Immediate launches IX agency for live brand events

Immediate has launched a dedicated experiential agency, IX, to work with consumer brands on live events and in-person marketing activations.

The new unit sits alongside Immediate's publishing and events operations. Immediate owns UK consumer media brands including Good Food and Radio Times, and runs large-scale ticketed events through its Immediate Live division.

IX is led by Rob Hunt, director of experiential, with Kat Tek as head of experiential. It has strategic backing from Paul Byrom, managing director of Immediate Live, and Sophie Walker, director of operations at Immediate Live.

The agency will build brand partnerships around live moments, drawing on Immediate's audience reach and event portfolio, including the Good Food Show, BBC Gardeners' World Live and Move It.

Immediate said it reaches 20 million people and has a monthly social media audience of 9 million, which it plans to use for pre- and post-event campaign activity.

Events pipeline

IX will offer co-branded events, community events, pop-ups and road shows, as well as integrated experiences linked to Immediate's editorial brands where relevant.

Immediate Live has built a pipeline of brand partnerships over several years and said it has delivered more than 40 experiential partnerships, ranging from Michelin-starred culinary events to film premieres.

IX will use first-party data and consumer insight from across Immediate's media and events businesses. It plans to apply segmentation to define target audiences for each campaign, and to draw on editorial teams to shape activations based on coverage of consumer interests and trends across categories such as food, gardening and entertainment.

The move reflects a wider shift in how publishers and event operators pitch to advertisers. Media owners have expanded beyond print and digital inventory into commercial products that combine content, communities and in-person experiences. Consumer brands have also increased spending on live events and pop-ups as they seek direct engagement in a crowded digital advertising market.

Immediate's pitch for IX centres on control of both media channels and physical environments. It runs mass-attendance consumer shows, has longstanding relationships with sponsors and partners, and owns editorial brands with established audiences in specialist interest categories.

Immediate positioned IX as an alternative to traditional experiential agencies, arguing that it can build campaigns around its owned events and existing partnership work. That model also provides access to venues, suppliers and operational teams that manage delivery.

Commercial model

IX will develop bespoke activations for clients and expects to connect brands with "scaled" audiences through a mix of ticketed events, one-off installations and multi-city tours.

Co-branded events are one part of the proposition and can combine on-site activity with editorial involvement, sitting alongside Immediate's broader commercial and content operations.

Community events and pop-ups are designed to create smaller, targeted gatherings in specific locations. Road shows would take a concept into multiple markets across the UK, using a single agency team for planning and delivery.

Immediate also highlighted partnerships with other media outlets and formats, which could support wider marketing plans tied to experiential activity.

In a statement, Hunt set out the rationale for formalising the offer into a dedicated agency.

"Experiential works best when it's credible, relevant and well-crafted. After years of delivering some of the UK's best-loved events and consumer campaigns, launching IX is the next natural step. We're bringing together deep expertise to help brands move beyond pure reach and show up in new and creative spaces. Our goal is to create unmissable moments-putting products directly into consumers' hands and using our 'one team' model to handle everything from ideation to amplification. We're here to turn brand vision into tangible, real-world experiences," said Rob Hunt, director of experiential at Immediate.

Immediate employs more than 700 people across London, Bristol, Nottingham and Manchester. Its portfolio spans consumer publishing, licensed children's titles and live events, with established brands in categories such as food, gardening and entertainment.

IX launches as Immediate expands the commercial use of its event calendar and audience data, with the new team expected to develop partnerships across the company's owned shows and new formats in the wider experiential market.