Bullring Birmingham has seen explosive online growth — and it’s thanks to a local social media agency with a fresh take on digital marketing. Richard Gullick speaks to Explode Social Media to uncover the tactics, mindset, and campaigns turning clicks into crowds.
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00:00Birmingham's digital sector is booming and not just in name.
00:04With a young population, cheap rents and a culture of doing things your own way,
00:08it's become fertile ground for new ideas.
00:11Agences here aren't just chasing trends, they're building a new playbook.
00:16Bullwings rise on social media isn't just one firm's win,
00:19it's a case study in how local talent is shaping national conversations.
00:24We are very real, we are young, dynamic and fast.
00:28There are not many agencies that can make trending TikTok videos,
00:32they find the trend in the morning, edit in the afternoon, it's out at lunchtime just after.
00:38So we have the ability to make great content in a quick, agile way
00:42and lots of big marketing agencies are just not geared up to work on TikTok and Instagram
00:47in the short form, quick content way that we do.
00:51There's a growing push against over-curated content and it's not just a style shift, it's generational.
00:57Young audiences in cities like Birmingham are sceptical of anything that feels too polished.
01:03They want something they recognise, that's why more local agencies are ditching the hard sell
01:08in favour of raw, honest storytelling.
01:11It's not about chasing clicks, it's about earning attention.
01:14I think people in Birmingham are absolutely great.
01:17I grew up here, everybody's friendly, people will give you good comments, we big each other up.
01:23I absolutely love working in Birmingham.
01:25I think there's a huge difference.
01:26When we're out on the street doing interviews and Vox Pops, people are always willing to get involved
01:31and especially when it's about the city.
01:33We work with massive brands in Birmingham like Ballring, Grand Central, M6 Tal and those massive brands
01:40love working with a Birmingham agency that has the ability to get great content out the door
01:45from a diverse background of people that look great and communicate a message that's real.
01:51We're often told data is king but behind the stats are real people making creative decisions
01:57that either land or flop.
01:59Birmingham's digital campaigns are increasingly judged by how well they connect offline too.
02:04Do they drive a footfall, get people talking, spark moments that spill into real life?
02:10What we're seeing now is a shift, marketing that behaves more like culture than strategy.
02:15What works this year might feel tied by the next.
02:18So is this just a lucky run or is Birmingham carving out a new creative identity on its own terms?
02:24Definitely. We are, we kind of had the online revolution but people still want to shop in store
02:31but they want to see if they're going to make the effort to go into a mixed use destination
02:36or a shopping centre. I'd like to have a look at the TikTok and Instagram beforehand
02:40to know what I'm going to expect. I want to know what offers are on today, today.
02:44So we make sure we put stories and content on social that's up to date, that's relevant
02:50so people know what's going on. We're changing the face of retail by creating quick knockout content
02:56that people actually engage with.