Manchester and London firm doing employer brand, attraction campaigns and media for global employers and universities. Canonical: https://recruitmentads.com/agencies/smrs ![smrs.co.uk homepage, captured 3 September 2026](https://recruitmentads.com/agencies/screenshots/smrs.jpg) ![SMRS logo](https://recruitmentads.com/agencies/logos/smrs.png) Agency profile # SMRS smrs.co.uk Manchester and London firm doing employer brand, attraction campaigns and media for global employers and universities. Best for: Large employers and universities that want culture diagnostics and employer brand research first, then a global attraction campaign with media planned and bought by the same firm. [Employer branding agencies](https://recruitmentads.com/agencies/employer-branding)[Recruitment marketing agencies](https://recruitmentads.com/agencies/recruitment-marketing)GlobalIndependent [Claim this profile](https://recruitmentads.com/agencies/claim?slug=smrs)[Visit smrs.co.uk](https://www.smrs.co.uk/)[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/smrs/) Unclaimed profile. Nobody at the agency has edited it. - Head office Manchester, United Kingdom - Delivers in Global - Ownership Independent - Facts checked 3 September 2026 * * Founded * People * Awards won * Clients named * Open roles * LinkedIn followers - 1997 - Founded 51-200 - People 2 - Awards won 22 - Clients named not-published - Open roles 9,952 LinkedIn followers Overview ## What they do Written from their own pages and the public record, checked 3 September 2026. SMRS is an employer branding and recruitment marketing business. It is based in Manchester, United Kingdom, with a second office in London. Its size band is 51 to 200 (LinkedIn, read 2026-09-03). It is independent, held since October 2022 through a holding company owned by two individuals. It is listed here under employer branding and recruitment marketing. Our take Two things stand out in the work. The first is a genuine higher education practice sitting beside the employer brand one. A third of the case studies are universities and business schools, and the questions there are student recruitment and portfolio strategy rather than hiring, so check which team you would get. The second is scale of research. The LEGO Group work runs from a global brand platform down to five target value propositions and a careers site. Media planning and buying is a named service, which many employer brand firms of this size do not offer. Careers site build is not named as a service even though one was delivered for LEGO. Services ## What they sell Service lines named on their own site. We do not add a service an agency does not publish. - EVP research - Employer brand creative - Recruitment advertising campaigns - Media buying - Social content - Talent attraction strategy - TA consulting - Early careers Fees, engagement model and the register sit in the company facts below. Work ## 3 case studies Published by the agency on its own site. We summarise them, and link to one. The LEGO Group ### Just imagine the possibilities Global employer brand for a toy maker better known as a consumer brand than an employer, built as a Just Imagine platform with six pillars, a new careers website, social video, candidate packs, an ambassador community, target value propositions for five audiences and a Behind the Bricks live event series. [Read it on smrs.co.uk](https://www.smrs.co.uk/the-lego-group-case-study) River Island ### Life on the island Employer brand for a retailer, researched through interviews from the chief executive down to store staff, landing on This is Island life, with a video and photography campaign, a content playbook and training for employees making their own content. IHG ### When only the very best will do Employer brand and attraction work for a global hotel group, listed on the SMRS work index. Clients named on their own site, not confirmed with the client - The LEGO Group - IHG - Pandora - River Island - Fidelity - Taylor Wimpey - BT - Yodel - RWE - UL Solutions - PepsiCo - HSBC - King's College London - University of Liverpool - Royal College of Art - Anglia Ruskin University - Oxford Brookes University - Arts University Bournemouth - Birmingham City University - Cranfield School of Management - London North West University Healthcare - Somerset Bridge Group Recognition ## Awards Read from each awarding body's own winner list. Named here, never linked. - 2026RAD AwardsEmployer Website (The LEGO Group Careers Site)Shortlist - 2025RAD AwardsEmployer Branding, Research, Insight and Strategy (The LEGO Group)Win Certified to Cyber Essentials, Disability Confident Leader. Inside the agency ## People and channels Leadership named on their own site, and the accounts they publish from. Follower counts are as each account showed them on the day we read it. Leadership - Sarah SturgessChair and Managing Director - Richard BadleyManaging Director Channels, read 3 September 2026 - LinkedIn @smrs9,952 followers - Instagram @smrs\_ltd - Facebook @smrsltd - YouTube @UCNckjXRy3DCWBq7JmUEIvAg Third party ## Reviews and press Scores as each site reported them on the day we read it. We do not verify them and we do not link to them. Review sites 3.8 / 5 Glassdoor from 22 employee reviews at the Manchester office, reported in a search result summary because the page could not be read directly No profile found on Clutch, G2, Trustpilot and Google. Press Newsletter: Monthly insights mailing list. The site carries an insights section and an events section, and the footer offers a monthly insights mailing list. Hiring ## Careers Counted on their own jobs page on the day we read it. not-publishedroles listed on their own jobs page No named vacancies were listed on 3 September 2026. The page invites people to join a talent pool by email. [See the roles on smrs.co.uk](https://www.smrs.co.uk/careers) The record ## Company facts From Companies House and their own site, not from a data broker. - Head office Manchester, United Kingdom - Offices Manchester, United Kingdom / London, United Kingdom - Delivers in Global - Team size 51 to 200 people - Legal name S M R S Ltd - Company number 03365804 - Incorporated 1997 - Ownership Independent - Register Active, last accounts made up to 31 October 2025Trades under SIC 73110 - Advertising agencies - Commercial model Not published Before you brief them ## Questions to ask them The gaps this profile cannot close for you. 1. 01Ask whether your account sits in the employer brand team or the education marketing team, and who has run comparable work in your sector. 2. 02Media planning and buying is named as a service. Ask how buying is charged, whether by commission or fee, because no commercial model is published. 3. 03The LEGO careers site was delivered but site build is not a published service. Ask who builds and hosts a careers site and on what platform. Questions and answers ## Questions about SMRS Facts from the sources at the foot of the page. No opinions here. ### Who owns SMRS? It is independent. Companies House shows S M R S Ltd held since 3 October 2022 by SMRS Group Limited, whose only people with significant control are Richard Noel Lewis and Toby Charles Windsor (Companies House, read 2026-09-03). ### How big is SMRS? Its LinkedIn company page shows a size band of 51 to 200 employees, and its about page says more than 90 colleagues (LinkedIn and smrs.co.uk about us, read 2026-09-03). ### Which clients has SMRS worked with? Its case studies name The LEGO Group, IHG, Pandora, River Island, Fidelity, Taylor Wimpey, BT, Yodel, RWE and a set of universities including King's College London and the University of Liverpool (smrs.co.uk our work, read 2026-09-03). ### What does SMRS do? Culture diagnostics and strategy, employer branding and brand measurement, target value propositions, advocacy programmes, global attraction campaign strategy, media planning and buying, content and talent insights (smrs.co.uk our services, read 2026-09-03). ### Where is SMRS based? Manchester, at 2 Express Networks, 3 George Leigh Street M4 6BD, which is also its Companies House registered office, with a second office at Fora, 201 Borough High Street, London (smrs.co.uk and Companies House, read 2026-09-03). ### Does SMRS do media buying? Yes, SMRS lists media buying on its own site (read 3 September 2026). ### Does SMRS do EVP research? Yes, SMRS lists EVP research on its own site (read 3 September 2026). ### Does SMRS do programmatic advertising? No. SMRS does not publish programmatic advertising as a service (checked 3 September 2026). ### Does SMRS do recruitment video? No. SMRS does not publish recruitment video as a service (checked 3 September 2026). ### What is SMRS's pricing model? Not published; SMRS quotes after scoping (checked 3 September 2026). ### Does SMRS deliver outside the United Kingdom? Yes. SMRS states that it delivers globally (read 3 September 2026). ### What awards has SMRS won? We record 2 award entries for SMRS, the most recent in 2026, from RAD Awards. Read from each awarding body's own winner list (checked 3 September 2026). ### What do review sites say about SMRS? Glassdoor reports 3.8 out of 5 from 22 employee reviews at the Manchester office, reported in a search result summary because the page could not be read directly. No profile was found on Clutch, G2, Trustpilot and Google. These are figures each site showed on the day we read it. We did not verify them and we do not turn them into a rating. ### Is SMRS hiring? SMRS publishes a jobs page. It listed not-published roles (read 3 September 2026). No named vacancies were listed on 3 September 2026. The page invites people to join a talent pool by email. ### Is SMRS independent? Yes. SMRS is independently owned (read 3 September 2026). We read the ownership from the register, company number 03365804. ### What case studies has SMRS published? SMRS publishes The LEGO Group, "Just imagine the possibilities", River Island, "Life on the island" and IHG, "When only the very best will do" on its own site (read 3 September 2026). We summarise each one on this page. ### How does SMRS compare with Havas People? SMRS is in Manchester, United Kingdom, 51 to 200 people, independent, and publishes evp research, employer brand creative, recruitment advertising campaigns and media buying. Havas People is in London, United Kingdom, 201 to 500 people, group owned, havas, through havas uk limited, and publishes evp research, employer brand creative, recruitment advertising campaigns and media buying. Facts only: we do not rank them. Free ## Is this your agency? Claiming costs nothing. It does not change where you sit in a list and it does not buy a recommendation. It lets you fill the slots only you can fill. [Claim this profile](https://recruitmentads.com/agencies/claim?slug=smrs) Added when the agency claims this profile LogoNamed contactContact emailBudget fromTypical engagementLanguagesAvailabilityFounder interview Also on record ## Similar agencies Researched under employer branding agencies, on the same facts. Firms without a published profile carry no link yet. | Agency | Head office | Size | Ownership | Publishes | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------ | -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | [Havas People](https://recruitmentads.com/agencies/havas-people) | London, United Kingdom | 201 to 500 people | Group owned, Havas, through Havas UK Limited | EVP research, Employer brand creative, Recruitment advertising campaigns | | [Penna](https://recruitmentads.com/agencies/penna) | London, United Kingdom | 201 to 500 people | Group owned, Adecco Group | Talent attraction strategy, Recruitment advertising campaigns, Employer brand creative | | [PeopleScout](https://recruitmentads.com/agencies/peoplescout) | Chicago, United States | 1,000 or more people | Group owned, TMP (Holdings) Limited, part of TrueBlue, Inc. | RPO, Project RPO, EVP research | | [Blackbridge Communications](https://recruitmentads.com/agencies/blackbridge) | London, United Kingdom | 11 to 50 people | Group owned, Blackbridge EOT Limited | EVP research, Employer brand creative, Recruitment advertising campaigns | | [Cielo](https://recruitmentads.com/agencies/cielo) | Wauwatosa, United States | 1,000 or more people | Group owned, Permira, through Talent Bidco Limited | RPO, Project RPO, EVP research | | [TMP Worldwide UK](https://recruitmentads.com/agencies/tmp-worldwide-uk) | London, United Kingdom | 201 to 500 people | Group owned, TMP (Holdings) Limited, part of TrueBlue, Inc. | EVP research, Employer brand creative, Recruitment advertising campaigns | Sources (18) 1. smrs.co.uk homepage, including footer offices and social links (read 3 September 2026) 2. LinkedIn company page, SMRS (read 3 September 2026) 3. Companies House, S M R S LTD 03365804 overview (read 3 September 2026) 4. Companies House, S M R S LTD persons with significant control (read 3 September 2026) 5. Companies House, SMRS GROUP LIMITED 14110235 persons with significant control (read 3 September 2026) 6. smrs.co.uk about us (read 3 September 2026) 7. smrs.co.uk our services (read 3 September 2026) 8. smrs.co.uk our work index (read 3 September 2026) 9. smrs.co.uk case study, The LEGO Group (read 3 September 2026) 10. smrs.co.uk case study, River Island (read 3 September 2026) 11. smrs.co.uk careers page (read 3 September 2026) 12. smrs.co.uk being a B Corp page (read 3 September 2026) 13. RAD Awards winners 2025, SMRS win for The LEGO Group (read 3 September 2026) 14. RAD Awards 2026 shortlist, SMRS entry for The LEGO Group careers site (read 3 September 2026) 15. Glassdoor reviews for SMRS Manchester, read as a web search result summary because the page could not be fetched (read 3 September 2026) 16. Web search for Clutch, G2, Trustpilot and Google business profiles for SMRS, none found (read 3 September 2026) 17. Web search for trade press coverage of SMRS in Campaign, The Drum, Recruiter and Prolific North, no article found (read 3 September 2026) 18. B Corp directory, page returned HTTP 403 so the certification is recorded from the agency's own B Corp page (read 3 September 2026) Cite this profile RecruitmentAds, "SMRS", https\://recruitmentads.com/agencies/smrs, last verified 3 September 2026. Copy Relationship with RecruitmentAds: none. It does not affect listing or order. [How this directory works](https://recruitmentads.com/agencies/methodology). Something wrong on this page? Email [\[email protected\]](https://recruitmentads.com/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection) with the profile name and we will recheck it.