Cambridge creative agency for branding, advertising, websites and video, founded 2010
About Honest Ideas
Honest Ideas is an advertising and brand agency at The Warehouse, 33 Bridge Street, in central Cambridge. It was founded in 2010, during the global recession. The founder and creative director is Nick Mellor. He trained as an art director in advertising at Newcastle, began his career at Ware Anthony Rust, and has won advertising awards for radio, press, poster and photography work. Account director Penny Bartram joined after about two decades in London media, including roles at The Guardian, VICE and Bloomberg Media. Designer Hang M. Hoang has worked with the agency since 2020.
The agency works as a small core team plus a wider group of filmmakers, developers, copywriters, animators and strategists, assembled for each brief. The agency has 2 to 9 staff. The services are brand strategy and identity, advertising campaigns, website design and build, video and commercials, social media, SEO, campaign management and brand workshops. Paid search is run through dedicated PPC partners rather than in-house. Clients can commission one-off projects or hire the agency on retainer.
Search work is one part of a wider creative service and is not a standalone specialism. The clearest example is the SIMcredible case study. There the team found that much of the mobile network's traffic came from people searching for a video game with the same name, and that bot visits were distorting the analytics. They set up GA4, improved the site's metadata, wrote keyword-led blog content and rebranded the business, then added Meta advertising. Monthly sales doubled. A website project for Cambridge Ahead was also framed around better SEO and user engagement.
The agency has no dental case studies. Its nearest healthcare credential is advertising work for Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust, the charity linked to Cambridge's main hospital. Contamac, a branding and website client, is another possible health-sector link. Most of the portfolio is in education, technology, charities and family firms: Cambridge University Press & Assessment, Raspberry Pi, the Internet Watch Foundation, Cambridge Enterprise, neurobox, Plumbs' Dairy and others. Most of its clients are charities, membership bodies, tech companies, education providers and public sector teams.
The agency would suit a Cambridge or East of England practice that wants a new brand, website or video, with search basics included, more than one that needs a monthly local SEO programme. It also has location pages for Norwich, Peterborough, Milton Keynes, Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds and Bedford. Prices are not published, though its hourly rate is under 25 US dollars. First conversations are free and carry no obligation.
Honest Ideas' Website
Honest Ideas at a Glance
| Founded | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Team size | 2-9 employees |
| Headquarters | Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom |
| Leadership | Nick Mellor (Founder and Creative Director); Penny Bartram (Account Director) |
| Languages | English |
| Pricing | No prices published. Hourly rate under $25. Initial discussion is free and without obligation. |
| Contracts & reporting | One-off projects or ongoing retainers. Paid ads handled through partner PPC specialists with tracking and reporting. |
| Tools & partnerships | Google Analytics 4; Meta advertising; WordPress; Drupal; Joomla; Sitecore |
Dental Marketing Services
- Brand strategy and visual identity
- website design and development
- SEO (metadata, keyword-led blog content, GA4 setup)
- social media campaigns
- video production
- advertising campaigns
- PPC through partner specialists
Dental Clients & Results
- SIMcredible: monthly sales doubled after rebrand, SEO groundwork and Meta ads
- Cambridge Ahead: website rebuild aimed at SEO and user engagement (no metrics published)
Why Dentists Choose Honest Ideas
- Office on Bridge Street in central Cambridge
- Advertising work for Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust
- Branding work for Raspberry Pi
- Video production for Cambridge University Press
- Redesigned the Cambridge Ahead website
Key Strengths
- Puts senior staff directly on each practice's account
- Uses in-house copywriters and art directors to create practice campaign content
- Manages practice marketing campaigns and digital strategy from start to finish
How the DSA Score Breaks Down
Points earned: 19.2 of 100 (profile 24 × 0.8 + client feedback 0). DSA Score: 84/100
Where Honest Ideas Is Listed
Questions Dentists Ask About Honest Ideas
Has Honest Ideas worked with dental practices?
No dental clients appear in its portfolio. Its closest healthcare work is advertising for Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust, the charity linked to Cambridge's main hospital.
Do they handle SEO and Google Ads themselves?
SEO is an in-house service and featured in the SIMcredible project, which covered metadata, blog content and GA4. Paid search is delivered through dedicated PPC partners.
Who will work on our account?
Founder Nick Mellor leads every project. A wider team of designers, developers, copywriters and filmmakers is brought in for each brief.
Can we hire them for a single project?
Yes. The agency takes on one-off briefs as well as ongoing retainer work.
Where are they based?
The Warehouse, 33 Bridge Street, Cambridge CB2 1UW. They also serve Norwich, Peterborough, Milton Keynes, Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds and Bedford, and clients elsewhere in the UK.
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