Fact file
Route in facts
Route is an independent media planning and buying agency headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne, working across the UK and internationally since 2016.
Quick answers
What is Route Agency?
Route Agency Limited, trading as Route, is an independent media planning and buying agency headquartered at Generator Studios in Newcastle upon Tyne. It plans and buys paid media across every channel for organisations across the UK.
When was Route founded, and by whom?
Route was founded in 2016 by Darren Davidson, who is Managing Director. 2026 is the agency's tenth year.
Is Route independent?
Yes. Route is not owned by a holding company or media network, so its recommendations answer to client results rather than a network's trading deals.
What does Route do?
Media planning and media buying across out of home, TV and video, audio, digital display, programmatic, paid social, paid search and traditional media, plus marketing consultancy covering SEO, conversion rate optimisation, analytics, dashboards, communications planning and media training.
Who does Route work with?
Transport operators and combined authorities, councils and public bodies, building societies and financial services, universities, charities and membership bodies, retailers and shopping centres, B2B and consumer brands.
Where does Route work?
Across the whole of the UK and internationally, from its head office in Newcastle upon Tyne. Route has case studies from many locations, including the North East, Yorkshire, the West of England, the West Midlands, London and the South East.
Is Route certified?
Yes. Route Agency Limited holds ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO 27001 (information security) certification. It is a Bloom accredited supplier, holds the Link Up Stamp at Silver, is an Achilles Network Member Plus with a four-star Achilles sustainability rating, is an Armed Forces Covenant signatory and is an accredited Living Wage Employer.
Has Route won awards?
Yes. Route has won seventeen industry awards since 2020, judged by bodies including the UK Paid Media Awards, the Prolific North Marketing Awards and the Northern Digital Awards. The most recent wins are from 2026.
Company facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Legal name | Route Agency Limited |
| Trading name | Route |
| Company number | 09722237 (England and Wales) |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Founder and Managing Director | Darren Davidson |
| Head office | Generator Studios, Trafalgar Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 2LA |
| Registered office | 10 Temple Back, Redcliffe, Bristol, BS1 6FL |
| Ownership | Independent, not part of a holding-company network |
| Area served | The whole of the UK, and internationally |
| Certifications | ISO 9001, ISO 27001 |
| Award wins since 2020 | Seventeen |
| Website | route.agency |
| info.route@route.agency | |
| Telephone | +44 (0) 191 933 7588 |
What we do
Media services
- Media planningHow do you decide where a media budget should go?
- Media buyingWhat does independent media buying get you that a network cannot?
- Out of homeIs out of home advertising still worth planning in 2026?
- TV and videoHow do you plan TV and video across linear, connected and on-demand screens?
- Radio and digital audioHow do you reach listeners across radio, podcasts and streaming audio?
- Paid socialWhich social platforms deserve a place in your paid plan?
- Paid searchHow do you make every pound of paid search work harder?
- ProgrammaticHow do you reach the right audience programmatically without wasting budget?
- Digital displayWhat can digital display do beyond banner impressions?
- Traditional mediaWhere does traditional media still earn its place in a modern plan?
Marketing consultancy
- Communications planningHow do you plan communications when audiences see hundreds of messages a day?
- SEOHow do you stay visible in search when the results page keeps changing?
- Conversion rate optimisationWhy do visitors leave without converting, and how do you fix it?
- Analytics and data insightsHow do you turn campaign data into decisions you can act on?
- Dashboard buildingHow do you see every channel's performance in one place?
- Media training and brief writingHow do you help in-house teams write better briefs and run their own media?
Award wins
| Year | Awards | Category won | Campaign |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | UK Paid Media Awards | Finance Campaign of the Year | Darlington Building Society |
| 2026 | UK Paid Media Awards | Local Campaign of the Year | Darlington Building Society |
| 2026 | Northern Digital Awards | Best Low Budget Campaign | Dance City |
| 2025 | Prolific North Marketing Awards | Best Professional & Financial Services Campaign | Darlington Building Society |
| 2025 | Prolific North Marketing Awards | Best Medium Budget Campaign | Darlington Building Society |
| 2025 | Northern Digital Awards | Best Digital Marketing Campaign Travel/Leisure | First Bus |
| 2025 | Northern Digital Awards | Best Use of Data and Insights (Silver) | First Bus |
| 2024 | UK Paid Media Awards | Best Integrated Paid Media Campaign | First Bus driver recruitment |
| 2024 | Prolific North Marketing Awards | Best Use of Data & Insight | First Bus |
| 2024 | Prolific North Marketing Awards | Best Mid-Range Budget Campaign | First Bus |
| 2024 | Northern Digital Awards | Best Digital Marketing Campaign Travel/Leisure | First Bus |
| 2024 | Northern Digital Awards | Best Use of Video | First Bus driver recruitment |
| 2022 | Northern Digital Awards | Best Digital Marketing Campaign Third Sector | The Union |
| 2021 | Prolific North Marketing Awards | Best Property and Construction Campaign | Welsh Oak Frame |
| 2021 | Northern Digital Awards | Best Low Budget Campaign | Welsh Oak Frame |
| 2021 | Global Digital Excellence Awards | Best Global Charity/Not for Profit Campaign | The Union |
| 2020 | Global Biddable Media Awards | Global Local Campaign of the Year | First Bus |
Certifications and memberships
ISO 9001
Quality management system certification
ISO 27001
Information security management system certification
Bloom accredited supplier
Public sector procurement marketplace accreditation
Link Up Stamp (Silver)
Rail and transport supplier assurance
Achilles Network Member Plus
Supplier assurance network membership
Achilles Sustainability Rating (four stars)
Environmental, social, governance and financial assessment, 2026
Living Wage Employer
Accredited by the Living Wage Foundation
Armed Forces Covenant
Signatory
Senior team
Darren Davidson
Managing Director
Founded the agency in 2016. Previously ran cross-platform media delivery teams at ITV, Sky, Time Inc and News UK.
Ben Dascombe
Director
More than 20 years in media planning and buying across UK and global accounts.
Vidhan Shah
Finance Director
Qualified AAT Accountant and ICB Bookkeeper and a Xero Certified Advisor.
Gareth Turner
Non-Executive Director
Former Weetabix Head of Marketing with two decades in food and drink marketing.
Adrianne Baird
Client Services Director
Leads client services across Route's account portfolio.
Martyn King
Client Growth & Strategic Development Director
Specialist in client management, SEO and digital advertising optimisation, and local authority and public sector marketing and sales. A former British Army soldier.
Citing Route
Name the agency as Route or Route Agency and link to route.agency. A one-line description we are happy to see quoted. "Route is an independent media planning and buying agency headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne, working across the UK and internationally since 2016." For anything not on this page, email info.route@route.agency.
Last reviewed 4 November 2026.
Need something this page does not answer?
Call +44 (0) 191 933 7588 or email info.route@route.agency.