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Insights & case studies

From the BlackFire blog.

Real campaigns, real numbers. A look behind the work we've done for clients across lead generation, paid media, social and search.

A person typing on a laptop that shows an older ChatGPT welcome screen, not a Business Hub dashboard.
Guide · SEO
ChatGPT Business Hub: claim your business
OpenAI's new ChatGPT Business Hub lets you claim your business, update its details and see mentions and clicks. What UK brands can use now and how to set it up.
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A wooden hourglass with blue sand on a desk beside books and pens, illustrating the shorter Google Ads Smart Bidding learning period.
Guide · Paid media
The Google Ads learning period is now 7 days
Google now says Smart Bidding's Learning status lasts no more than 7 days and budget, target and creative edits don't trigger it. What changed and what to do.
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A hand pointing at a printed line graph and bar chart on a wooden desk, illustrating how to read ranking and traffic changes during the Google November 2026 core update.
Guide · SEO
The November 2026 core update, explained
Google's November 2026 core update started on 10 November and may take two weeks. What it is, how to read ranking moves, and what not to touch yet.
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A musician playing acoustic guitar to a smartphone mounted in a ring light, the kind of LIVE set-up a TikTok LIVE Creator Network can help a creator develop.
Guide · Creators
TikTok LIVE Creator Networks, explained
What TikTok LIVE Creator Networks are, what they can offer LIVE creators, who is eligible, how joining works in the app, and how to pick the right network.
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A long corridor of server racks in a data centre, illustrating how AI companies crawl and store website content and why an AI training opt-out now matters.
Guide · SEO
The new AI training opt-out, explained
Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic plan to honour one AI training opt-out in robots.txt. What it does, what it doesn't, and whether you should use it.
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A business owner studying bar charts on a laptop with a highlighter in hand, checking which SEO KPIs actually matter.
Guide · SEO
SEO reports: rankings vs real KPIs
Are your SEO reports just rankings? An honest comparison of rankings-led reporting and full-stack SEO, the KPIs worth tracking, and who each suits.
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Hikers on a mountain trail in the Tyrolean Alps, the outdoors alternative that anti Black Friday campaigns such as REI Opt Outside still sell against the shopping rush.
Guide · Black Friday
Anti Black Friday campaigns: Patagonia, REI and lessons
Anti Black Friday campaigns brands still study: Patagonia Don't Buy This Jacket, REI Opt Outside and Slowvember, with lessons if you run a sale.
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A shopper at a cafe table checking a purchase on her phone with a bank card in her other hand, the mobile checkout moment a Black Friday Meta ad has to win.
Guide · Black Friday
Black Friday Meta ads: best examples and rising CPMs
Black Friday Meta ads for brands: best examples from 2025, how CPMs rose, when costs start climbing and a three-week budget and creative plan.
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A laptop showing charts on a wooden desk next to cardboard shipping boxes, the kind of paid-search and fulfilment view brands need ready before Black Friday week.
Guide · Black Friday
Black Friday Google Ads strategy: budget and Shopping
Black Friday Google Ads strategy for brands: budget pacing, Shopping feeds, Search, PMax, ad copy and measurement, backed by 2025 BFCM data.
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A lightbox sign reading Sale on a dark flat lay with a smartphone, an alarm clock and a silver piggy bank, the countdown feeling every Black Friday inbox brings.
Guide · Black Friday
Black Friday email marketing: examples and subject lines
Black Friday email marketing for brands: a send plan, email examples, 30 subject lines, flows, SMS and UK rules, backed by 2025 BFCM data.
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A black letterboard reading Black Friday Sale next to a black gift box with a red ribbon on a red background, the kind of graphic every feed fills with in November.
Guide · Black Friday
Black Friday social media strategy: post ideas and a creator plan
A Black Friday social media strategy for brands: post ideas, a creator and UGC plan, paid social timing and UK disclosure rules, backed by 2025 data.
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A black Black Friday shopping bag next to sale and 50% off tags on a red background, the starting point for a Black Friday marketing strategy.
Guide · Black Friday
Black Friday marketing strategy: a four-week plan
A practical Black Friday marketing strategy for brands with four weeks to go. Offer, channels, budget timing and measurement, backed by 2025 data.
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A business owner checking receipts with a pink calculator, weighing up a PPC management fee against a percentage of ad spend.
Guide · Paid media
PPC fee vs percentage of ad spend
Flat PPC management fee or a percentage of ad spend? An honest UK comparison of both agency pricing models, with a table, worked example and FAQs.
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Two hands holding broken pieces of a milk chocolate bar, a nod to the £1 chocolate bar at the heart of Sainsbury's 1914 Christmas truce advert.
Case study · Campaign breakdown
Sainsbury's 1914 Christmas truce
Sainsbury's 1914 Christmas truce advert sold over a million charity chocolate bars and drew 823 complaints. What UK brands can learn for Christmas.
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A person at a laptop comparing a grid of campaign photos against printed proofs, the kind of side-by-side creative review the new Meta ads creative breakdown makes possible inside Ads Manager.
Guide · Paid media
Meta ads creative breakdown
Meta Ads Manager now reports results for each image, video and text variation in an ad. Where to find the creative breakdown and how to use it.
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A laptop on a desk showing a purple analytics dashboard with line charts, similar to the conversion data advertisers can now review in the Google Ads All Conversions tab.
Guide · Paid media
Google Ads All Conversions
Google Ads has added an All Conversions tab. What it shows, where to find it and a step-by-step audit to catch double counting and wrong settings.
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A laptop on an office desk showing a line graph with sharp spikes, the kind of sudden swing UK businesses have been seeing in their SEO rank tracker since September 2026.
Guide · SEO
Poisoned Google results
Google is serving inaccurate results to SEO rank trackers. What poisoned SERPs are, how to spot a fake ranking drop and what UK businesses should check.
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A smiling creator in a pale yellow T-shirt holding up a small pot of lip and cheek tint while filming herself on a smartphone, the kind of product video UK brands commission from UGC creators.
Guide · Creators
UGC creator rates
How UK UGC creators should price videos, usage rights, whitelisting and packages, with a sourced 2026 benchmark and what to charge extra for in Q4.
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A small business owner photographing a trainer with her smartphone at a desk covered in parcels and a laptop, preparing a social post for Facebook or Instagram.
Guide · Social
Meta One for Business
Some Facebook Pages are now capped at two link posts a month unless they pay for Meta One. What UK businesses get on each plan, what it costs and how to decide.
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A small business owner in a stockroom of cardboard boxes checks a clipboard while packing orders, the kind of TikTok Shop seller now being enrolled in GMV Max Net Sales Boost.
Insight · Paid media
TikTok Shop Net Sales Boost
TikTok Shop is auto-enrolling eligible UK sellers in GMV Max Net Sales Boost. What it does, what changes after 30 days and how to decide before Black Friday.
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Golden fried chicken drumsticks on white paper, a nod to the product KFC ran out of during the 2018 chicken crisis that led to the FCK ad.
Case study · Campaign breakdown
KFC's FCK apology
How KFC's FCK ad turned the 2018 chicken crisis into a masterclass in saying sorry, and what UK brands can learn about apologies, tone and trust.
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A woman checking her phone on a London Underground platform as a red and white Tube train pulls in, representing UK audiences scrolling Threads on the move.
Insight · Paid media
Threads ads in the UK
Meta says Threads has overtaken X. Your Meta ads may already run there. What UK businesses need to know about Threads ads: setup, formats, limits and testing.
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Two friends at a red café table with takeaway coffees, one scrolling a pink smartphone, representing UK consumers browsing a social app like Bluesky.
Guide · Social
Bluesky for business
Bluesky has over 47 million accounts but no ads. What UK businesses need to know in 2026: real user numbers, who it suits, how to set up and how to measure it.
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A man in glasses with his hand on his head, staring at a laptop at a wooden desk, representing a UK business owner who has just seen Google rankings drop after the September 2026 spam update.
Guide · SEO
Google spam update
The Google spam update finished on 8 October 2026. How UK businesses can tell if they were hit, what to fix and how to protect leads while rankings settle.
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A smiling creator opening a cardboard parcel on a wooden table beside a laptop and smaller boxes, representing a UK creator unpacking a PR package sent as a gifted collaboration.
Guide · Creators
Gifted collaborations
Gifted collaboration offers flood in during Q4. How UK creators should label gifted posts, handle tax, spot bad deals and turn gifting into paid work.
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A woman sitting on a sofa holding a smartphone and a bank card, representing a shopper tapping a Facebook or Instagram ad with Meta product browsing switched on.
Guide · Paid media
Meta product browsing
Meta product browsing switches on for existing Facebook and Instagram ads from 28 October. What it does, how it affects tracking and how to opt out.
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A laptop on a desk showing bar and pie charts next to a tablet, representing a business reviewing its Search Console AI performance report.
Guide · SEO
Search Console AI report
How to use the Search Console AI performance report to track AI Overviews and AI Mode impressions, what the data leaves out, and when to use the AI control.
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A London street at night strung with Christmas lights, standing in for the moment the festive season starts on UK high streets.
Case study · Campaign breakdown
Coca-Cola Christmas advert
Coca-Cola Christmas advert lessons for UK brands: why the Holidays Are Coming trucks, jingle and tour still beat a one-off festive film.
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A woman with digital code and data charts projected across her face against a dark background, representing AI-native advertising and ChatGPT Ads.
Guide · Paid media
ChatGPT Ads UK
ChatGPT Ads UK explained: OpenAI's new visual ad format, expanded measurement partners and brand suitability pilots, plus how UK advertisers should test.
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A businesswoman in glasses and a white blouse typing on a laptop at a glass desk in a bright office, representing an advertiser reviewing Google Ads channel settings.
Guide · Paid media
Google Ads channel prioritisation
Google Ads channel prioritisation and budget allocation explained: how to control Search partners and Display spend, and what changes in February 2027.
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A young woman sitting on a sofa at home, holding a smartphone in one hand and a payment card in the other, representing a shopper buying through an AI shopping assistant.
Guide · Retail
Agentic commerce UK
Agentic commerce explained for UK retailers: what Meta, TikTok, Google and OpenAI have launched, what is live in the UK, and how to get product data ready.
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A young creator in a studio lined with neon light bars, framing a shot on a smartphone mounted on a tripod, representing a UK creator producing content for brand deals.
Guide · Creators
How to get brand deals
How to get brand deals as a UK creator: build a media kit, find the right brands, pitch well, price your work and stay on the right side of ASA rules.
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Hands typing on a laptop while editing a document, the kind of human review Google now treats as critical for AI-generated content.
Guide · SEO
Google AI content guidelines
Google says it is critical to fact-check all AI-generated content, including titles and meta. A UK SME audit after the Sept 2026 spam update.
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A designer sketching a website wireframe and user flow in a notebook, the planning stage where website redesign SEO should start.
Guide · SEO
Website redesign SEO
A practical website redesign SEO checklist for UK SMEs: URL inventory, 301 redirects, Search Console, tracking and ads, so rankings and leads survive.
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A red gift box tied with red and gold ribbon hanging on a Christmas tree, standing in for the gift-giving idea behind the John Lewis Christmas advert.
Case study · Campaign breakdown
John Lewis Christmas advert
What the John Lewis Christmas advert teaches UK brands about emotional storytelling, music, launch hype and turning one TV ad into a full campaign.
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Laura and Andrea from Masafina smiling in a shop aisle behind a display of red and green peppers.
Case study · SEO
Food brand SEO
How BlackFire improved Masafina's SEO with Search Console, meta titles and steady blogging. Real numbers and lessons for UK food brands.
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Large red "Sale. 40%" sign on a yellow poster in a shop window, representing a discount offer that could appear in an ad.
Guide · Paid media
Google Ads automated promotions
Google Ads automated promotions start 12 October 2026. What they are, which campaigns are affected, how to opt out and what to check before Black Friday.
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Five wooden star shapes lined up in a row on a plain orange background, representing a five-star customer rating.
Guide · Fake reviews
Fake reviews law UK
Fake reviews law UK explained for marketers: what the DMCC Act bans, the CMA's live investigations, incentivised reviews and a practical compliance checklist.
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Two people at a cafe table reviewing and signing a paper agreement beside a laptop and coffee cups, representing a creator signing a brand deal contract.
Guide · Creator contracts
Influencer contract UK
Influencer contract UK guide for creators: usage rights, exclusivity, payment terms, ad disclosure and tax, so your next brand deal pays properly and on time.
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Arm holding out brown, red, white and navy paper shopping bags against a plain wall, representing Black Friday and Q4 retail demand.
Guide · Black Friday
Black Friday marketing UK
Black Friday marketing UK 2026 plan for SMEs: build audiences early, protect margin, plan paid ads and creative, and stay on the right side of the CMA.
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Creator filming short-form video on a smartphone under studio light, representing answer-first content built for social search.
Guide · Social search
Social search marketing UK
Social search marketing UK playbook: help your brand get found when buyers research on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram before they open Google.
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Close-up of an indulgent chocolate bar on a wooden surface, suggesting the brand-feeling territory Cadbury leaned into with the Gorilla campaign.
Case study · Campaign breakdown
Cadbury Gorilla ad
Why Fallon London's drumming gorilla and a Phil Collins track still beat product-demo advertising, and what UK brands still steal wrong.
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Interior of a well-presented local retail shop with clothing displays and warm lighting, representing a UK SME ready for Google Business Profile SEO.
Guide · Local SEO
Google Business Profile SEO
How UK SMEs win Maps and the local pack with categories, NAP, reviews, photos and a practical checklist.
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Laptop on a glass desk showing a marketing analytics dashboard with charts and KPI cards, representing Meta Advantage+ creative automation and paid media reporting for UK advertisers.
Insight · Paid media
Advantage+ creative automation
Generative enhancements, remix, modular assets, hooks and CAPI signals for UK advertisers, and when to opt out.
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UGC creator filming a vertical video on a smartphone in natural light
Guide · UGC creators
UGC management agency UK
How to get a UGC agent, join a roster, build a UGC portfolio and choose a UGC agency versus a platform.
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Marketing team reviewing short-form creator video on a laptop and phone
Guide · Creator management
Content creator management UK
What content creator management includes in the UK, when to hire influencer management versus DIY, and how partnerships, UGC and talent fit.
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Laptop showing website analytics and marketing charts
Insight · SEO strategy
GEO isn't replacing SEO
GEO and AEO explained for UK SMEs. Why answer engines and AI Overviews still need classic SEO underneath.
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Google search homepage on a screen
Insight · Paid media
Paid search in AI Mode
Ads are live in Google's AI Mode in the US and AI Max is replacing keyword controls. What UK advertisers should do before it arrives.
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Facebook app open on a phone in front of a blurred Facebook logo
Insight · Paid media
Meta has removed placement controls
You can no longer untick placements at ad set level. What changed, what you can still control, and what to do in your account now.
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LinkedIn logo on a phone screen lying on a backlit keyboard
Insight · Social strategy
LinkedIn carousels in 2026
Still one of LinkedIn's best-performing organic formats. How carousels work now and how to build one people actually swipe through.
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A cluttered desk covered in crumpled notes and sticky notes around a laptop, representing content overload
Insight · Content strategy
Your brand doesn't need more content
AI has made content faster and cheaper to produce than ever. That's exactly why having something worth saying now matters more than posting on schedule.
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A laptop open on a Facebook business page next to a smartphone, showing organic social content
Guide · Social strategy
Organic vs paid social
Organic social builds attention and trust. Paid social buys reach right now. Here's how to decide where your budget should actually go - and when to use both.
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A team meeting around a table with laptops, discussing a presentation
Guide · Getting started
Freelancer vs agency
Freelancer vs agency for your marketing - what each actually costs, where each wins, and how to pick the right one for your business.
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A can of Liquid Death Mountain Water held in front of its branded box packaging
Case study · Campaign breakdown
Liquid Death's billion-dollar branding
Liquid Death turned water into a billion-dollar heavy-metal brand with a skull logo and a tagline about death. Here's how shock branding beat the boring blue bottle playbook.
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IKEA storefront signage lit up at night
Case study · Campaign breakdown
IKEA's furniture flags
IKEA Canada had no World Cup sponsorship rights, so it built national flags out of cushions, lamps and storage boxes instead. Here's how a guessing game beat a stadium logo.
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Hands typing on a laptop showing an analytics dashboard
Guide · Lead generation
Lead quality vs lead quantity
Why most businesses optimize for lead volume instead of quality - and why that costs them thousands. How to stop chasing count and measure what converts.
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A bottle of Heinz Tomato Ketchup on a table
Case study · Campaign breakdown
FIFA banned Heinz's logo
FIFA made staff tape over every Heinz logo at the World Cup. The bottles went viral anyway - and Heinz turned the cover-up into a limited-edition product.
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Two colleagues in a meeting, one gesturing while discussing data shown on a laptop screen
Guide · Strategy & analytics
How to measure marketing ROI
How to actually measure marketing ROI - the framework we use with clients, and how to stop wasting money on activity that looks good but doesn't work.
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The Aleksandr Orlov meerkat plush toy, wearing his signature glasses and green cardigan
Case study · Campaign breakdown
The meerkat more famous than the brand
A pun about a meerkat turned into one of the UK's longest-running ad campaigns. How Compare the Market built an entire fictional brand around a joke - and why it still works nearly 20 years on.
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A hand holding a smartphone showing Instagram Reach analytics
Guide · Paid advertising strategy
Scale paid ads without doubling budget
Why paid ads campaigns hit a ceiling, and how to scale spend 2-3x without cost per lead spiralling. The framework that separates scaling from spinning wheels.
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Smartphone screen showing the DoorDash app, with a Starbucks delivery promotion on screen
Insight · Celebrity marketing
DoorDash's family feud marketing
DoorDash paid Brooklyn Beckham to joke about his real family rift on camera. Why leaning into an already-public story worked - and the lesson for marketers.
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Two colleagues in conversation across a table in a bright office
Guide · Marketing strategy
In-house team vs agency
A junior hire looks cheaper. Add benefits, tools, management time and turnover, and the numbers say otherwise. The full comparison.
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Levi's Stadium logo covered by a white sheet during the FIFA World Cup 2026
Insight · Brand strategy
FIFA's $170m gift to Levi's
FIFA tried to make a $170 million logo disappear. Levi's turned the cover-up into a global campaign it never paid for.
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Google Search Console showing clicks, impressions, CTR and average position
Insight · SEO strategy
Ranking #1 isn't what it used to be
AI Overviews answer most searches before anyone reaches your site - cutting clicks by up to 61%. How to get cited by AI, not bypassed.
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Instagram, Facebook and Twitter apps in a Social Media folder on a phone
Insight · Social strategy
Nobody's seeing your posts
Organic reach has collapsed to as little as 0.5% of your followers - and platforms broke it on purpose. Here's what works now.
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SEO vs Paid Ads for lead generation
Guide · Lead generation
SEO vs Paid Ads
Which generates leads faster, what each really costs over time, and how to choose in one question.
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Meta Ads vs Google Ads
Guide · Paid media
Meta Ads vs Google Ads
Which actually works for your business, what each costs, and how to choose in one question.
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How much does a digital marketing agency cost in the UK
Guide · Pricing
What does a marketing agency cost?
Real 2026 UK price ranges for retainers, PPC, SEO and projects - and how to tell what you're paying for.
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Simply Natural
E-commerce & Web Design
Simply Natural
A luxury alpaca brand with 300+ products and an ageing storefront - re-designed, rebuilt and repopulated on Shopify in twelve weeks.
Read case study →
Cosmic Pickle
UGC & Content
Cosmic Pickle
Self-initiated UGC shot on location at a South Austin beer garden - frozen cocktails, the garden, and no brief.
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Masafina
Social, Web & SEO
Masafina
Google impressions per day rose from 92 to 653, with heritage-led social and a blog and contact page on the existing store.
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ClearBeacon AI
Web Design & Product Build
ClearBeacon AI
Our own venture: a marketing website and a working AI compliance scanner, designed and built end to end in-house.
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The D-Day Darlings
Music & Live Entertainment
The D-Day Darlings
A 1940s wartime act in a 2020s digital landscape - and five years of social media built to fill venues without ever breaking character.
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Fr. App
Creator-Led Brand Activation
Fr. App
A bright yellow van, a TikTok star and a coast-to-coast tour that turned an app into a movement.
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Mazuli
B2B Lead Generation
Mazuli
Putting a premium glazing specialist in front of architects, builders and homeowners - each with their own framing.
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SuperGro Lasers
E-commerce Launch
SuperGro Lasers
From product to live online store in three weeks - with no runway wasted.
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Nakanojo
Hospitality Brand Awareness
Nakanojo
Letting the food do the talking on one of London's most competitive dining strips.
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The Frog Initiative
Brand Campaign
The Frog Initiative
A six-month art competition with a Times Square billboard prize - and a brand that grew by association.
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