The Story of MEERKAT
This post was originally published in May 2005. It has been updated in 2025 to reflect MEERKATworks’ story more clearly.
I am often asked why I called my business ‘MEERKATworks’. So, here’s the story of how MEERKAT gained its quirky title and became a “stand up, stand out”, agency on the UK’s media landscape.
Let’s rewind to the start of the ‘noughties’ when I was working in radio. My desk was right outside the studios of KISS and Magic FM and there wasn’t a working day that passed without something exciting happening in Mappin House, the home of Emap Radio. There were celebrities appearing left, right and centre, and the presenters/ DJs were playing live so close to my desk that I could feel the energy.
I honed my skills over the 5 years that I was there i.e. the tricky art of selling radio airtime and sponsorships – media that you can’t touch or see. I learnt the art of explaining the ‘Power of Sound’ to potential clients and the many opportunities radio advertising offers to effectively promote brands. I would often chat with the presenters as they moved in and out of their studios, and we regularly carried out creative-led studio tours so my clients could meet the presenters and see them in action.
However, I quickly encountered a crucual issue with the media agencies I sold radio space to. Most of them didn’t give the necessary time, or effort, to properly understand the detail, nuance and complexity of the offerings available to them, and ultimately their clients. Over time I became increasingly disillusioned with the quality of these agencies and the service they were giving their clients.
I had my lightbulb moment in the summer of 2005. “If these agencies were making money and thriving when all they offered was a sub-standard service… why shouldn’t I set up my own agency, offering a high-quality, properly researched and well-informed media planning and buying service. An agency that would put high importance on building and maintaining mutually respectful and transparent relationships with both clients AND suppliers. Plus, an agency that worked with care, integrity, respect, kindness, and attention to detail.
And that was the matter settled. The lightbulb appeared on the afternoon of the 21st July. I handed in my notice on the afternoon of the 22nd July, worked my 3 month notice period, and excitedly opened doors on November 7th 2005, from my bedroom in Brighton.
But what about a NAME? What should my innovative new agency be called? I thought about it long and hard, and initially nothing fired my imagination. Then one day I received a postcard from one of my best friends in the world, Lisa.
On the front of the postcard was a quirky picture of a MEERKAT on a bicycle. On the back Lisa had written – ‘I saw this and thought of you”.
Initially I was slightly perplexed about why this funny, furry creature on a bike might be like me, so I grabbed my laptop to Google meerkats (I didn’t have a smart phone back then).
The first thing I read was about meerkats’ industrious natures and how well they work together as a team. Tick 1 – I have long agreed with Steve Jobs ‘Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.’
The second point I revealed was how there is always one meerkat standing on the highest point, looking around 360 degrees and minutely observing the environment. Tick 2 – whenever a brief comes in, I, and now we, ALWAYS look around and carefully examine the whole media landscape.
The third was that meerkats may look funny and cute, but they are also independent creatures and can tenaciously defend themselves and their ‘mob’. Case in point, they can kill and eat scorpions. Tick 3 – I had already encountered and successfully defended myself against some ‘scorpions’ in my work life.
And so, it was born, my media planning and buying agency, MEERKATworks Ltd. I went ahead, bought the URLs and registered the name but was left with one lingering concern…would people know enough about the creatures and, importantly, how to spell ‘MEERKAT’?
I stopped worrying about this when I switched on the TV soon after and there it was, the first ever ‘Compare the Meerkat’ TV advert. My immediate thought was that they weren’t competitors (phew!) and could do the heavy leg work, educating people about meerkats and how to spell the name.
Fast forward in time and I am here to tell the story from another country, our Edinburgh MEERKATworks burrow. Excellent teamwork, respectful relationships, hard work, tenacity and careful examination of the media landscape remain at the core of our business, alongside integrity, respect, kindness and attention to detail.
And, though every now and then, we may encounter a scorpion, the MEERKATs have learnt how to survive and indeed thrive.
Get to know us…
MEERKATworks is an independent media planning and buying agency with burrows in Edinburgh and Brighton, founded in 2005. We are award-winning experts at planning, buying and creating advertising campaigns for businesses, large and small. We excel across many sectors including Food and Drink, Education, Events, Charity and Travel and our media plans are always bespoke and carefully designed to fulfil your unique goals.
The MEERKAT team’s in-depth knowledge and expertise extends throughout the media landscape, from Digital and Programmatic to OOH (Out-of-Home), TV, Radio and Print.
As a proudly independent media agency, we relish roaming free in the wild and getting stuck into briefs of all shapes and sizes. So, why not call the MEERKATs on 01273 760 100 or drop us a line? We’re friendly and don’t bite… unless you’re a scorpion!