What Brands & Agencies does

Brands & Agencies is a UK-based B2B directory and community platform connecting brands with marketing, creative, and digital agencies. The platform indexes 6,000+ agencies and 17,000+ brands, filterable by sector (Retail, Finance, Professional Services, Technology, Life Sciences, Construction & Property), service (20+ digital categories including SEO, social media, paid media, content, CRO, and eCommerce), and location. It is registered as Brands & Agencies Ltd, is wholly owned by Prolific North Limited (a Manchester-based media company founded in 2013), and operates from a small team headquartered in Manchester. The geographic focus is concentrated in Northern England, aligned with parent Prolific North's editorial and event footprint.

The platform's core product is a web-based directory with search and filtering, agency profile pages, case study showcases, and a News & Insights editorial section. It was built and is maintained by Pixelbuilders, a Leeds-based digital agency that serves as long-term technology partner. The product surface includes the Agency Directory, Brand Directory, Agency Profiles, Case Studies, sector-specific discovery pages, and a content submission flow. The platform operates on a freemium model: brands access the directory free of charge, while agencies can claim free basic profiles or upgrade to a paid Premium Agency Membership that provides dedicated clickable profiles, case study publishing, brand partnership listings, and enhanced search visibility. Premium billing is annual, auto-renewing via GoCardless direct debit.

Revenue is generated exclusively through premium agency subscriptions, with no disclosed advertising, lead-generation fees, or transaction take-rates. The company has no external funding, no public revenue disclosures, and no named enterprise customers. Distribution is driven by Prolific North's media channels (news, newsletter, Northern Marketing Festival events) and content marketing (#morethanjustadirectory positioning). Operationally, the business functions as a strategically adjacent product to Prolific North's core media operations rather than as a standalone high-growth venture.

Name

Brands & Agencies

Legal name

Brands & Agencies Ltd

Website

https://brandsandagencies.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brands & Agencies is a UK B2B platform connecting brands with marketing and creative agencies via a searchable directory of 6,000+ agencies and 17,000+ brands, with case studies and sector-focused discovery. Owned by Prolific North, it operates a freemium model with premium agency subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agency-Brand Matching Platform

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181), Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms (BPAMAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

B2B/ABM Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAI)

Keywords

• Agency directory platform
• Brand-agency matching
• Marketing agency network
• Agency discovery platform
• Agency case studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Premium Agency Memberships: Paid annual subscriptions for agencies wanting premium features including dedicated clickable profiles, ability to add case studies, brand partnership listings, and enhanced visibility in search results. Auto-renews annually via direct debit through GoCardless.
2. Free Tier Access: Free access for brands to search agencies, browse services, and explore case studies. Agencies can claim basic profiles and appear in relevant searches without premium features.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Brands & Agencies operates a searchable B2B directory and community platform connecting UK brands with marketing, creative, and digital agencies. The platform indexes 6,000+ agencies and 17,000+ brands, features real case studies with measurable results, editorial news and insights content, and operates on a freemium model with paid premium agency memberships providing enhanced visibility and profile features.

Product overview

Brands & Agencies is a UK-based B2B platform connecting brands with marketing and digital agencies. The core offering consists of searchable directories of 6,000+ agencies and 17,000+ brands, complemented by agency profile pages, case study showcases, and editorial news content. The platform operates on a freemium model with Free Agency Accounts providing basic directory visibility and Premium Agency Membership (£0.00/year) offering enhanced profile features, case study management, and brand partnership tools. Additional features include sector-focused discovery paths (Retail, Finance, Tech, Life Sciences, Construction) and a News & Insights section covering campaign highlights and marketing research. The platform is powered by Prolific North and developed in partnership with Pixelbuilders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Agency Directory Searchable directory of 6,000+ marketing and digital agencies across the UK, filterable by sector, service, and location, enabling brands to find and shortlist agency partners.
• Brand Directory Directory of 17,000+ brands with information about the agencies they work with, enabling brands to research competitors, discover agency partners, and explore agency-brand relationships.
• Case Studies Curated showcases of real-world agency work submitted by agencies, demonstrating results and outcomes for brand clients, accessible on agency profiles and relevant brand pages across the platform.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Prolific NorthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Parent company and platform originator. Prolific North is a leading news, jobs and events hub for creative, digital, tech, media and marketing sectors in the North of England, launched in 2013. Brands & Agencies leverages Prolific North's loyal and engaged audience and industry credibility.
• PixelbuilderscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2008Digital agency responsible for building and maintaining the Brands & Agencies platform. Based in Leeds, Pixelbuilders brings expertise in project management, design, development, and marketing to keep the platform optimized.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Clutch: Clutch is the largest B2B marketplace connecting buyers with agencies, consultants, and service providers through verified reviews. It directly competes with Brands & Agencies for agency-side premium listings and brand-side discovery in the same categories.
• Agency Spotter: Agency Spotter is a marketplace that helps brands find and vet marketing, design, and technology agencies. It operates on a comparable directory-plus-premium-listing model targeting the same brand and agency user base.
• Sortlist: Sortlist is an agency marketplace that matches brands with creative, digital, and marketing agencies via an AI-driven matching platform. It competes directly with Brands & Agencies on the same agency-discovery use case, with broader geographic reach.
• DesignRush: DesignRush is a B2B marketplace for finding top agencies across design, marketing, and technology. It competes with Brands & Agencies on agency discovery and premium profile positioning for creative and digital service providers.
• The Manifest: The Manifest is a B2B directory owned by Clutch that helps companies find agencies through curated listings, reviews, and how-to content. It overlaps directly with Brands & Agencies' premium agency listing and case study showcasing model.

Emerging players

• Credo: Credo is a curated marketplace connecting companies with vetted digital marketing agencies and consultants. It is comparable as a niche agency-matching platform with a vetted-curation angle distinct from Brands & Agencies' open directory model.
• Top Design Firms: Top Design Firms is a B2B directory focused on design and development agencies with rankings and curated listings. It is an adjacent peer addressing a narrower creative agency niche than Brands & Agencies.

Others

• Prolific North: Prolific North is the parent company of Brands & Agencies and a regional media hub for the Northern England creative, digital, and marketing sectors. It is comparable as the underlying media ecosystem that powers the platform's distribution and content.

Broad incumbents

• LinkedIn Services Marketplace: LinkedIn operates a broad services marketplace where agencies and freelancers can be discovered by brand decision makers. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping agency-discovery functionality, exerting competitive pressure on dedicated agency directories.
• The Drum: The Drum is a leading global media brand covering the marketing and advertising industry, with news, events, and awards. It is comparable as a broader incumbent serving the same UK/international agency-and-brand audience with overlapping content and community functions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BrandsandAgencies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brandsandagencies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Brands & Agencies