Drummond Central Knows That Brave Ideas Sell Themselves

Based in Newcastle, the strategic creative agency Drummond Central (DC) has been delivering award-winning work for clients like bet365, Greggs, Triumph, Motorcycles, Dreams, and Fentimans for over 20 years. What many don’t know, however, is that DC is not only independent, but also became employee-owned in 2023, allowing it to continue making bold and culturally sharp work under the philosophy of ‘We care about each other, the work we do, and the clients we have.’

Fostering a creative culture that consistently delivers standout ideas is an ongoing objective for DC. “We champion collaboration and we’re not precious about where ideas come from,” says Kev Hughes, one of the agency’s two creative directors. “Great ideas can come from anyone – a junior creative, a senior planner – everyone within the agency has a voice and we’ve always encouraged people to come together to work on an idea to make it better.”

Beyond hiring talented people, he also stresses the importance of “fostering a creative culture – it’s about creating an environment where people actually want to push boundaries and take risks.”

With a touch of disbelief, Kev references the ‘vibe’ of the studio and how that’s the je ne sais quoi behind DC’s creativity. “If people feel comfortable throwing out ideas without fear of being shot down, that’s when the magic happens.”

Having a finger on the pulse of popular culture is essential to the team and it doesn't happen by accident. “It means staying obsessed with what’s happening in the world, from the latest memes to cultural shifts, and then finding ways to spin that into fresh, unexpected campaigns. You also need creative leads who want to push things rather than play it safe. If you’re open to taking creative risks, then that mentality trickles down through the whole team,” Kev says.

At DC, this falls under the remit of two creative directors, both incidentally named Kev. “Myself and Kev Lynn (AKA ‘The Kevs’), are both on the same page when it comes to creativity. It’s got to be big, bold and have feeling,” he adds.

With increasing competition from in-house creative teams and consultancies, independent agencies like DC have to work hard to carve out their space in the industry. What’s more and more commonplace, according to Kev, is the number of clients who have in-house creative teams, but “rather than seeing this as competition, we see it as an extension of our team,” he explains. “In-house creative teams are doing their thing, and we love collaborating with them. At the end of the day, we’re all working towards the same goal: creating standout work that actually means something.”

Still, being independent does give the agency advantages that translate directly into what it does for clients. “We’re not tied down by big corporate structures or layers of red tape. If we have a great idea, we can run with it – fast. No endless sign-offs, no ‘this needs to go through five departments before we can talk about it’. That means our clients get bold, fresh thinking without the bullshit,” says Kev.

He commends how “in-house teams live and breathe their brand (which is great!),” while noting how DC “can bring an outsider’s perspective, to give that fresh pair of eyes to spot new angles, challenge assumptions, and inject something unexpected.” By looking outside of the “brands’ bubble, we get stuck in, we care about the work as much as our clients do, and we’re not afraid to shake things up.”

Kev says that rather than balance creative thinking with strategic risk taking, DC sees the two going hand in hand. It’s when the two come together that it gets “properly exciting” since, for Kev, “the best creative work isn’t just bold for the sake of it; it’s built on solid strategic thinking, which is why we work so closely with our insanely talented planning team.”

“They dig deep into the insights, uncover the real nuggets of truth, and give us the foundation to craft creative responses that actually matter. The best ideas don’t just appear out of thin air – they come from understanding the audience, the brand, and the cultural landscape, then figuring out how to push things in a way that feels fresh but still bang-on strategically. That’s why we can stand behind our work with real confidence. It’s not just ‘Hey, this looks cool’; it’s ‘This is going to work, and here’s why’,” Kev explains.

Getting and keeping people’s attention today is more difficult than ever, and some brands, with the help of agencies, are opting for the unexpected to make a mark. Collaborations, of this kind especially, are one way to make it happen. DC’s work with Greggs showcases those principles in action by pairing the iconic British bakery with Primark, PlayStation, and – starring in its Christmas ad – none other than Nigella Lawson, leaning into the spirit of festive indulgence.

“The best brand collabs are the ones that make you go, ‘Wait... what?!’ at first – but then, when you think about it, they just work. That’s because, while they might seem unexpected on the surface, the brands actually share similar values and ethos underneath it all. But for a collaboration to be worth doing, it’s got to have something juicy from a creative angle – something that makes people sit up and take notice. If there’s no spark, no story to tell, then what’s the point? It’s important to be in tune and know when something doesn’t feel right, either strategically or creatively. It’s not about jumping on any opportunity for the sake of it – it’s about making sure it means something,” says Kev.

According to Kev, what made these collaborations work was their playful and unexpected nature, with the creative director highlighting that “the best collabs don’t just happen because two big names decide to work together; they happen because there’s a real, meaningful connection at the heart of it – and because there’s a killer creative idea driving it forward.”

DC’s most recent work with the bed retailer, Dreams, took a fresh approach to sleep marketing, making an impact in a category that Kev says is “pretty sleepy in terms of creativity and standout.” Luckily, the client agreed, “We quickly learnt that our friends at Dreams had an appetite for doing things differently, which was a dreamy brief for an agency like us, and one the entire creative team had (and wanted) sight of from the off.”

Working with the insight that “not everyone has a loving relationship with their bed, which was sad to hear, but so true,” says Kev, “Dreams positions itself as the match-maker, using its Bed Experts and Sleepmatch tech to perfectly match everyone to their dream mattress.”

From there, the team decided to ask, ‘what if beds could talk?’, or as Kev adds, “What would they say? And if they could sing, what banger would sum up their search for the perfect match? That little thought led us somewhere bold, unexpected, and packed with personality. We gave Dreams’ beds a voice – bringing them to life to chat, joke, and even pour their hearts out in song – with a show-stopping rendition of Queen’s ‘Somebody to Love’.”

The playful campaign film was a crucial part of the larger, freshly-launched brand platform and campaign, ‘Finding You a Bed That Loves You Back’, developed by DC after it won the Dreams pitch last year.

With multiple seismic shifts transforming the industry over the past few years, agencies like DC have to stay at the cutting edge to best serve clients. “Gone are the days of just making a 30-second TV ad and calling it a day,” says Kev. Not only is there now more talk of the 15-second and six-second, but often that’s the starting point to “nail those harder-working assets first and then build everything out from there,” Kev says.

“It’s all about the matching luggage – social, radio, Meta, YouTube, OOH, POS – you name it,” he continues. “Every touchpoint matters, and they all need to feel connected while working hard in their own right. Then there’s the insane leaps in tech. VFX, virtual production, and now the rapidly evolving world of AI. The possibilities are massive, and we’re fully embracing them.”

Kev has been with DC for nearly 14 years, and now is the agency’s most exciting time in his eyes. “The transformation I’ve seen has been incredible. We’ve grown massively – not just in size, but in ambition and reputation. The work we’re putting out there has never been better, the opportunities and clients we’re working with have never been bigger, and we’re really starting to cement ourselves as one of the best agencies in the country, especially outside of London, which is something we’re all really proud of.”

For Kev, it’s important to be and stay “an ambitious agency”, which DC is doing as it’s “full of ridiculously talented, passionate people who genuinely care about the work we do and about each other,” he states. He’s not worried about what’s next; with strategy and creativity fuelling DC’s every move, the agency can feel confident in “brave ideas that sell themselves.”