Smarts celebrate multiple wins, growth plans and recruitment of over 30 new staff

This comes on the back of winning four gongs at the industry-leading Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) awards, bringing its total number of wins this year to over 20.

NI’s largest creative agency works with some of the world’s biggest brands and the most recent wins were for campaigns with clients such as online fashion platform Zalando, maker of Johnnie Walker and Guinness, Diageo, and the UK government agency Food Standards Authority.

Since the turn of the year, the company has continued with its ambitious growth plans and has recruited 30 new employees, meaning the company has expanded by over a third since the start of 2021. The majority of new hires have been recruited into the Holywood office with the London and New York offices also expanding their operations.

Pippa Arlow, Smarts global CEO, said: “It has been a huge year of growth for us and we are delighted to have recruited some of the best talent available around the world to our ranks since January. That is what makes these award wins so worthwhile, it is an acknowledgment of the work we have put into growing our business and attracting top talent through our doors to work with some of the world’s best known brands.

“These award wins are a vindication of our focus on popular culture and entertainment and enable us to help clients achieve their business goals by building relevance that resonates with consumers.”

With offices in NI, London, Scotland and New York, Smarts currently employs over 118 people and has clients in more than 20 countries. Its extensive client portfolio includes global names such as British Airways, Bosch, KFC and Johnnie Walker, as well as local names such as Ulster University, Kestrel Foods, Wilson’s Country and local rockers Snow Patrol.

Smarts is part of MSQ, a multi-disciplinary group of digital, creative, branding and PR agencies that operate internationally.

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