won February 2026.
• AKT (Albert Kennedy Trust)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLGBTQIA+ homeless charity supported by Wolseley UK as part of Pride celebrations campaign. AKT recently found that 77% of people surveyed felt that coming out at home resulted in them becoming homeless. Poke created campaign assets to support this partnership.
• The Juice AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital marketing academy based in Manchester that trains apprentices. Poke partners with Juice Academy through Apprentify scheme to employ apprentices and provide on-the-job training with fortnightly course support.
• Sam Grierson (Diversity and Inclusivity Director)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorked with Wolseley's Diversity and Inclusivity Director Sam Grierson on Pride celebrations campaign, including redesign of on-site signage to reflect more diverse and inclusive messaging.
• Future London AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPoke team members (Creative Director Mark and Head of Strategy Nicola) completed the 'Branding Now' course to strengthen Poke's creative process and structure. Course focuses on brand strategy implementation.
• D&ADminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative industry association. Poke's design team attended the D&AD festival in London to hear from knowledgeable speakers and gain insights from judging panels.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IMA-Home: Manchester-based creative agency with brand marketing and account management functions. Notably the prior employer of Poke's Senior Account Manager Emily Kench, indicating a directly comparable North West creative services operating model.
• KISS Communications: Manchester-based creative and PR agency of similar size to Poke, offering branding, PR, content, and digital services to UK SMEs and mid-market clients. Comparable boutique North West peer.
• Mando: Liverpool-based digital and creative agency serving regional and national clients across brand, digital, and content. Direct local competitor in the same Liverpool talent and client pool as Poke Marketing.
• Ph.Creative: Liverpool-rooted creative agency with a comparable service offering spanning brand, design, and digital for a similar mix of UK mid-market clients. Direct regional competitor in the Liverpool creative market.
• BJL Group: Manchester-based independent creative and digital agency of comparable scale, offering brand, content, and integrated campaign services to mid-market and enterprise clients. Most directly comparable North West peer to Poke in size, location, and service mix.

Broad incumbents

• Ogilvy UK: UK operations of the global Ogilvy network, covering advertising, brand strategy, PR, and experience design. Operates in the same brand strategy and creative category as Poke but at vastly greater scale and with global client reach.
• McCann Manchester: North West office of the McCann Worldgroup network, offering advertising, brand strategy, and integrated campaigns. Same regional market and overlapping service offering, but operating at network scale and scope.
• Wavemaker UK: UK arm of the WPP-owned Wavemaker media and content network. Adjacent incumbent in the UK creative and media services market — broader portfolio, larger scale, and more platform-led delivery than Poke.
• Havas Lynx: Manchester-headquartered creative agency within the Havas network, substantially larger than Poke, serving pharma, healthcare, and consumer brands. Comparable North West location and creative category but materially broader portfolio and scale.
• Saatchi & Saatchi: Publicis-owned global creative network with UK operations. Competes in the same broad brand strategy and creative campaign category that Poke targets, but serves a much larger client base with substantially deeper resources.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/poke_marketing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pokemarketing
• Instagraminstagram.com/poke.marketing/?hl=en

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 Poke Marketing