Opinions
Why Agency Relationships Don’t Drive Revenue
Gearing up for UK Expansion. The Do’s and Don’ts That Actually Matter
You Don’t Have a Sales Problem. You Have a Conversion Problem
Leadership
Ben Tatton-Brown
Founder
Ben Tatton-Brown is a senior AdTech executive with over 20 years’ experience building, scaling, and selling AdTech businesses in the UK. He has held senior leadership roles at some of the fastest-growing AdTech vendors, selling search, display, programmatic, video, data and social media to agencies and brands, structuring hundreds of commercial agreements, and scaling revenue from early-stage businesses into global operations.
BACK TO BLACK works with AdTech vendors to build revenue in the UK.
We are best known for helping companies that have proven success elsewhere but have not yet converted that into meaningful UK revenue.
Setting up in the UK is expensive. It is the most advanced digital advertising market in Europe, one of the most competitive in the world, and a key international buying hub. No matter how successful you’ve been in other markets, you effectively start over here.
Our network gets you in front of the right people quickly. More importantly, we make sure your proposition lands when you’re in the room.
Our work typically follows a 9–12 month process:
Refine your positioning and messaging so it fits the UK market
Get you in front of the right people and secure meetings
Present and close buy-side business
Some clients work with BACK TO BLACK end-to-end, from positioning through to closing business. Others use us for specific parts—either refining their messaging or securing meetings and helping close business.
At that point, the business has a foundation to scale. Some clients continue to work with us as they grow. Others move forward independently once revenue is established.
Results
Medio
Mission: Launch a market-leading mobile search advertising business in the UK
Lee Joseph, Managing Director EMEA
BACK TO BLACK played a foundational role in bringing search advertising from desktop to mobile, embedding search functionality within carrier portals and adapting the PPC model to early mobile environments. We worked closely with carriers, agencies and advertisers to establish mobile search as a credible, performance-driven channel and drive early adoption in the UK market.
*****
RingRing Media
Mission: Launch the first mobile advertising agency in the UK
Ben Tatton-Brown, Co-Founder and CEO
RingRing Media was an early specialist mobile advertising agency that helped educate the market as mobile emerged during the early smartphone era. Ben successfully pitched and won business from Hold Co agencies, securing clients such as Nokia, Expedia, Google, Orange and eBay. The company reached profitability within 11 months and was subsequently acquired by Amobee within two years of its inception.
*****
Amobee
Mission: Scale EMEA demand post-acquisition of RingRing Media
Trevor Healey, CEO
Ben grew the EMEA organisation from 20 to 50 people, building a £10M business in the UK and establishing EMEA as the company’s largest and fastest-growing region. This growth was driven by hiring the right people, managing them well, expanding into the top five European markets, and building strong agency partnerships, ultimately contributing to the company’s $321M acquisition by Singtel.
*****
Blis
Mission: Reposition the company to support and secure a Series B fundraise
Greg Isbister, CEO
BACK TO BLACK repositioned Blis as a location-based technology platform, underpinning a successful $25M Series B raise led by Unilever Ventures, Endeit Capital, and Beringea, and strengthening its commercial positioning and market traction. This established Blis as a strategic partner within major agency groups including Omnicom and contributed to its acquisition by T-Mobile in March 2025.
*****
Ogury
Mission: Secure trading agreements with the UK’s leading agencies
Raphael Rodier, Co-Founder and CRO
BACK TO BLACK secured trading agreements with Adobe, Annalect, Dentsu, Epson, EssenceMediacom, Goodstuff, Havas, IPG, Mindshare, PHD, Publicis (APEX + PMX), the7stars, Total Media, VCCP and Wavemaker, securing Ogury’s inclusion on agency PSLs, underpinning multi-million pound revenue, and establishing it as a trusted, leading AdTech partner in the UK.
*****
Criteo
Mission: Drive the transition from brand-direct to an agency-led growth strategy
Shruthi Shindahlur, CEO EMEA
BACK TO BLACK advised on the build and scale of Criteo’s EMEA agency team, supporting the transition from a single brand-direct retargeting product to an agency-led, full funnel commerce media proposition. Ben led Criteo’s agency partnerships across Europe, securing 40 trading agreements including all five Hold Cos and leading UK independent agencies, and delivering $120M in European revenue.
Contact our team
AdTech companies typically engage BACK TO BLACK at three key points:
- Strong technology, but unclear positioning
- Struggling to get meeting with decision-makers
- Meetings happening, but no revenue converting
If this resonates, get in touch for a confidential discussion to see if there’s a genuine opportunity and a strong fit for BACK TO BLACK to support your UK growth.