Monthly Archives: March 2019

Paul Earnden joins TLA to head up property business

Paul Earnden, the former director and board member of digital agency Prodo, has joined us to take on the newly-created position of strategy director for our growing property business.

Having expanded into the property market two years ago, following a decade and half in automotive, we welcome Paul at an exciting time for the business, with new technology soon to be launched.

Paul is tasked with developing and driving forward the company’s proposition across a number of property markets, including estate agencies and mortgage providers, helping our clients to acquire new clients in meaningful volumes.

“Paul brings a deep understanding of digital, marketing and product development,” commented TLA CEO Anton Hanley. “His experience of working with external service providers off-shore and on- to deliver technical solutions make him a great fit for where TLA is heading as a business.

“Paul will be responsible for researching and setting the strategy for the property vertical, leveraging our proprietary advertising technology to provide clients the highest quality of in-market leads available.”

Paul joins us after five years with Chester-based Prodo, where he led on strategy and sat on the agency’s board of directors. His remit there was to set the strategic direction for all clients from a customer acquisition and digital transformation perspective. These included the New York Times, RBS, Emirates Old Trafford and several clients in property and financial services markets.

Speaking of his new challenge, Paul said: “In the current era of digital disruption, I’m incredibly excited to be joining TLA. I am highly impressed with the technology offering and how TLA’s platform can be leveraged by brands looking to acquire customers in the property space.

“I’m looking forward to joining a well-established, 17-year-old tech company and growing the property business into a major part of TLA.”

Five minutes with… TLA PPC Manager Dan Potter

Ever wondered who are the people behind the technology and campaigns TLA produces? In a new series, we’re grabbing five minutes with members of the team to shine more light on who they are and what inspires them.

First up is Dan Potter, who joined the business in 2015 and manages our paid media campaigns. Here’s what we learned in our five-minute catch-up.

Hi Dan. Let’s start with an important one. Which sports teams do you follow?

Unfortunately, I’m a lifelong-suffering Evertonian (thanks Dad). I’ve also got into American football over the last couple of years and follow the New Orleans Saints (the least Everton-esque team I could find).

What TV series or film should we be watching?

I feel like it’d be too obvious to say Game of Thrones here, but… Game of Thrones.

If you had two weeks off, where would you go?

Japan. Absolutely no doubt. I’ve always been fascinated by the unique cocktail of ultra-modern technology, rich culture and traditions, and crazily beautiful natural landscapes. Plus the sushi, obviously.

Want to join Dan in the PPC team? Why not get in touch and apply today! 

Which TED talks (or equivalent) have you seen that you recommend we watch?

I’m going to cheat here because it’s not a TED talk, but I’d highly recommend giving ‘Cambridge Analytica – The Power of Big Data and Psychographics’ from the 2016 Concordia summit a watch. It’s a fascinating yet terrifying insight into how big data was leveraged alongside laser-targeted ad messaging to influence the Trump US election. It’ll make you never want to use the internet again.

Which websites do you visit daily?

I can’t remember the last time I went 24 hours without going on Instagram or YouTube. Workwise, PPC Hero post a lot of useful content and industry news daily. I’m also a big fan of Copyhackers, they teach you how to use the power of words to influence our highly susceptible human brains and drive action.

Which entrepreneurs do you admire and why?

I’m a big fan of Elon Musk. He’s not your typical entrepreneur that spotted a gap in the market or found a way to monetise their passion. He’s someone that’s driven by a genuine desire to change the world. He’s totally self-made, a massive risk taker and relentless in chasing his goals to an obsessive degree. Pretty much the poster boy for innovation and pushing boundaries.

And finally, what aspect of your work are you most passionate about?

I love the opportunity to be creative – and with digital marketing you’re able to actually see the direct tangible results of what you do. It’s super satisfying when some outside of the box thinking comes off.

If you’ve got a question for the TLA team or want to know more about what makes us tick, why not get in touch?

TLA Book Club: Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins

Welcome to The Lead Agency’s Book Club, a newly-introduced office library, that is part of our ongoing commitment to support and encourage self-improvement throughout the business.

Our growing collection of titles on business, leadership, tech, marketing and more has been introduced to help people learn and grow both in and outside of their roles.

So, what’s currently sitting on the bookshelf? Find out with our regular 5-minute summaries from the team – starting with our head of studio Neil Cosgrove…

1. Hi Neil. What have you been reading? 

Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins.

2. What was the book about?

Goggins should have been a statistic, the odds stacked against him to amount to anything in his life. Come from a rough childhood, to growing to 300 pounds in the Air Force, then loosing 110 pounds in 3 months to become a decorated Navy Seal, ultra-distance endurance athlete and world 24h pull up bar record holder (4,030).

3. What were the key takeaways for you?

  • Master your mind.
  • Most people only use 40% of their capability!
  • Take control of your life – you are the only one who can affect your future.

4. Who do you think would enjoy reading it?

Anybody who enjoys inspiring, motivational stories.

What have you read lately? Let us know what has inspired you and we’ll add it to the TLA library.

TLA appears in FT 1000 list for second consecutive year

The Lead Agency has been included in the Financial Times’ listing of the 1,000 fastest-growing companies in Europe for the second consecutive year.

With the help of data specialist Statista, the FT 1000 ranks fast-growing businesses from across the continent based on compound annual growth rate in revenue over a four-year period (2014-2017).

With a growth rate of 80.4%, we are delighted to have climbed from 363rd on the list in 2018 to 306th for 2019, placing as the 46th highest-placed UK business.

This recognition comes off the back of three respected tech company league table placings in 2018 as well as our first inclusion in the FT 1000, which has no restrictions on business type. We were named 50th in the The Sunday Times Tech Track 100, 39th in the Deloitte UK Fast 50 and fifth in the Northern Tech 100.

Placing in the FT 1000 for the second successive year is a tremendous achievement for everyone associated with the company, demonstrating our continued growth and success. But it wouldn’t be achievable without the consistently exceptional quality achieved by the TLA team and the continued support, trust and commitment of our clients and partners. We thank you all for helping us to continue our journey and allowing us to be a part of yours.

Top of this year’s ranking is financial services firm Blue Motor Group, which achieved a compound annual growth rate of 701.4%, followed by last year’s number one Deliveroo, which grew by 441.2%. The 1,000th placed company, German business Atheneum Partners, had a growth rate of 37.7%.