A Boston-based transatlantic marketing firm has launched a new initiative to match US marketing teams with the most qualified, lower cost UK digital and creative agencies.
Upshoring (UpshoringUK.com) has been created by Leeds and Boston-based Great British Marketing (GBM), to connect US clients seeking cost-effective, high-quality digital and marketing services with pre-qualified UK agencies. GBM has assembled a panel of more than 30 independent pre-vetted suppliers across the UK, collectively employing over 270 designers, creatives, support staff, and technology specialists.
Research by GBM, carried out over two years with more than 100 senior US marketers, found that 54% were open to working with UK suppliers. Rising US agency costs – between 40% and 60% higher than their UK equivalents – combined with inflation and wage increases, mean that high quality overseas providers are increasingly attractive for US clients seeking competitive pricing without compromising quality.
Paul Snape, founder of GBM, is launching the venture with a week of meetings and presentations to CMOs and agencies in Boston, Massachusetts. Snape commented: “As costs rise for most sectors in 2025, there is intense pressure on budgets across the board, and using UK agencies for some aspects of digital and creative can reduce these costs with no drag on the quality of work. Upshoring pairs pre-qualified UK agencies with US CMOs and agencies who have specific briefs.
“Previously, we’ve been retained to help match individual UK agencies with US clients, but this new model allows US marketers to shortcut their research on suitable agencies, and have the reassurance that these suppliers are qualified and have the scale needed to deliver reliably in their specific niche. It also helps the UK agencies to focus on RFPs for projects that truly fit their specialisms.”
The independent suppliers on the panel cover a wide range of services, including SEO and PPC, brand strategy, media relations, graphic design, video production and animation, coding, and UX.
Snape added: “US clients can be exacting, and typically demand more specific niche experience than those elsewhere. They want evidence of work in specific sectors and geographies, and assurance that suppliers can adapt to their workflows and culture. Building our Upshoring panel allows us to hand pick UK agencies that can meet these expectations while highlighting the quality and expertise of UK creative suppliers who haven’t been widely known in the US before.”
Since 2014, GBM has represented dozens of UK and US clients entering and scaling in either market, as well as across Europe. Its portfolio includes marketing agencies, software and SaaS ventures, manufacturers, UK cities and regions, and government departments such as the UK Department for Business and Trade and the Ministry of Justice.
GBM plans to expand the panel to 40-50 agencies that are pre-qualified and have experience working with US projects and clients.
Snape added: “By pooling our resources and expertise, we aim to build a sustainable network of agencies that can highlight the UK’s strength in creative services, especially outside the capital in the Northern Powerhouse region from Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle. Our pre-qualified suppliers offer significant savings compared to their US counterparts while delivering excellent service and results, hence we call the initiative Upshoring.”
US marketers and agencies can find out more about the initiative at UpshoringUK.com