Ace of Hearts creative agency launch energizes London

Ace of Hearts creative agency launch London — if you’re a marketing manager sizing up new partners, this Soho-based start-up promises senior leadership, non-traditional commercial models and an early client list worth scrutiny.

Launch overview and why it matters now

Ace of Hearts launched publicly in June 2025 from Soho, London, backed by ServicePlan, Europe’s largest independent creative group. Founders Richard Brim, Martin Beverley and Polly McMorrow position the agency as an evolution rather than a retrofit — designed to work across the full business spectrum and to tie creative output to real commercial value. That positioning directly addresses common procurement pain points: transparency on outcomes, faster decision-making and closer alignment with business KPIs.

The founders’ stated ambition is to rethink how agencies are paid and organised — moving away from labour-based fees toward commercial models that share in the value created for clients. For marketers, that can mean clearer incentives, fewer scope disputes and a tighter link between budget and ROI.

Leadership, structure and hires

Ace of Hearts launched with a compact leadership team of seven people and has already confirmed a set of senior appointments to build capacity quickly. Their mix signals both creative pedigree and commercial muscle.

• Founders: Richard Brim (former chief creative officer, adam&eveDDB), Martin Beverley (former chief strategy officer, adam&eveDDB), Polly McMorrow (former CEO, McCann London). Their prior leadership helped produce award-winning work and industry distinctions including Cannes accolades and multiple IPA Effectiveness awards at their previous shops.
• Notable hires: John Cornwell — Chief Commercial Officer (formerly Ogilvy); Rasmus Smith Bech — Executive Creative Officer (from BBC Creative); Siân Iles — Strategy Director (from Anomaly Berlin); Rosie Cross — Strategy Director (from Uncommon Creative Studio).

This blend of creative and commercial leaders is designed to address your concerns about delivery reliability, cultural fit and senior involvement in briefs. The agency has signalled further senior creative hires planned for September as it scales.

Clients, portfolio and the Save the Children case study

Early clients named at launch include Wise; Ocean Spray UK & Europe; Save the Children; and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. These accounts suggest breadth across finance, FMCG, charity and culture — useful if you’re assessing category experience.

Feature case study — Save the Children: Ace of Hearts’ launch campaign “The One Delivery that Matters” was structured around a clear brief (amplify urgent need for children lacking essentials during the festive season) and a creative idea intended for global reach. The agency describes wide placement and a focused insight-to-idea line, but launch materials have not yet included full measurable outcomes. As a marketing manager, request impressions, engagement rates, conversion metrics and any post-campaign attribution or fundraising uplift to judge effectiveness and media efficiency.

Commercial model, timelines and working approach

Ace of Hearts is explicit about shifting from time-based billing to commercial remuneration tied to business outcomes. For buyers that can be beneficial: it aligns incentives, can reduce billable surprises and prioritises measurable impact. Key operational cues to request and confirm during briefing:

• Pricing and commercial models: ask for example pricing bands, typical retainer sizes or performance-linked fee models so you can map cost to expected outcomes.
• Timelines and delivery cadence: request standard timelines from brief-to-concept, concept-to-production and production-to-launch. The agency’s compact start team and plan for senior hires in September suggest typical ramp-up periods for large campaigns.
• RFP and pitch process: clarify expected timelines for briefs, response SLAs, pitch formats and named contact for rapid responses (marketing teams often flag slow replies as a top pain point).

Ace of Hearts highlights intentional use of technology and AI to integrate talent and products into projects; ask for concrete examples of tech-enabled processes and how these shorten lead times or improve measurement.

Press assets and materials to request

To assess credibility and fit quickly, request a press pack that includes founder quotes, concise bios, high-resolution headshots, office imagery, campaign stills/films, and 1–2 recent case studies with measurable outcomes. Also ask for sample deliverables (creative concepts, media plans, measurement frameworks) and an explicit contact for pitching briefs or press coverage. A clear, single named contact for commercial queries will help avoid slow or fragmented responses.

• Founder bios and headshots
• Campaign films/stills plus measurable results for each case study
• Sample deliverables (strategy deck, creative concept, measurement plan)
• Named commercial and press contacts, plus typical response SLAs

Conclusion

Ace of Hearts’ London launch combines heavyweight senior talent, ServicePlan backing and a declared pivot toward commercially-aligned fees and tech-enabled delivery. For marketing managers, the agency answers several common concerns on paper — senior-led teams, cross-category clients and a move away from purely labour-based pricing — but the decision should hinge on two practical checks: verified, recent case study metrics (impressions, engagement, conversion or revenue impact) and transparent commercial terms and timelines. Request the specified press pack and commercial examples, confirm named contacts and response SLAs, and use a short test brief to evaluate cultural fit and delivery reliability before committing to larger scopes.