Push
London, New York, Dubai, Athens
Website: Push
Founders: Steve Hyde & Ricky Solanki
Year founded: 2007
UK headcount: 50-99
Offices: London, New York, Dubai, Athens
One of the most challenging things is having the guts to hold course when you’re ahead.
Profile
With age comes wisdom and experience, and this is something Push has on its side. Set up back in 2007, when SEO and PPC were still new and where it carved its niche, the agency is now on its “second journey” to make sure it is fit for the modern world.
Over the past two decades, Push has not only evolved along with digital marketing but survived two major crises – the 2008 financial crash and the pandemic. With those learnings in tow, co-founders Steve Hyde and Ricky Solanki are now gearing up for the next period of disruption and have spent the past few years repositioning Push as an AI marketing agency.
Its founder story is an interesting one and dates back to 2005, when Steve and Ricky met on an internet consulting forum. The two clicked over their love for Google AdWords and realised they could combine their skills to “divide and conquer”.
They soon started to gain momentum, with AGA one of the first brands to join the roster. But it wasn’t until 2012 that things really started to take off, when they put all their eggs into the PPC basket. About half of Push’s revenue was coming from Google advertising at the time; 95% by 2016.
A few years later, a post-covid “identity crisis” saw them shift again, from PPC to AI, which is where their eggs have been since. Push has a dedicated AI team and a Digital Innovation Acceleration Lab (DIAL) that allows clients to test and refine emerging AI technologies.
Today, there are over 50 “pushlings” and counting, working with a range of brands from Amazon Ads and Jelly Belly to the Natural History Museum and Finisterre. Push has gone far and wide since its first office in Ruislip, setting up offices in London, New York, Dubai and Athens, and currently raising investment to help it scale into new regions.
Reflecting on their journey as they prepare to embark on the next: “One of the most challenging things is having the patience or guts to stay and hold course when you’re a little bit ahead. Let's just hope we have got it right.”