Since its launch in January 2024, Phonetic Digital has rapidly established itself as a key player in the local digital landscape, securing prestigious accreditation, several highprofile clients and laying the foundation for future growth.
Located in Sunderland’s historic Mackie’s Corner – a recently revamped Grade II listed building in the city centre – the agency was founded by Steven Parker with a clear mission: to create a sustainable business that benefits not only its clients, but its environment, its finances and its people and community too.
In its first twelve months, that mission has remained firmly at the forefront of everything the agency has done and achieved – from bagging top client wins to securing B Corp™ certification in the realms of diversity, sustainability and ethics, helping to cementing itself as one of Sunderland’s most exciting and values-driven employers.
Power partnerships
Its impressive roster of clients – including North East Chambers of Commerce, Gateshead College, Darlington College, Sunderland BID, Sunderland City Council and Oculus HR – continues to grow.
These partnerships have been instrumental in solidifying the agency’s reputation for delivering innovative and reliable digital solutions, which stretch from sustainable marketing to cutting edge website development and expert-led digital training.
The vision is and will always be the same: to enhance its clients’ digital presence and operational efficiency. Each service is designed to meet the unique challenges of today’s digital landscape, while upholding its commitment to clarity, sustainability and community impact. “They say it takes a village to raise a child, and it takes support from great clients to grow a business. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have really supportive clients who value our values-driven approach to business and services,” says Steven.
“Attaining B Corp™ certification in December 2024 cemented our approach to business sustainability. This has been the difference in winning at least two contracts in competitive pitch processes.”
Stand-out initiatives
Over the past twelve months, Phonetic Digital has undertaken several significant projects – the highlight being its successful bid to design and build a new website for Sunderland BID, following a highly competitive selection process. Its approach was comprehensive and multifaceted, beginning with strategic planning and workshops to gather insights from key stakeholders, ensuring the website would meet the client’s needs. This was followed by designing the site structure and wireframes to create an intuitive and userfriendly experience. Steven and his team also collaborated closely with the Sunderland BID marketing team regarding content creation, ensuring the site was both engaging and true to the Sunderland BID brand. Phonetic Digital’s commitment to sustainability was reflected in every stage of design and development, resulting in an efficient and environmentally conscious website.
Looking ahead
As Phonetic Digital looks to the future, the company has ambitious plans to grow its team and expand its services. It currently employs four staff members – who collectively offer decades of experience in their field.
Combined, they’ve completed over 200 projects and each one remains grounded in the agency’s ethos of phonetics – communication that is clear, precise and easily understood. Over the next three years, it aims to treble its headcount, creating more high-quality jobs in Sunderland. Its commitment to being a fair, sustainable and inclusive employer remains as strong as ever. Its recent certification as a B Corp™ Business underscores its dedication to sustainability and support for diverse talent in the workplace, while its Real Living Wage and Cyber Essentials accreditations reflect its strong ethical foundation and commitment to high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, transparency and cyber security.
With a strong client base, a commitment to sustainability and a clear vision for growth, the future looks bright for this Sunderlandbased digital agency. “We’ve had a great first year in 2024 and we’re looking forward confidently to 2025,” says Steven. “Our goal for our first year of business was to lay the groundwork and build a solid foundation for our future, which we’ve succeeded in doing. In year two, we plan on growing bigger and better with some really exciting opportunities in the pipeline.”
phoneticdigital.co.uk