Why, after 30 years of secrecy, our brand agency decided to step into the spotlight

Proudly based in Bristol, Epoch is a brand agency that has the privilege of working with many of the world’s biggest and best-loved brands. And despite being around for almost 35 years, we’ve been happy to keep ourselves out of the limelight.

A conscious decision based on the core principle of putting the people we design for ahead of ourselves, it led to one of our founders’ favourite quotes, “We’re the biggest agency that you’ve never heard of.”

A changing world

It might be a cliché to say that things have never moved faster than they do today, but it’s true. While we could once rely on long-standing relationships with clients keeping our workflow steady, we now see roles and internal structures in constant flux. Teams change. Departments adapt. Careers move quickly.

We found ourselves at a crossroads

And when it comes to our own team, young talent, students – and in fact any prospective employees – once had the choice of London or the small selection of agencies in the city they lived in as a place to work. Now, with the option of hybrid working, not only can we appeal to people from further afield, but we’re competing with more agencies.

World events are impacting brand budgets, social media is adapting our industry at breakneck speed, and let’s not even get into the AI discussion…

And so, we found ourselves at a crossroads.

Despite our reluctance to talk about ourselves, for us to continue to play any part in people’s lives, we could no longer stay quiet.

And then it hit us.

Whilst we’ve always championed the importance of building brands based on human connections to our clients, we realised that for our own agency – this is something we’d neglected. Ironically then – in the face of all this change, our solution lay in leaning further into what we’ve always stood for.

We just needed to push our ‘people first’ approach into a space that created connections.

So after few weeks of internal wrangling, we landed on a redefined new positioning.

"We build brands that build bonds"

With this subtle shift in strategy, our focus remains on the real, emotional, human impact of the creative that we craft, but it allows us to share it with the world with far more freedom. And it’s driven every decision we’ve made as an agency since.

We now openly share the work that we – and our clients – care so deeply about on our website. We highlight the success our campaigns have had with consumers. We discuss the difference we make through our commitment to B-Corp status. We invite young minds from anywhere in the world to explore the Epoch Academy (our initiative for bringing the next generation of talent into the industry).

Already, we’re seeing the impact.

Our future has never felt clearer

We’ve strengthened existing relationships and struck new ones, we’ve won pitches, we’ve gained new clients, and attendance at our Uni visits have reached record highs. And this is just the start. Because despite all that change around us – our future has never felt clearer.

Yes – we’ve adapted our approach to address some of the challenges that the whole industry is facing, but it’s built from a timeless truth that we’ve always stood by. Our strategy is set, our identity is unmistakable and the bonds we’re building are only getting stronger.

Find out more about Epoch

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Theron Bigland is the man in charge of the biggest agency that you’ve never heard of… Yet. He is the CEO of Epoch, where he has led the agency’s growth and strategic direction since becoming a director in 2019. He plays a key role in shaping the agency’s performance and expansion. Known for his sharp leadership and long-standing industry expertise, he continues to elevate Epoch’s global impact.

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