After a successful first two years in business, Newcastle-based media agency, Bonded, is expanding its horizons with a new Edinburgh office, as it plans its strategic expansion into the Scottish media landscape.
For Bonded, a presence in Scotland offers regional diversity, access to a thriving market, and an opportunity to connect with Scottish brands that they have long admired. Steve Underwood, Managing Director at Bonded, explains that contributing to the region’s media ecosystem as well as being able to invest in and create jobs are big motivating factors in the agency’s vision for their Scotland branch.
Steve commented, “Expanding into Scotland represents an exciting new chapter in Bonded’s journey, as we embrace fresh opportunities, cultivate new relationships and continue to redefine the digital and media landscape. With Bonded Scotland, we are not only crossing borders, but bridging connections”.
The launch marks a significant milestone in the agency’s growth journey, having quickly established itself as a major player within the Northeast of England. Founded by four senior figures within the media industry just two years ago, Bonded has seen rapid expansion in both its team and client base. In this time, the agency has led a flurry of successful campaigns for clients across a wide range of sectors, won numerous awards for the team’s work and more recently been named one of Prolific North’s ‘Independent Agencies to watch’. A momentum they are keen to continue with their new Scottish base.
To help carve its space within the Scottish market, Bonded has appointed Nikki Alcorn to lead the Scotland operation as Client Director. “As an agency that prioritises a people-first approach, we understand that delivering successful localised strategies requires local knowledge – and Scotland is no exception” explains Siobhan Byrne, SEO and Content Director at Bonded. “The appointment of Nikki, with over a decade’s worth of experience in the market and a thorough understanding of the Scottish media landscape is a key first step for Bonded on this journey”.
During her time as Account Director at Carat Scotland, Dentsu’s media buying arm, and Mediaworks Scotland, Nikki has been responsible for leading fully integrated campaigns, built trusted relationships with client marketing teams as well as creative agencies and worked with leading clients from sectors ranging from FMCG to finance.
Sharing in Bonded’s core values surrounding the importance of connection and building strong and trusted relationships with clients, Nikki sees joining Bonded and navigating this next chapter for the agency as the natural next step in her career. She comments “I have been keeping an eye on the great work that Bonded has been doing since their launch, and I am really excited to bring Bonded to Scotland. Scotland has a vibrant business community and in an ever-changing digital world, brands need an agency and a team that they can trust”.
Alongside Nikki, Bonded is welcoming Sue Holloway as board advisor for the new Scotland base, as well as the agency’s existing chairman, Dave Lucas. Both Holloway and Lucas have extensive experience in the media industry, having held senior positions at Carat Scotland and Dentsu.
The rest of the team welcome Nikki and share in the excitement for the agency’s launch into Scotland.