Two well-known North East marketing businesses have merged and say they are on course to turn over £1million.

Entrepreneur Bradley Johnson formed Yellow Box Marketing in 2011 after graduating from university. During that time his team has helped over 1,000 businesses with their digital marketing needs.

Now after merging with another successful local agency, James Lees' Blend Digital, Stockton-based Yellow Box will act as a “one-stop shop” for digital marketing, from web design and SEO to videography and social media while the team has expanded to 13 full-time employees.

The merger with James will mean the pair bring a combined 35 years of marketing experience to Yellow Box Marketing – despite both still being aged under 40.

“The business has come a long way in the past 13 years, and the merger with Blend really takes it to the next level,” said MD Bradley.

“Since 2018, the business has really caught fire and I think that’s because we keep everything in-house, so businesses can outsource all their marketing needs to us, which makes it easier and better value for them.

Be the first to know with The Northern Echo and take advantage of our exclusive offer by CLICKING HERE. £5 for 5 months or 40% off your annual cost.

“Our approach has helped to set us apart and really fuelled our growth, and this merger has allowed us to grow our workforce and provide even more services, such as email marketing and a 360 marketing offer.

“That growth means that we are anticipating a turnover of £1m next year, which is another major milestone, and given the business is debt-free, it gives us a great platform to reinvest in the team to continue our growth going forward.”

Having launched Blend less than two years ago following senior roles at several major North East firms, James Lees has helped hundreds of businesses over the past 20 years with their digital marketing and has also lectured on the subject at Teesside University.

“This is a really exciting merger that brings together two innovative businesses full of some of the most creative, talented digital marketing staff in our region,” said James, now Commercial Director for Yellow Box Marketing.

“The deal has been a year in the making, so we are all over the moon that it has finally come off and I know that all our staff can’t wait to hit the ground running.”

“Over the past two decades, I’m proud to say that I’ve helped local businesses grow digitally, and following this merger, I believe the sky really is the limit for Yellow Box Marketing.

Bradley added, “This is come at the perfect time for Yellowbox and I’m excited to see the results that our new and existing client will achieve from the roll out of our new service offering.”