Mark Cridge

My name is Mark Cridge and I am a 19-year veteran of the digital communications industry and founded the UK’s first digital advertising agency.

This is my personal blog and whilst it doesn’t necessarily reflect the views of my employers, it is a place for me to be part of the conversation, for me to formulate my arguments and general views on the world – getting feedback, trying out different approaches and learning as I go along. So feedback and comments are very welcome!

As of June 2014 I've taken up a new role as a Senior Advisor to Blue State Digital in London.

Blue State are the agency responsible for much of the digital strategy and implementation for the two Obama Presidential Campaigns and work with organisations and brands to build communities and create change.

In the UK we work with a range of great organisations including; 38 Degrees, Hope Not Hate, the Tate, Shelter, the New Economics Foundation and Which?. My role covers a broad range of activities to drive the growth of the agency working with new and existing clients.

In 1999 I founded glue London, which under my leadership became one of the worlds most awarded and respected creative agencies working with clients including adidas, Coca Cola, Google, Toyota and the Guardian.

I took the UK agency through a lot; from the collapse of our original joint venture partner, to Agency Of The Year three times and we also with great pride, were recognised on three occasions in the Sunday Times Top 100 Small Companies To Work For’ list.

In 2005 I negotiated the sale of the agency to Aegis Media, and subsequently became Global Managing Director of Isobar, Aegis’s 3,000 strong creative network operating in 34 countries globally.

Until recently I was Chief Operating Officer at BERG, who I was helping transition from a globally recognised design studio to venture funded tech startup.

I am a regular speaker at industry events, chair of many awards, was for a time a columnist in Campaign Magazine. In 2010 I was made a Fellow of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising.

Originally I studied Architecture, which is where I learned how to shape and communicate ideas, before getting the digital bug early on in 1995.