Union Direct, part of Edinburgh-based The Union Group, has been ranked joint 72nd in The Drum's Indie 100 2026, the publication's global ranking of leading independent agencies. It is one of only two Scottish agencies on the list, which features independents from Toronto and New York to Sydney, Singapore and Johannesburg. More than 40 UK agencies made the cut. Over half of them are based in London.
This year's ranking uses a new, performance-based methodology. It combines results in The Drum's World Creative Rankings, success at The Drum Awards and verified client ratings from The Drum Recommends.
"Brave, brilliant work doesn't need a London postcode," said Emma Campbell, Executive Board Director at The Union Group. "Being ranked alongside some of the most respected independents in the world is a genuine honour. It means more because of how the list was built: on the work, the awards and what clients say about us. That's the standard our team sets itself on every project, for clients such as Lloyds Banking Group, Greene King, schuh, Scottish Government, VisitScotland and ScottishPower."
Making pensions worth looking at
The ranking follows a standout year for The Union's work with Scottish Widows, part of Lloyds Banking Group.
Pensions are a category most people would rather ignore. With cost of living pressures pushing the subject even further down the list, 82% of Scottish Widows members had never logged into its app. The Union's answer was Pension Mirror, an interactive ageing tool that lets people meet their future selves and see what their pension could mean for them.
Pension Mirror has been used more than 800,000 times. It drove a 193% increase in app registrations and a 39% rise in logins from existing users. The campaign has since won 23 national and global awards, including awards Gold from The Drum Awards, European Pension Awards and Campaign Experience Awards.
"Independent agencies are having a moment, and it's not hard to see why," said Campbell. "Without the layers and compromises that often come with scale, indies move faster and are more willing to take the creative risks that get work noticed. Pension Mirror is a good example. Financial services doesn't usually push boundaries, and consumers don't usually engage. This did both."
A case for Scotland
The Union Group, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026, became 100% employee-owned through an Employee Ownership Trust in May 2025. It employs 84 people.
"This goes beyond The Union," Campbell added. "Scotland has a habit of underselling itself, of assuming the best creative thinking happens somewhere else. We've never bought that. Scottish agencies belong on the same shortlists as the usual suspects, and we want to make that case loudly. This should be the start of something, not a one-off. We intend to keep proving it, one brief at a time."
