Hype Collective

What Hype Collective does

Hype Collective is a UK-based youth marketing agency founded in 2017 that co-creates influencer and experiential campaigns with university students. The firm is headquartered in London (The Leather Market, 11-13 Weston St, London SE1 3ER) and serves enterprise clients seeking to reach 18-24 year-old consumers through authentic student voices rather than traditional media buying. Its core operating model treats students as creative partners who help develop straplines, star in influencer content, co-design event agendas, and amplify campaigns through their personal networks, a positioning the firm describes as 'co-creation' to differentiate from agencies that treat students solely as a target demographic.

The firm delivers two integrated service lines: On Social (influencer marketing across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, including nano-influencer, brand organic, and paid creator campaigns) and On Campus (experiential activations, brand ambassador programs, and university society network partnerships). Supporting assets include the Student Hub opportunities platform, The Scoop weekly newsletter, and Student Showcase feature, which together create owned-audience channels and a recurring supply of student creators. The firm has no proprietary technology platform or disclosed AI/ML capability; delivery is service-based and project-driven, leveraging human-curated student relationships and influencer coordination. Pricing is custom and quote-based, with multi-year contract cadence noted for some clients, and the firm offers a free TikTok pilot as a low-friction customer-acquisition tool.

Hype Collective's enterprise client list spans Co-op, Deliveroo, Civil Service Fast Stream, Disney+, Adobe, Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, Lovehoney, Art Fund, StudentUniverse, Junkyard Golf Club, Atlantic, WB Discovery, and Rize Up UK. Documented campaign outcomes include 180 rider applications for Deliveroo from 5% of annual budget, 350,000+ reach for Civil Service Fast Stream with 12% engagement on nano-influencer content, and ~280,000 impressions at 5.9% engagement for Lovehoney. The firm was acquired by Gen Z influencer agency Bulla Co in 2023, with leadership transitioned to Dan Partington as Managing Director following the acquisition.

Name

Hype Collective

Legal name

Hype Collective

Website

https://hypecollective.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hype Collective is a London-based youth marketing agency founded in 2017 that co-creates influencer and experiential campaigns with university students. Acquired by Gen Z agency Bulla Co in 2023, it serves enterprise brands such as Deliveroo, Co-op, Disney+, Adobe, and the Civil Service.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181), Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Brand Activations & Experiential Campaign Design (MPAAAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Experiential Staffing & Brand Ambassadors (MPAAAGAJ), Brand Ambassadors & Promotional Event Staff (HSACAEAE), Alternative OOH & Ambient Media (Guerrilla, Pop-Up Installations) (BPAFALAI)

Keywords

• Youth marketing agency
• Student influencer marketing
• Campus marketing services
• Experiential brand activations
• Brand ambassador programs

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Campaign-based marketing services: Delivers bespoke influencer campaigns, campus activations, and social media marketing services to brands targeting student audiences. Projects include influencer content creation, experiential events, and brand ambassador programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hype Collective is a youth marketing agency that co-creates influencer and experiential campaigns with university students in the UK. The agency delivers two core service lines — On Social (influencer marketing across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube using student creators) and On Campus (experiential activations, brand ambassador programs, and society network partnerships). Campaigns are built with students as partners who help write straplines, star in content, set event agendas, and bring their networks.

Product overview

Hype Collective is a youth marketing agency that operates as a unified service offering rather than a software platform. The company provides two core service lines: On Social (influencer marketing across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube) and On Campus (experiential marketing, brand ambassadors, and society networks). These services are delivered through a network of student creators and are supported by the Student Hub platform, which connects brands with student talent and features The Scoop Weekly newsletter and Student Showcase. The company was acquired by Bulla Co, a Gen Z influencer agency, as announced in their news section.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• On Social (Influencer Marketing) Influencer marketing service connecting brands with student creators on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, including nano-influencer campaigns, brand organic content, and brand paid campaigns targeting UK university students.
• On Campus (Campus Marketing) Campus marketing service covering experiential activations, brand ambassador programs, and society network partnerships to reach students at UK university locations.
• Experiential Marketing End-to-end ideation, build, and execution of campus events and activations, including pop-up shops, brand experiences, and interactive installations at UK universities.
• Brand Ambassador Program
• Society Network Partnerships

Quantifiable outcome

• 5% of annual Deliveroo rider recruitment budget generated 38% of applications
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Bulla CocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Gen Z influencer agency Bulla Co acquired Hype Collective in 2023, combining Hype's student marketing expertise with Bulla Co's broader influencer capabilities. Launch party held to announce the acquisition.
• Black Tech FestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Hype Collective launched exclusive partnership with Black Tech Fest, supporting diversity in tech through the partnership.
• Co-opflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2018Co-op partnered with Hype Collective as headline sponsor of The UNIs competition, providing £5,000 first prize. Also partnered on The UNIs roundup campaign. Co-op sponsored the Women's Ball with Aston Women in Business through Hype Collective's funding support.
• BPminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCategory partner for The UNIs STEM category, providing tickets to Wired LIVE as prize for winning society.
• StudentUniverseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCategory partner for The UNIs International category, providing £1,000 worth of flights as prize.
• Vibe TicketsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCategory partner for The UNIs Sports category, providing tickets to Lovebox festival.
• Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCategory partner for cause-based category in The UNIs competition.
• CareercakeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCategory partner providing prizes for Careers & Student Media category in The UNIs competition.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Bulla Co: Gen Z influencer agency that acquired Hype Collective in 2023; the parent company rather than a competitor, but operates in the same creator marketing space and now controls Hype's strategic direction.

Broad incumbents

• GroupM: WPP's global media investment group that buys influencer and social activations at scale for the world's largest advertisers, posing a structural competitor on the media-buying side of the value chain.
• Ogilvy: Global advertising and communications network offering influencer and experiential capabilities as part of a wider portfolio, competing for the same enterprise brand marketing budgets as Hype Collective.
• Dentsu Creative: Global creative network within Dentsu that provides brand experience, social and influencer services, representing the type of large incumbent that can absorb Hype's niche offering.
• Wunderman Thompson: Global creative, data and technology agency with experiential and influencer capabilities, comparable only at the broad agency-of-record level for enterprise clients like Lloyds and Barclays.

Direct peers

• Billion Dollar Boy: Global influencer and creator marketing agency serving enterprise brands with end-to-end campaign execution, comparable to Hype Collective's On Social service line.
• Livity: London-based youth marketing agency that works with young people to co-create campaigns for brands, the closest direct competitor to Hype Collective's co-creation model in the UK market.
• The Goat Agency: Global influencer marketing agency with a strong Gen Z / youth creator focus, competing for the same enterprise brand budgets on social-led campaigns.
• Wild Card: Youth-led creative agency working with brands on Gen Z-targeted campaigns, sharing Hype Collective's positioning around authentic engagement with younger audiences.
• Fanbytes: UK-headquartered Gen Z-focused influencer marketing agency (acquired by Influencer.com) that overlaps directly with Hype Collective's TikTok and nano-influencer offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hype-collective-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/hype_collective_
• TikToktiktok.com/@hype_collective

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Hype Collective