For over two decades, B&D has quietly built a reputation as one of the UK’s most thoughtful and purposeful independent creative agencies. Founded in 2002 and led by CEO Ben Gallop, the agency was born not from ambition alone, but from client loyalty and a desire to do work that actually matters.
With a philosophy rooted in selfless creativity and a sharp focus on effectiveness, B&D doesn’t chase trends or awards; they chase meaning. From weathering the impact of COVID-19 to supporting a new wave of AI-first brands, their journey reflects what happens when you value integrity, craft, and client bravery over buzzwords and bloat.
In this Agency Spotlight, Ben Gallop shares the lessons of 23 years in the industry, why true growth isn’t always about size, and what the future of creative work looks like in a post-AI, post-pandemic world.
How was your company born and where are you based?
We opened our doors in August 2002
What was the biggest challenge to the growth of your company?
Winning new business. Well, not necessarily winning it, but knowing that it exists in the first place. Clients are dysfunctional. If they weren’t, they would need agencies. The very word ‘agency’ is to give power to someone to fulfil their potential. Agencies get the work done while the clients manage their internal politics. So, knowing that a potential client might be looking for help is virtually impossible unless you already have a relationship.
Which was the first huge success that you can remember?
We started B&D because a client offered us a contract while we were still at a network agency. He didn’t want to work with them, but he wanted to work with us. So we jumped ship and started up. You can imagine what the Network agency said and tried to do. But they failed.
What’s the biggest opportunity for you and your company in the next year?
AI. But not using it, but supporting businesses who do. Our last 5 client wins have all be AI-first businesses.
Can you explain your team’s creative process? What makes it unique?
Two things. The first is selflessness. We bring in talent when we know our in-house capability isn’t the ideal fit. We’re very honest about what we do well and what we’re best at. If we’re not the very best, we find the people who are. It’s putting the brief first and egos second. The next thing is our mantra: Make it Matter. We produce things that are design, not art. Our work must have a purpose and achieve something. If it doesn’t matter to anyone, then it doesn’t matter at all.
How does your team remain inspired and motivated?
Lots of things, tangible and intangible. Tangible, we everyone in the agency have to contribute to ‘Creative Share’ - an online depository of the best ideas we’ve seen each week. It’s divided into many different themes and sections, and it’s constantly added to. It means we’re always looking for inspiring work and we have a record of it, which helps kickstart brainstorming.
The intangibles are more around culture. Hiring the right people, with a mix of a can-do attitude and natural creative flair. You can’t switch those things off, and we try to exercise them. If the environment allows for creative expression and the people in it are naturally creative, you don’t need to work too hard.
How has COVID-19 affected your company?
Almost destroyed us. The darkest and saddest of times when I had to let many, many people go who were utterly brilliant. We were a perfect team, with not one weak link. I have no problem with letting bad people go, but having to make wonderful, talented people redundant, especially for something beyond our control, was heartbreaking.
Thankfully, everyone got another job and is excelling. Some even started their own agencies. I’d like to think they look back at their time with us as a solid grounding for building their things.
The effect of COVID now, or what seems like an affect, is apathy. Particularly on the client side. It feels like excellence isn’t as important anymore, and that ‘it’ll do’ syndrome has spread. Needless to say, budgets have been in line with that attitude.
Which agencies do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?
I don’t. I’ve always felt that any good agency can produce brilliant work, but only if the client is driven and brave. Our best work is down to having clients that want to move the needle, who care about detail, quality and uniqueness, are open to original ideas and prepared to fight internally for the budget to make a difference.
Those clients are few and far between. So when I see a great piece of creativity, I think “what a great client” more than I think “what a great agency”.
What is one tip that you would give to other agencies looking to grow?
Ask yourself whether you’re growing for ego or purpose. Having lots of staff or multiple offices means more headaches, more cost, and more exposure to risk. If you’re a creative-minded leader who cares about the work, growing will mean you get ever more distant from the thing you love, and you’ll not necessarily earn more money.
Scale means you’ll become less efficient and you’ll burn cash. You’ll end up looking like your clients – functionally dysfunctional. My rule, after 23 years of doing it, is to grow when there’s a need or demand, not just because you can. Some of the best agencies are no more than 20 people.
How do you go about finding new clients/business? (Pitching, work with retainers, etc.)
Thankfully, after doing it for so long, most of our business comes from referrals. We’ve tried every possible service, process, in-house teams, and external teams, but none of it really works for us as we’re a generalist.
We offer so many services that it’s hard to know which one to pitch. Our process for genuinely new business is simply building relationships with no expectations of work. It can take years of nurturing, but eventually, some pay off.
What’s your one big hope for the future of the industry?
In the throw-away world of social media, my hope will never materialise, which is that people care about quality and craft again. That seemed to die after COVID, and it’s soul-destroying. AI – or rather the hype and misunderstanding around it – is falsely making people think that a computer can do our jobs. It can help us, and it’s amazing.
But right now, and for the foreseeable future, it can’t replicate human nuances or creative flair.
