North East media agency Route, based at creative hub, Generator Studios, Newcastle, with a sister office in Brighton, is expanding its team and entering new territories after a series of client wins.
Route, founded by Gateshead born Darren Davidson and his business partner Ben Dascombe, has won a series of national client accounts in the built environment sector over the past year, including the Royal Institute of British Architects, bimstore, Welsh Oak Frame and locally based Premier Kitchens. The team counts First Group, The National Pet Show and charity Together for Children amongst its clients.
The agency is now strengthening the team with the appointment of Adrianne Baird as head of search and optimisation, expanding the services Route offers to include Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). Adrianne has been supporting Route on a freelance basis for the past 12 months, and founders Darren and Ben are delighted to have her on board permanently, bringing a wealth of skills and experience.
The appointment supports Route’s vision to partner with clients to help them continually improve their customer’s experience on and offline and to maximise their investments by increasing the conversion rates of paid for and organic media. The company is also in talks to open a third office.
After relocating to his native North East after 20 years working in advertising for News UK, Sky and latterly as programmatic and digital trading director at Time Inc UK, Darren opened Route’s doors in Newcastle two years ago. Route offers SMEs, communications agencies and in house marketing teams a modern alternative to traditional media buying agencies, focussing on customer engagement and retention.
Darren said; “When we opened Route in Newcastle, we recognised a huge gap in the market to help mid-sized communications agencies, in house teams and SME’s plan effective paid-for media strategies to reach and convert more customers.
“Spending money on buying advertising is a big commitment and you need to make smart choices to maximise budgets and get results. Knowing where to start can be challenging and so we partner with our clients to look at the big picture – what they’re trying to achieve as a whole and the best way to get there.
“It’s not just about booking adverts, it’s about helping achieve business goals. That could be looking at routes to market, understanding customers and the best way to attract them and ensuring they have the best online experience once they engage with a business or organisation. Adrianne’s appointment supports our business aims, but more importantly, our customer’s needs, and we’re delighted to have her on board permanently.”
Co-Director Ben Dascombe, who runs the Brighton office, continues; “Our strategy over the past two years has resonated, especially with SME clients in the built environment sector, where we’re seeing real traction.
“Our team is extremely experienced and supports our clients through the whole buying process, from planning to execution and optimisation. Our focus is on creating partnerships and delivering outcomes that add value. This approach gets results and that is fuelling our continued growth.”
Adrianne is an experienced digital media marketing specialist, having worked in house for Nixon Group and Seaward Group as well as in agency. Her background includes digital copywriting, Pay Per Click, viral marketing, social media strategy and SEO, both onsite and off.
She said; “It’s great to be part of the Route team permanently, having supported them in a freelance capacity for some time. Having worked in the north east all my life, I know the landscape well and am excited to be part of an agency I believe is offering something different, that truly meets the needs of our clients. We have a lot of knowledge and expertise between us, which we’re able to bring to bear. Our focus is on the customer journey – we want to help our partners attract and retain more customers and maximise their investments.”
Route offers clients access to the most advanced marketing technology solutions in the North East.