IAS B2B Marketing win best marketing communications agency

It's been a busy couple of years for marketing communications agency IAS. Not only has it overhauled its management team, it has also made a massive investment in training, doubled its profits and gained coveted awards. And IAS won't be stopping there - its aim is to become the world's best B2B marketing agency.

New team

When the account handler led board of IAS was replaced with a leaner team; of new MD Robert Morrice, CD Reuben Webb and FD Alan Brandwood, its stakeholders were forced to sit up and take notice.

Maurice and Webb had already unveiled IAS' business targets, which were clearly only achievable with a high growth and high visibility programme. The agency planned to become number one in B2B Marketing magazine's UK league table within five years.

To help it achieve this, an immediate, massive investment was made in marketing and training, the focal point being an initiative combining both. A book and training manual, the result of a wide ranging study implemented by Maurice and called Pitching - Guidelines for a Winner, marked the launch of a company concept of three P's - Profiling, Pitching and People. It is this fresh approach to the business that has in the past couple of years seen IAS win 16 out of 19 pitches, gain a coveted Investors in People award and be named North West Advertising Agency of the Year. On top of all of that, revenue in the past year has grown by 11 per cent and profits doubled - not bad against the backdrop of an economic downturn.