Northern Ireland public relations firm named PR Week’s largest agency outside London

A Holywood-based global PR & creative agency has been recognised in three categories within PR Week’s Top 150 rankings.

Smarts was named the largest agency outside of London, 30th largest agency in the UK overall, and the fourth largest consumer agency.

These significant milestones are reflective of a decade of growth for Smarts, reporting a total revenue of £16m in 2024. The agency now employs close to 200 people across its five offices in Glasgow, London, Amsterdam, New York and Holywood.

Offering a comprehensive range of communication services – including design, content, influencer marketing, media relations, and employee engagement – Smarts has made substantial investments exceeding £2 million in content production, digital infrastructure, and influencer capabilities since 2020.

Recent highlights include working with US actor Tina Fey on Booking.com’s 2024 Super Bowl ad, building Zalando’s Style Creator Programme of 400+ micro-influencers to drive growth for the fashion brand’s Instagram and TikTok following – and expanding into mainland Europe with a new office in Amsterdam, with European campaigns in the past year including an experiential engagement programme to showcase Booking.com’s new Amsterdam HQ to more than 6,000 employees.

This expansion aligned with Smarts' strategic growth plan, positioning the agency as a global leader in culture-driven, consumer-focused communications.

Reflecting on this milestone, Smarts Global CEO Pippa Arlow underscores the agency's vision for driving expansion and ambition on a global scale, anchored in their base in Northern Ireland, she said: “It’s fantastic to be recognised in PR Week’s annual agency rankings – our growth over the past five years is a reflection of the amazing, creative, specialist, and collaborative team we’ve built, and the work they do every day to help our clients create the connected moments that drive their place in culture.

“Our roots in Northern Ireland serve as a foundation for our global aspirations. From our headquarters in Holywood, we're not just making waves in the UK; we're setting our sights on broader horizons, always looking for the ‘what next’. At a time when the industry as a whole is showing real growth as flat, we grew by 16% from an already significant base. It's a remarkable achievement and one we’re keen to celebrate."