AB Communications
AB Communications is a London-based professional services agency and self-described world's first internal communications firm, founded in 1964. It provides strategy, content creation, audits, and change communications to enterprise and government clients including Royal Mail, KPMG, TfL, LEGO, and Amazon.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1964
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What AB Communications does
AB Communications Ltd. is a London-headquartered professional services agency specializing in internal communications for large organizations. Founded in 1964 and self-described as the world's first internal communications agency, AB operates from a central London office (167-169 Great Portland Street, 5th Floor) with a team of 11-50 employees. The firm serves enterprise and government clients across the UK and globally, with a 60-year track record of engagements for organizations including Royal Mail, LEGO, Transport for London, KPMG, National Highways, Amazon, Hitachi Rail, Post Office, Landsec, Arriva, Spirax Sarco, and Purplebricks.
The company's service portfolio spans five core offerings: insight-driven campaigns and content creation across film, audio, animation, and print; communication audits via a proprietary 'Acid Test' methodology; change and transformation support; strategic internal communication planning; and 'IC Boost', a flexible resource model for three-month-plus engagements. Beyond services, AB has built a category-defining content and learning ecosystem including The Internal Comms Podcast (136+ episodes), the monthly AB Thinks newsletter (1,000+ subscribers), the IC Masterclass on-demand learning programme, and the Good Thinking Guides series. The firm also builds custom digital platforms for select clients, including the MyPB mobile app for Purplebricks, the Highway digital magazine for National Highways, and the Robin-branded employee app for Royal Mail.
AB's business model is professional services revenue generated through project fees and retainers from enterprise clients. New business is handled via direct, consultative sales led by a dedicated account manager. The company is privately held under AB Communications Ltd. (formerly A B Publishing Ltd.), operating independently for six decades with no disclosed external investment, no parent company, and no funding rounds. AB is led by Managing Director Katie Macaulay, author of 'From Cascade to Conversation' and host of The Internal Comms Podcast, and holds membership in the Alliance of Independent Agencies, the Institute of Internal Communication (IoIC), and CIPR Inside.
AB Communications firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AB Communications
- Legal name
- AB Communications Ltd.
- Website
- https://abcomm.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1964
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- AB Communications is a London-based professional services agency and self-described world's first internal communications firm, founded in 1964. It provides strategy, content creation, audits, and change communications to enterprise and government clients including Royal Mail, KPMG, TfL, LEGO, and Amazon.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where AB Communications is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
AB Communications business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Strategic Communications Consulting: AB Communications generates revenue through professional services fees for internal communications strategy development, campaign creation, content production, change management support, and communication audits. Services are tailored to enterprise clients on a project or retainer basis.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
AB Communications product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AB Communications is a London-based internal communications agency providing strategic and creative services to large enterprises and public sector organisations. Its core offerings include internal communication strategy development, insight-driven campaigns and content creation across film, audio, animation, print and digital formats, change and transformation support, and evidence-based communication audits using its proprietary Acid Test methodology. The firm also offers flexible IC Boost resourcing, the IC Masterclass learning programme, and produces The Internal Comms Podcast and AB Thinks newsletter as thought leadership assets.
Product overview
AB Communications is an internal communications agency offering a portfolio of professional services including campaigns and content creation (film, audio, animation, print), communication audits (via their unique Acid Test methodology), change and transformation support, strategic internal communication planning, and flexible IC Boost resources. They complement their service offerings with content products including The Internal Comms Podcast (136+ episodes), the AB Thinks monthly newsletter, the IC Masterclass on-demand learning programme, and downloadable guides. For select clients, they have also built custom digital platforms such as the MyPB mobile app for Purplebricks and the Highway digital magazine for National Highways. The company positions itself as the world's first internal communications agency with 60 years of experience.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Campaigns and Content
- Communication Audits
- Change and Transformation Support
- Internal Communication Strategy
- IC Boost
- Acid Test
- The Internal Comms Podcast
- IC Masterclass
- AB Thinks Newsletter
- Health Check
Quantifiable outcome
- 131% increase in vision awareness and 52% increase in values awareness for TfL
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use AB Communications
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
AB Communications technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AB Communications partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Alliance of Independent AgenciesminorAB Communications is listed as a member of the Alliance of Independent Agencies, which appears on their website footer alongside other professional organization logos including the Institute of Internal Communication (IoIC) and CIPR Inside.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
AB Communications competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Edelman: Global communications marketing firm with a dedicated employee engagement and internal communications practice. Competes for the same enterprise IC budgets as AB but from a much larger, multi-discipline agency platform.
- Burson (BCW): Major global communications agency with corporate and employee communications capabilities. Comparable as an enterprise IC competitor but operating at significantly greater scale and geographic breadth than AB.
- FleishmanHillard: Large global PR and integrated communications network with established employee engagement offerings. Overlaps with AB on internal communications strategy and change campaigns for multinational clients.
Emerging players
- Staffbase: Employee experience platform providing intranet, mobile employee app, and internal communications tooling. Comparable on problem space (enterprise IC) but competes from a productized software angle versus AB's services model.
- Poppulo: Employee communications and digital signage platform serving global enterprises with email, mobile app, and analytics tooling. Comparable as it addresses the same internal communications use cases AB solves via custom builds, but via a SaaS product rather than bespoke agency work.
- Firstup: Workforce communication platform offering personalized internal messaging, mobile apps, and measurement. Overlaps with AB's digital-magazine and employee app work (e.g., MyPB for Purplebricks, Robin for Royal Mail).
- Sociabble: Employee engagement and internal communications platform with content creation, advocacy, and analytics features. Targets the same enterprise IC buyers as AB but through SaaS rather than agency services.
Direct peers
- The Creative Engagement Group: UK-based employee engagement and internal communications agency producing campaigns, events, video, and digital content for major employers. Comparable in offering mix and focus on internal audience activation.
- Gatehouse Group: Specialist internal communications consultancy offering strategy, content, measurement, and change communications for enterprise clients. Directly comparable in scope of IC services and enterprise customer profile.
- Scarlettabbott: UK-headquartered internal communications and employee engagement agency that designs campaigns, content, and change programs for global enterprises. Highly comparable to AB Communications in target market (large enterprise), service mix (IC strategy, campaigns, content), and delivery model (consultative, project-based).
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
AB Communications social profiles
Digital presenceAB Communications financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AB Communications leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
AB Communications funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AB Communications 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 AB Communications
What does AB Communications do?
AB Communications is a London-based internal communications agency providing strategic and creative services to large enterprises and public sector organisations. Its core offerings include internal communication strategy development, insight-driven campaigns and content creation across film, audio, animation, print and digital formats, change and transformation support, and evidence-based communication audits using its proprietary Acid Test methodology. The firm also offers flexible IC Boost resourcing, the IC Masterclass learning programme, and produces The Internal Comms Podcast and AB Thinks newsletter as thought leadership assets.
Is AB Communications a public or private company?
AB Communications is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was AB Communications founded?
AB Communications was founded in 1964. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is AB Communications based?
AB Communications is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does AB Communications make money?
One revenue line is on record: strategic Communications Consulting.
Who are AB Communications's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Edelman, Burson (BCW) and FleishmanHillard. Emerging players are Staffbase, Poppulo, Firstup and Sociabble. Direct peers are The Creative Engagement Group, Gatehouse Group and Scarlettabbott.
Does AB Communications have an API?
No public API is recorded for AB Communications.