Make it a double! Two UK Digital Growth Awards shortlistings raise plenty of cheers at Maze

Staff at Maze are still on a high after landing two prestigious shortlistings at the 2022 UK Digital Growth Awards.

Making the cut in the Large Integrated Digital Agency of the Year and Integrated Search Campaign of the Year categories has delighted the teams who work tirelessly to deliver exceptional results for their clients.

Being recognised by industry experts once again is further proof that having the right mix of skill sets and personalities, combined with a culture that promotes individual growth alongside work-life balance, is reaping its rewards.

Who is Maze and where is it based?

An award-winning marketing agency based in King’s Lynn and London, Maze has a decade of success helping a variety of clients grow their businesses. Its focus is on building Clever Creative Campaigns.

Maze consists of teams that specialise in branding, creative design, content marketing, social media, media consultancy, SEO and email marketing.

Formed as Maze Media in 2009, the agency rebranded as Maze in 2020 when it joined forces with award-winning content marketing agency and sister company To The End. The two agencies had already been working closely on a series of projects for four years prior to the merge.

Who created Maze and is it owned by another company?

Maze was founded by partners David Wilson, Nicola Bray, Charlie Roughton and Nick Curtis who have gone on to set up four other specialist marketing agencies that are run by existing staff.

They form a wider Maze Group (Maze, WXVE, Fluential, TLNT and Optimyzd) that work together to deliver impressive results for a string of clients across the country.

The quartet’s incubator business model has allowed Dez Calton to set up Optimyzd, a paid search agency, Louis Brindle launch film-making arm WXVE and Harry Seaton focus on influencer marketing for Fluential as well as influencer development and management for TLNT.

What is the culture like at Maze?

Maze is more than a marketing agency and it always has been.

The partners value the need for a good work-life balance and ensure that the culture within the workplace, and of their staff, remains positive, refreshed and hungry.

A number of implementations – such as alternative Fridays off, an optional choice that was adopted by 100% of the workforce – have provided energy, rest and allowed results to flourish.

The previously mentioned incubator business model is unique and has allowed individuals to thrive – something that remains a core value that runs throughout Maze. Staff are trusted to find their own way within the agency and are encouraged and supported to gain qualifications all the way up to degree level.

The happiness and work-life balance of employees is something that also underpins Maze and why a wide range of social activities are offered and supported to cement the friendships that have been created through the workplace. Further care being taken with the implementation of a mental health app shows how much consideration is given to staff. The incredibly regular communication from partners during the pandemic alleviated many issues and concerns, especially around feeling disconnected and lonely, and provided a lifeline for many who stayed upbeat by looking forward to the weekly virtual cup of tea meet-ups.

Put simply, Maze exists to make a difference and the position and trust, as well as training, it places in staff allows them to deliver outstanding results for themselves and in turn the clients. For some the company is a stepping stone to bigger things. But for most, judging by the impressive staff retention rates with some people already spending 10 years with the business, they can achieve their career goals at a place they call home. That sort of company loyalty and longevity is almost unheard of in the agency world.

What awards were Maze shortlisted for at the 2022 UK Digital Growth Awards?

Many of the points listed above about the culture at the agency have no doubt played a large part in Maze being up for the Large Integrated Digital Agency of the Year gong.

But some exceptional results across the award’s entry timeframe also helped convince judges to give the entry a chance of winning.

While many other companies were cutting back on their marketing spend, Maze managed to increase the retainer of one of its clients Adrian Flux, and its associated brands, by 11.35% (excluding further growth across the whole group) as well as continuing to work on projects with others companies such as Middletons Steakhouse & Grill.

The ongoing effects of the pandemic and lockdowns, that continued into early 2021, saw the agency rip up its marketing plans and throw away the timesheets to ensure that its main client (Adrian Flux Insurance Services) could flourish. They posted eight record-breaking months during the pandemic and showed once again their continued 11-year relationship with the agency is a truly successful one.

It was another project with Flux that scooped the second piece of recognition – this time in the Integrated Search Campaign of the Year. As one of the UK’s largest insurance brokers, the company’s website has over 300 policy landing pages. However, research suggested a string of improvements to the websites would produce a fantastic return on investment by:

Improving User Experience (UX) to enhance on page metrics, session duration, conversions to quotes

Drive organic search traffic
Reduce the cost of PPC traffic

Provide more flexibility and quicker response for UX of different niche audiences

The Landing Page Project is one of the largest scale pieces of work undertaken by Maze. It achieved incredible results that may have only seemed possible had they been produced by a much larger-sized business.

On-page conversion rates went up by 230.8% and paid search cost per conversions reduced by 89.5% saving £21.59 per conversion. Not only do the on-page stats provide a clear commercial return to the client, but feedback has indicated that the quality of leads being received are higher than ever before.

What do Maze think of being shortlisted for the 2022 UK Digital Growth Awards?

“I was keen for us to enter these awards as there are very few that enable us to showcase the wide spectrum of work we do for Adrian Flux, and the overall results generated, rather than discrete projects.

“I am really pleased with the landing page project getting shortlisted. It encompasses organic, paid, content, design, conversion rate optimization, development work, project management and much more, including social and influencer activations. The results achieved for Flux clearly impressed the judges enough to get the nod in such a results-focused awards.

“Fingers crossed that we can get a win in one of the categories but regardless of nominations or wins, Nicola, Charlie, Nick and I are super proud of all of our teams.”

David Wilson, Maze co-founder and partner