We’re delighted to be included in Econsultancy’s Top 100 Digital Agencies report for the first time this year. The Top 100 is the sixteenth annual edition and comprehensive listing of the UK’s largest digital agencies.
Croud’s inclusion in the list highlights our continued growth and role as one of the key players in the digital space today. It follows other recent accolades for Croud, including being listed in The Sunday Times Lloyds SME Export Track 100, The Sunday Times Hiscox Tech Track 100, and the FT1000.
Croud’s co-founder and CEO Luke Smith said, “We’re thrilled to be included in Econsultancy’s annual report and to be considered one of the best in the business. To be ranked among the top 20 independent digital agencies after launching just seven years ago is particularly humbling, and we’re well set for continued growth in the years to come in both the UK and globally.”
State of the industry
As well as ranking the top 100 digital agencies, the report features in-depth analysis and commentary on the state of the industry. With agencies and the advertising sector more widely undergoing a period of transformation, the guide looks at topics including the future role of the agency, the digital skills gap, and data privacy.
Commenting in the report on the marketing and advertising industries’ ongoing transition, Croud’s Luke Smith said:
“The holding companies undoubtedly need to seriously evolve to meet fresh industry demands. And, in the case of WPP especially, this has posed some serious questions over whether an agency of that scale should be restructured to reflect market trends and the current climate.
“We’re also seeing the somewhat sad demise of the age of the personalities in the agency world, with Sorrell and Vincent Bolloré having departed and surely a couple of the other leaders not far off. This means the holding companies are in danger of becoming incredibly corporate and faceless with grey offices in Zone 2. A far cry from what agencies used to be known for and this isn’t what attracts young talent.”
Building a talent pipeline
Luke also comments in the report on some of the ways in which the marketing and advertising sectors can ensure their talent pipeline meets digital demands, emphasising the role that technology can play:
“Technology is fundamental to the future success of agencies. This should be applied to recruitment. We should be making it more appealing for the next generation of talent who want to work in a fast-paced, innovative business environment. We have a big development team at Croud, and everyone is expected to be involved in the innovation process. Time and time again, our team surveys highlight training and development as key priorities, so we’ve made this central to every employee’s development plans. Thinking like a tech business in terms of the spaces you create for people helps, as does making everyone a shareholder in the business.
“We have also shifted away from a city-centric model, which has allowed us to source talent from up and down the country, as well as overseas. We have our famous (I think) Croudies – a worldwide network of more than 1,900 freelance digital specialists – who share their skills and provide coverage of more than 100 markets in 77 languages. We’re harnessing talent that has chosen to work in a different way, and we’ve got a surplus of supply – this is the future of working.”
The full report is available to read and download here. Or you can contact Croud if you’d like to find out more.
