Fat Media
Fat Media is a UK full-service digital marketing agency, founded in 2005 in Lancaster, serving 1,500+ SMEs and mid-market clients with digital strategy, paid media, SEO, web design and ecommerce across WordPress, Umbraco, Shopify and WooCommerce.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersLancaster, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Fat Media does
Fat Media is a UK-based, full-service digital marketing agency founded in 2005 in Lancaster by John French and now operating under the umbrella of the Rippleffect Group following its July 2024 alignment with sister agency Reading Room. Headquartered in Lancaster with regional offices in London and Bristol and a headcount of 51-100, the agency targets UK SMEs and mid-market clients across hospitality, food & beverage, education, retail and leisure verticals, with named customers including Typhoo, JD Sports, Iceland, Lancaster University, YOTEL, Wildsmith Hotels, Grace Foods and Pork Farms. Since inception it has served more than 1,500 clients.
The agency's service portfolio is organised around four pillars: Digital Strategy (including a proprietary M.O.S.T. analysis framework), Digital Marketing (PPC, SEO, CRO, content, email and social execution), Web Design and Build delivered across four platform tracks (WordPress/WooCommerce, Umbraco, Shopify, Magento), and Brand Design / Brand Consultancy. Its underlying technology stack combines open-source CMS and ecommerce platforms with flagship partner statuses (Umbraco Gold Partner with 100+ Umbraco sites shipped, Google Premier Partner, Shopify partner, Ucommerce Silver Partner, Adestra for email) and supporting integrations such as Microsoft Advertising and GA4. Public-sector accreditations on G-Cloud 11 and DOS 4 extend its addressable market to UK government buyers.
Fat Media makes money through a mix of recurring monthly retainers for ongoing digital marketing services (SEO, PPC, social, email) and one-time project fees for website design, ecommerce builds, rebrands and campaign sprints, with a smaller stream of strategy and consulting revenue. Pricing is bespoke and quote-based per engagement via a 'Start Your Project' enquiry flow. Distribution is primarily direct (sales-led inside sales from the three UK offices) supplemented by lead generation through technology partner channels (Umbraco, Google), PR partner KRPR, events, and content-led SEO. Growth has historically been a combination of organic client acquisition, two acquisitions (Ronin Development Corporation in 2016 and the UK assets of Reach Local UK Ltd in 2020), partner-tier upgrades and public-sector framework wins.
Fat Media firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fat Media
- Legal name
- Fat Media Limited
- Website
- https://fatmedia.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Fat Media is a UK full-service digital marketing agency, founded in 2005 in Lancaster, serving 1,500+ SMEs and mid-market clients with digital strategy, paid media, SEO, web design and ecommerce across WordPress, Umbraco, Shopify and WooCommerce.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fat Media industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Marketing Services
- NAICS
- Direct Mail Advertising (54186)
- SIC
- Services-Direct Mail Advertising Services (7331)
- akta.pro primary industry
- White-Label/Hosted Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAJ)
Keywords
Where Fat Media is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lancaster
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Fat Media business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Agency retainers and managed services: Recurring monthly retainers for ongoing digital marketing, SEO, PPC, social media and email services delivered to clients across the UK.
- Project-based agency fees: One-time fees for discrete projects such as website design and build, ecommerce launches, rebrands and campaign sprints.
- Digital strategy and consulting: Professional services revenue from strategy, MOST analysis, brand work and digital transformation consulting engagements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Quote-based project and retainer pricing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Fat Media product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fat Media is a full-service UK digital marketing agency that designs and builds websites and ecommerce stores (across WordPress, WooCommerce, Umbraco and Shopify), and delivers integrated digital marketing services including SEO, PPC, CRO, content, email and social media. Its work is anchored by a proprietary MOST digital strategy framework and supported by brand design, rebranding and PR campaign delivery for UK SMEs and mid-market businesses across hospitality, food and beverage, education, retail and ecommerce verticals.
Product overview
Fat Media's offering is a unified full-service digital marketing agency portfolio rather than a single SaaS product. The portfolio comprises a core Digital Strategy service that sets direction, a Digital Marketing service line that bundles six execution channels (PPC, SEO, CRO, Content Marketing, Email Marketing and Social Media Marketing), a Web Design and Build service line delivered across four platform tracks (WordPress, WooCommerce, Umbraco and Shopify), and a Brand Design / Brand Consultancy service. The web design and build sub-services (Website Design Services, Umbraco Solutions, WooCommerce Solutions and Shopify Solutions) plug into the Digital Marketing channels, so SEO, CRO, content, social and email activity is delivered against the websites the agency designs. Sub-services such as Pay-Per-Click, SEO, CRO, Content Marketing, Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing and Brand Consultancy sit underneath their respective parent services, and a Start Your Project enquiry intake feeds new client work into the agency model. Together they form an integrated, channel-by-channel growth service aimed at UK SMEs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Fat Media: Full-service digital marketing agency brand covering digital strategy, digital marketing, web design and build, and brand design services.
Products and services
- Digital Strategy Strategic consultancy delivering growth-focused digital strategies that incorporate website improvement, engaging social content, and a structured M.O.S.T. (Mission, Objectives, Strategies, Tactics) analysis framework for SME clients.
- Digital Marketing Multi-channel digital marketing service covering email, SEO, CRO, PPC, social media and creative, aimed at building brand awareness and reputation through a proven comms strategy.
- Web Design and Build User-centric, responsive, mobile-first website design and build service combining creative design with technical expertise and integrating SEO and digital marketing strategy. Delivered across WordPress, WooCommerce, Umbraco and Shopify platforms.
- Brand Design Brand design and consultancy-led rebranding projects for clients, including naming, identity, strap-line development, brand guidelines, and visual storytelling assets.
- Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
Quantifiable outcome
- 100+ Umbraco websites launched
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Fat Media
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Fat Media technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration11 records
Feature7 records
Fat Media partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Reading RoomflagshipReading Room combined with Fat Media as part of the Rippleffect Group, announced on 16 July 2024. This is the parent-group strategic alliance shaping both agencies' combined digital marketing, data and technology offering.
- UmbracoflagshipUmbraco Gold Partner with 100+ Umbraco websites launched; one of only 24 Umbraco Gold Partners in the UK. The relationship underpins Fat Media's CMS and web build capability.
- GooglecoreGoogle Premier Partner status supports Fat Media's paid search and digital advertising offering. Finalist at the 2019 Google Premier Partner Awards.
- ShopifycoreRecognised Shopify partner used to deliver ecommerce builds for retail and DTC clients.
- WooCommerce (WordPress)coreWooCommerce on WordPress used as a core ecommerce stack for SME clients seeking flexible, open-source storefronts.
- AdestracoreEmail service provider used to deliver client email marketing campaigns, including a recognised Adestra Campaign of the Month.
- KRPRcorePR agency partner collaborating on campaigns such as the Pork Farms Board Games Championship that won CIPR PRide Awards Silver in 2016.
- AccessplanitminorCo-marketing relationship through the Everest Conference where Fat Media contributed as a speaker.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Fat Media competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Croud: UK-headquartered digital marketing agency built around paid media, SEO, content and programmatic services for enterprise and mid-market brands; comparable in service mix and UK market focus.
- The SEO Works: Sheffield-based UK digital agency specialising in SEO, PPC, web design and content for SMEs and mid-market clients — closely overlapping Fat Media's UK SME proposition and service lines.
- Evoluted: UK digital agency delivering web design, development, SEO and digital marketing to SME and mid-market clients — a direct comparable on service mix and target customer base.
- SiteVisibility: Brighton-based UK digital agency focused on SEO, PPC and digital strategy for SMEs and mid-market — comparable in specialism and target customer segment.
- Reading Room: UK-based digital agency combined with Fat Media under the Rippleffect Group in July 2024. Historically a sister agency delivering digital transformation, content and data services to enterprise clients, making it the most directly comparable peer now that the two brands have merged.
- Hallam Internet: Mid-market UK digital marketing agency (Nottingham) offering web design, SEO, PPC, content and social services to SME and mid-market clients — overlapping Fat Media's core service portfolio and customer segment.
- Stickyeyes: Leeds-based UK digital marketing agency (acquired by Croud) specialising in SEO, content and digital strategy for enterprise and mid-market brands — overlapping Fat Media's SEO-led service mix.
- Marketing Signals: UK digital agency offering SEO, PPC and digital strategy primarily to SMEs and mid-market — comparable in service mix and UK SME target customer profile.
Broad incumbents
- WPP: Global marketing services holding company (Ogilvy, GroupM, VMLY&R) operating across advertising, media, digital and PR. A broad incumbent operating in the same end markets as Fat Media but at vastly greater scale and with a much broader portfolio.
- Jellyfish: Global digital marketing agency (part of The Brandtech Group) offering paid media, SEO, content and creative across enterprise clients. Operates in the same categories as Fat Media but at much larger scale and with enterprise focus, making it a broad incumbent peer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Fat Media social profiles
Digital presenceFat Media compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Fat Media financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fat Media leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Fat Media subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Fat Media funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fat Media M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fat Media
What does Fat Media do?
Fat Media is a full-service UK digital marketing agency that designs and builds websites and ecommerce stores (across WordPress, WooCommerce, Umbraco and Shopify), and delivers integrated digital marketing services including SEO, PPC, CRO, content, email and social media. Its work is anchored by a proprietary MOST digital strategy framework and supported by brand design, rebranding and PR campaign delivery for UK SMEs and mid-market businesses across hospitality, food and beverage, education, retail and ecommerce verticals.
Is Fat Media a public or private company?
Fat Media is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Fat Media founded?
Fat Media was founded in 2005. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Fat Media based?
Fat Media is headquartered in Lancaster, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Fat Media make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Agency retainers and managed services are the primary driver. The others are project-based agency fees and digital strategy and consulting.
Who are Fat Media's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Croud, The SEO Works, Evoluted, SiteVisibility, Reading Room, Hallam Internet, Stickyeyes and Marketing Signals. Broad incumbents are WPP and Jellyfish.
Does Fat Media have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fat Media.
What industry is Fat Media in?
Fat Media's product category is Digital Marketing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAIAJ, White-Label/Hosted Publishing Platforms. Its NAICS code is 54186 and its SIC code is 7331.