We recently gained an exclusive preview into the annual **[NewMediaAge](https://www.newmediaage.co.uk)** ranking of digital specialists across the UK, revealing promising trends for the entire digital agency sector. The “Marketing services guide” indicates a significant recovery, marked by expanding budgets and the emergence of new revenue streams. Agencies are actively diversifying their offerings, venturing into mobile, social media, and display advertising to capture new opportunities. While the full report isn’t yet available online, the top three agencies have been unveiled.
Robust Growth Across the Digital Sector
The data highlights a strong upward trajectory, with the combined revenue of the top six agencies listed in the guide surging by 14.6%. This impressive growth saw total revenue rise to £27.07 million, up from £23.62 million in the previous year. Within this vibrant landscape, **[ECircle](https://www.ecircle.com)** demonstrated exceptional performance, generating the highest income from email marketing with £7.45 million for the year ending December 2010. Also securing spots among the top three were **[Tullo Marschall Warren](https://www.tullomarschallwarren.com)** and **[DotMailer](https://www.dotmailer.com)**, underscoring their significant contributions to the sector’s recovery.
**Anna Richardson from NewMediaAge** offered her perspective on these developments:
“Email providers are increasingly recognizing the natural synergy between their medium and well-executed social media integration. However, amidst the rising demand for integrated services, providers must remain focused on their core strength: their specialized knowledge is what ultimately wins clients. The positive outlook shared by agencies in the guide strongly suggests that these specialisms are highly valued.”
Why We Appreciate This Report and Revenue-Based Rankings
The NewMediaAge report offers valuable insights into the dynamic digital agency landscape. Here’s what we particularly like about this approach:
* It provides a clear snapshot of how the email marketing sector is performing in comparison to other digital disciplines.
* As an annual report, it effectively tracks ongoing trends for both the industry as a whole and the individual companies participating.
* It offers digital agencies a tangible opportunity to showcase their performance and profile themselves based on concrete results – specifically, their revenue.
Considerations and Drawbacks of Revenue-Based Rankings
While revenue-based rankings offer certain advantages, they also present potential limitations that warrant consideration:
* A ranking based solely on revenue doesn’t necessarily reflect a company’s profitability or overall financial health.
* Comparing agencies that manage significant revenue streams (such as advertising and affiliate networks) with those that don’t can create a distorted or misleading picture.
* Focusing exclusively on revenue may inherently favor Email Service Providers (ESPs) primarily involved in extensive production work, potentially disadvantaging those who specialize predominantly in technology development.
* Agencies that opt not to disclose their revenue figures are, by definition, excluded from the ranking, leading to an incomplete representation of the market.
* Revenue alone is often not the most critical factor when clients are evaluating or choosing an Email Service Provider (ESP) for their specific needs.
