Insights
Growth In Comms Agencies Isn’t Flat. It’s Fractured.
11.06.25
Author: James Thomlinson
11.06.25
According to PRWeek’s Top 150 League Table, the average PR agency grew just 3.1% last year. Once you adjust for inflation, that’s basically zero.
And yet… some agencies posted growth of over 40%. Cavendish. Taylor Herring. The Romans. Ramarketing. WA Communications. These aren’t scrappy start-ups, either.
They’re established players pulling away from the pack.
So, what’s really driving the gap between stagnation and success?
That’s the question we set out to answer in our latest Sprint Partners report: ‘The Growth Divide.’
We analysed the strategies of the UK’s fastest-growing agencies and identified 10 key drivers behind their creative and commercial outperformance. Here’s what we found.
Growth Comes from Strategic Discipline, Not Just Great Ideas
Top-performing agencies aren’t just doing good work – they’re building the right growth conditions around it. That means:
- Investing in a clear point of view – Agencies like Headland and MHP are owning their intellectual space through signature reports, cultural trend tracking, and thought leadership.
- Embedding AI with intent – Golin is aiming to be the world’s first fully AI-integrated PR agency by 2026. Tangerine is investing over £1.2m in AI to fuel creativity and operational efficiency.
- Productising services – Agencies are turning know-how into scalable IP. Whether it’s crisis toolkits, brand audits, or planning dashboards, these are not just campaigns – they’re commercial assets.
- Dialling up strategic advisory – The fastest-growing firms are shifting left on the brief, helping clients with issues like reputation, C-suite coaching, and ESG risk – not just media coverage.
- Doubling-down on culture and performance – High-growth players aren’t burning out their teams. They’re investing in DEI, retention, leadership, and high-performance mindsets.
In short: they’re watching margin, not just momentum.
Growth Requires More Than Youth and Energy
One in three agencies saw revenue fall last year. A big reason? Over-reliance on junior teams, underpowered by strategic senior talent.
As we’ve written before, creative ambition needs commercial experience to thrive. It’s why Sprint Partners exists – to plug that strategic gap without adding the overhead.
What This Means for Agency Leaders
Whether you’re an MD looking to scale, or a CMO assessing agency partners, the lesson is the same: future growth will be won by those who combine creativity, capability and commercial clarity.
The industry is evolving. Budgets are rising again. But the window of opportunity won’t stay open forever.
If you want to assess how your agency stacks up against the 10 Growth Accelerators – or get practical support to move the needle – get in touch. We’re here to help agencies and brand teams perform at pace.
Related content:
Insights
19.06.26
In Dubai, we unveiled the MENA region’s first data-led benchmark of commercial performance across marketing communications agencies – revealing where growth is heading in 2026. Built in partnership between Sprint Partners Consulting, PRCA MENA and YouGov, the report captures the real story behind revenue, profitability, investment, new business intensity and the strategic capabilities shaping the […]
Insights
19.06.26
Agency Hackers’ Growth Summit was one of the most honest, practical and founder-led conversations about agency growth I’ve been part of in a while. What stood out wasn’t hype or theory, it was lived experience. Across M&A, new business, leadership, pricing, independence and scale, there was a refreshing lack of BS. Clear patterns from […]
Insights
12.02.26
Insights
26.11.25
You’ve probably seen the wild visuals doing the rounds from Google’s Nano Banana Pro. I had a play by uploading my report, The Growth Divide, and turning it into a whiteboard… 🤯 The output was spot on: sharp analysis, clean design, eerily lifelike. Exactly the sort of thing that speeds up early-stage strategic thinking and […]
Insights
26.11.25
I attended the fantastic Moore Kingston Smith LLP annual agency survey event last night, which painted a very clear picture: the agencies winning today – and those positioned to win tomorrow – are the ones behaving like high-performance teams. They’re agile, strategically disciplined, and continually evolving their proposition. The difference between “fit” and “future-fit” comes down to […]
Insights, Reports
20.11.25
A quick reminder for anyone shaping their 2026 plans: vision means nothing without delivery. This week, the PTO and the Saudi Federation signed an MoU in Riyadh to accelerate triathlon from grassroots to elite level – a clear sign of big ambition and long-term investment. But in the same weekend, one of the sport’s headline […]
Insights
19.11.25
I recommended what I called “the GOAT of business books” to a client last week – and I stand by it. If you haven’t read Good to Great by Jim Collins, it’s well worth it, particularly as you shape your 2026 plans. It was first recommended to me by an old boss, and the principles […]
Insights
03.11.25
Glasgow you great. Great fun, great people, and great food (GaGa Kitchen)! Enjoyed speaking to many Scottish agencies and learn more about the market up there. Some seriously strong agencies that shouldn’t be overlooked just because they’re not in London. Thanks to the PRCA for inviting me to speak about Agency Growth in 2026 and Pitching Smarter, Winning Bigger. Here […]
Insights
14.10.25
Had a lot of fun chatting to Chris Norton and Will Ockenden from Prohibition PR. Thanks a lot for having me on and putting me on the spot more than once! We dug into why so many brand-agency pitches miss the mark, and how both sides can make the process work better: The usual suspects: AI-written RFPs, vague briefs, and […]
Insights
11.10.25
Are you struggling to find a new gear and finish the year strong? After a long, demanding year, many leaders feel like they’re running out of steam – teams are stretched, priorities are blurred, and focus is hard to sustain. That’s why Hyperefficient by Dr Mithu Storoni is worth checking out. It explores how […]