Digital agency Code Computerlove is celebrating its 15th birthday this year with plans to launch an operation in London.
Founded in 1999 by Tony Foggett with fellow directors Louis Georgiou and Wini Tse, the agency has grown from a multimedia business to an award winning full service digital firm working with clients including Oxfam, Hovis, NUS, Chester Zoo, BBC, Brother and First TransPennine Express.
CEO Foggett is predicting that its 15th year is set to be one of the agency’s best year as it expects to take staff numbers from 80 to 100, move to bigger offices and launch an office in London this summer.
Turnover has grown to £5m for the year to December 31, 2013, and the agency expects this to grow by 15% in the current financial year.
Foggett, who is also chair of Manchester Digital, said: “We’re well and truly established in Manchester, but we can see that there are huge opportunities for us in London’s labour market for the kind of work that we do, as we are a talent led business.
“As well as the growth opportunities, we will be closer to some of our existing clients who are already based there, and it’s a huge marketplace which we are looking forward to tapping into.”
Foggett said even after 15 years, the agency is still going strong.
“There have been many highlights in the last 15 years,” he said.
“Sometimes you need to take a step back to see just what has been achieved with the kind of work we are doing but also the high calibre people that we have attracted to the agency.
“Some of the highlights have been working with HMV and Oxfam and in the early days getting clients such as Huggies was great for us.
“Our biggest challenge was in the recession when a lot of council work dried up as soon as the cuts were made.
“We lost £1m worth of work when we lost two major clients in one week.
“HMV wanted us to repitch but as we were pitching for Matalan and Butlins, we couldn’t do it, and Kimberley Clark decided to go elsewhere. We did however win our two pitches, but we did see a drop in our growth.
“But overall we have been very lucky, and over the years we have done a good job of holding onto existing clients and winning new ones, with a consistent performance over the years.”
And how has the digital landscape changed in Manchester in the last 15 years?
Foggett added: “Well digital marketing wasn’t really even in existence 15 years ago so that’s how much it’s changed.
“There is now a real sense of ‘digital community’, with Manchester’s abundance of diverse digital capability.
“We’re pretty much still one of the biggest independent agencies in the city, but Manchester’s ability to foster collaboration means that there is a great sense of digital community, which is great to be part of.”
SOURCE: Manchester Evening News
