A Look Back at 10 Years of Orientation Marketing
10 Years of Orientation Marketing
Orientation Marketing was founded in 2015 by Gareth Pickering and Chris Lawson with a clear aim, to build a marketing agency that genuinely understands the life science and pharmaceutical industries. Fun fact, the name Orientation Marketing was inspired by Kanye West’s song ‘We Major’, but it also reflects the idea of helping brands find their direction in complex and regulated markets and then supporting them as they move forward with confidence.
By 2016, the agency had taken an important step by becoming a certified HubSpot Partner for pharmaceutical inbound marketing and content, allowing us to work with clients to put the best content on the most suitable media channels.
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This marked a shift towards a more structured, data-driven approach to marketing, combining insight and creativity with measurable outcomes. It also helped establish how Orientation Marketing would work with clients.
Momentum continued to build in 2018. The Orientation Marketing website was relaunched, giving the brand a stronger digital presence and new look, while attendance at CPHI Madrid helped deepen relationships within the global pharmaceutical community. That same year, the agency was shortlisted for the Northern Digital Awards. The award nomination came off the back of a strong year for Orientation Marketing, with a number of client wins and successful campaigns. Chris Lawson, Partner, Orientation Marketing expressed, “It’s fantastic to be recognised within the region for this great award. We are still a small agency, but our recent performance is an indicator of our ambition, and we will look to continue this trend.”
In 2019, Orientation Marketing moved its headquarters into a city centre office in Chester. The move reflected the agency’s growth and created a space that encouraged collaboration and creativity. It quickly became a central hub for the team and supported the next phase of the business as client relationships and projects continued to expand.
By 2022, Orientation Marketing had grown beyond the UK, opening an office in Espoo, Finland. This supported a growing international client base and strengthened the agency’s European presence. The same year also saw Orientation Marketing becoming a Google Partner, further reinforcing its expertise in search and performance marketing within the life science and pharmaceutical industries and showing that we offered the “latest Google Ads expertise while helping stand out to clients and the industry.”
2024 was a particularly busy and rewarding chapter for the agency. In 2024, we became official Podium Partners with the BiotechBikers, a networked community of professionals from the life sciences industry that was created to uncover innovations and new opportunities through a shared passion for cycling.
We also moved to a new larger head office premises in The Steam Mill, Chester, with the Lord Mayor of Chester officially opening the new office, a progressive move highlighting expansion and growth.
While at CPHI, we hosted a successful Wine Trail, which paved the way for future CPHI Worldwide trails. These moments highlighted Orientation Marketing’s ability to combine specialist marketing expertise with strong community engagement across the industry.
2025 was a milestone year for the agency, with Orientation Marketing celebrating its 10th birthday at CPHI Frankfurt and supporting Dave Day with the raffle of the one-of-a-kind Dave Day Royal Enfield Shotgun 650, which raised over £11,000 for the Dave Day charities, NSPCC Childline and CancerCare North Lancashire and South Cumbria.
The agency was also hosted by Searchability at the Chester Tech Meetup, bringing together professionals to connect, collaborate and exchange ideas. The event featured a series of insightful talks focused on B2B marketing trends, practical strategies and real-world experiences.
The team also had a fantastic time at CPHI Worldwide in Frankfurt. A particular highlight was the success of the Beer and Sausage Trail, which is our annual event at CPHI Worldwide. Another highlight was the CDMO Leadership Awards Europe, followed by our 10th birthday party, where we celebrated, connected and shared ideas with colleagues, clients, family and friends. These moments highlighted the agency’s ongoing growth and its commitment to share insights and building long-term industry relationships.
As we move into 2026, we’re excited to see what the future holds. With a strong team, trusted client relationships and a clear sense of direction, Orientation Marketing is positioned for continued success.
If you’d like to be part of our next chapter or explore how Orientation Marketing can help you reach your marketing goals, we’d love to chat. Get in touch and let’s see where the next ten years will take us.
