RPM turns 20!

This week we celebrate our 20th Birthday and say goodbye to our teenage years. It’s hard to believe the journey we have been on, from our humble beginnings in a converted cowshed outside Wokingham with no clients, three not particularly mobile phones but a huge sense of excitement and belief in what we could achieve.

We’ve had an extraordinary time building RPM up to where it is today, working with incredible clients, their businesses and some of the brightest and most ambitious people in the industry.

Some interesting milestones over the 20 years…

1993 RPM founded with £15,000 in a cowshed on a farm outside Wokingham

1994 RPM launches Staffing division and wins M&S, WM Grant and Unilever as clients. RPM launches Production and Creative divisions

1996 RPM embarks upon three year launch of PG Tips’ pyramid bag.  RPM buys LFP Photography and launches RPM Photography

1997 RPM moves to new office in Station Rd, Hampton

1998 RPM creates one of the first festival Brand Experiences for Strongbow (still going strong 14 years later!)

1999 RPM completes three year regional launch of PG Tips’ pyramid bag & wins Unilever’s Global Effectiveness Award

2000 RPM survives Millennium Bug & wins first £1m account with Camelot

2001 RPM wins Agency of the Year from both Marketing Magazine and The Grocer Awards GRAMIA

2002 RPM moves into The Old Treacle Factory, London, wins Deloitte Touche Indy 100 Fastest Growing Companies and begins our longstanding relationship with Diageo

2003 RPM wins Marketing Agency of the Year for the second time

2005 RPM sets up a specialist Planning & Concept Team and launches the RPM grad scheme (over 40 grads to date and counting)

2006 RPM goes global, securing its first global client – FIFA (activating FIFA Interactive World Cup) launching Blackberry Bold in 22 countries and delivering The Sky Festival (36 events for 31 channels over one weekend in Manchester)

2007 RPM is No. 1 in Marketing Magazine’s Experiential League Tables and remains the largest independent agency

2008 Winner at the MCCA Awards, Development of Agency Talent. RPM Digital comes to life

2010 RPM wins Sports Industry Award for Mass Participation (Skyride) and Diageo's European Innovation Agency of The Year for Smirnoff Global Brand Activation. RPM begins working with E.ON and ECB

2011 Over 20,500 Promotional People staffing days.  RPM wins Agency Leadership Award at Field Marketing & Brand Experience Awards and Blade for Sky at The O2, is in Sunday Times Best Small Companies to Work For, for the sixth consecutive year

2012 In the Olympic year and summer of cycling, RPM succeeds in getting 1m people to cycle more regularly and 15 RPM cyclists ride London to Paris to witness "Wiggo" secure victory in Tour De France. RPM sweep the Awards Board with two Diageo Marketing Brilliance Awards, Platinum, Grand Prix and Gold Wins at Eventia, Brand Event Awards and FM&BE Awards respectively.

As proud as I am of everything that has been achieved, it is utterly eclipsed by the sense of debt and gratitude I owe to those who have played their part in making our original vision a reality. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to each and every one of you.

As humbling as the achievements to date are, in truth, we’re just getting into our stride and I remain incredibly excited about what lies ahead for RPM and the wider industry..

Hugh Robertson