About
We are a fully-integrated team of professional problem solvers, creatives, and deep thinkers with a shared commitment to your success. We've made it our mission to push boundaries across sectors and deliver award-winning marketing support to a global client base.
We are Scotland's longest-running creative marketing and events agency, evolving since 1936.
Meet our team
Event Manager
Aimee Aitken
Web Developer
Steven Bedford
Business Development Manager
David Benjamin
Senior Account & PR Manager
Sarah Bremner
Digital Strategist
Alex Bussey
Finance Manager
Gillian Gove
Head of Design
Mairi MacLeod Gray
Account Manager
Kirsten Hume
Events Executive
Nia Jones
Designer
Graeme MacDonald
Web Team Lead
Kirsty Main
Business Development Manager
Fraser McGillivray
Business Development Manager
Pete McIntosh
Consultant
Alan Mearns
Head of Digital
Kevin Mitchell
Communications Consultant
Dick Mutch
Finance Assistant
Lauren Paterson
Content Creator
Weronika Ptaszynska
Senior Account Manager
Graham Repper
Director
Suzanne Robertson
Sales and Sponsorship Coordinator
Leanne Sinclair
Account Management Lead
Isla Stewart
Managing Director
Mike Wilson
Senior Event Manager
Sarah Young
Looking for support?
Whether you need to connect with new audiences, launch a spectacular event or develop a multi-channel marketing strategy, our team are standing by to lend their expertise and elevate your project.
The History of
Mearns & Gill
We are the longest-standing creative marketing agency in Scotland.
We’ve come a long way over eight decades, and we’re certainly not slowing down.
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1. The beginning
1936
The business is founded on 14th February 1936 by James & Agnes Mearns.
Aberdeen Architect and Entrepreneur, T Scott Sutherland and coal and shipping businessman, Lex Davidson, each loan James and Agnes £500 to set up Mearns Publicity. First offices were in Amicable House in Union Street, and expansion led to the leasing of 5 rooms in Union Row.
2. Early war years
1940s
Advertising comes to more or less a standstill during WW2, but the business ticks over while James works for the Ministry of Food.
James continues to keep things moving while working for the Ministry of Food, maintaining key relationships and ensuring the company is ready to rebuild as soon as the industry begins to recover.
3. A shift into publishing
1950s
Siblings Graeme and Lesley Mearns join the company in the mid-1950’s, bringing new energy and ambition.
A growing market for guidebooks is identified and Mearns Publications is created to make the most of the opportunity. The company moves to its present Carden Place offices in 1959.
4. Precision and pace in the studio
1960s
The company re-invents itself as an advertising business.
With demand rising, the team begins designing new adverts, delivering the copy, layout and blocks for illustration by 5.30pm so ads could appear the following day. These are often complex pieces of work, produced at pace, and the skill of the hot metal compositors is nothing short of remarkable.
5. Uniting two agencies
1970s
In 1971, Mearns Publicity merges with J.D. Gill Advertising Service to become Mearns & Gill Advertising Ltd.
The combined business strengthens its reputation and continues to support clients such as Alexanders Radio and TV, Webster Tyre Company, Raffans Menswear, Andrew Collie, Cordiners, Harpers, Thomson of Cults and Jack Wilson. Alan Mearns joins the company in 1978, marking another key moment in the family story.
6. A new era in broadcasting
1980s
As television and radio advertising grows, Mearns & Gill’s creative talent expands.
ASPC becomes a regular television advertiser, soon followed by Mitchells Self Drive, signalling a shift into a more modern era of advertising for the business.
7. Design takes centre stage
1990
The company’s design offering develops significantly.
It attracts well known clients including BT, Baxters, Glenfarclas, Scottish Enterprise Grampian, Esslemont and Macintosh and Norco. A stronger focus on visual communication shapes the direction of the business.
Tania Mearns joins the company in 1990.
8. Events join the service offering
2000s
Event design and management is introduced as an additional service, allowing the company to support clients across a broader range of needs.
Total, Chevron, Talisman Energy, Wood Group, Shell and TAQA are among the clients that trust Mearns and Gill to deliver memorable experiences.
9. Eighty years and a new direction
2010s
Mearns & Gill celebrates eighty years in business and enters a new chapter as Mike Wilson acquires the company in 2016.
Mike’s experience of his own family business, William Wilson, founded in 1900, brings many synergies for driving Mearns & Gill forward, building on the reputation that three generations of the Mearns family have worked so hard to establish and sustain.
10. A fully integrated agency
2020s
Today, our fully integrated marketing & design agency includes Advertising & PR, Brand, Web, Digital, Event Management & Media Solutions.
We will continue to grow and evolve with our clients to provide marketing that makes a difference. If you're looking for a team that brings ideas to life, watch our latest reel to see what we're all about!
