1 in 4 Cannes Wins Went Indie. The Better Story Is What Comes Next

At Cannes Lions 2025, independent agencies didn’t make the most noise. They weren’t the ones caught in ethics disputes or social-media fire drills. While some holding companies scrambled to explain themselves, indies did what they’ve always done: focused, worked, and won.

• 24.1% of all Lions went to independent agencies—a 1.7-point lift from last year.
• 251 wins total. 61 from Indie Agency News members.
• Thirty categories. Zero drama.

It’s not that the wins weren’t big. Serviceplan landed 30. Special, Alto, Klick Health, OBERLAND, Mother, Day One Agency, and verb all brought home Lions. But the deeper story wasn’t the hardware. It was how it felt: more grounded, more deliberate, more inevitable.

“This is the only business where creativity solves a business problem” (a line from Bob Hoffman, repeated by Zanger during the show). “That deserves recognition—but it also deserves integrity.”

The integrity piece wasn’t theoretical. It came into sharp focus during the now well-documented DM9 Brazil controversy, which raised serious concerns about fabricated campaigns, false documentation, and the lines some are still willing to cross for metal. In response, Cannes Lions has updated its standards and is now considering three-year bans for future violations
(via Brian Bonilla, Ad Age).

While all of that unfolded, indie agencies stayed focused. And Cannes took notice.

The scoreboard—assembled using Claude AI—wasn’t about bragging rights. It was about patterns. Indies didn’t win because of clever positioning or structural scale. They won because the work held up. Because the ideas made sense. Because the teams behind them believed in what they were doing before anyone else did.

Zanger called awards “tailwinds.” Not trophies. Not morale boosts. Tailwinds. Recognition builds belief. Belief builds consistency. And that’s how indie agencies keep moving forward—with clarity, not noise.

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Charlie Tombras II, remembered well

Charlie Tombras II passed away on July 2 at the age of 83
(via Ewan Larkin, Ad Age).
He helped build Tombras into what it is today—not just a successful independent agency, but one that reflects the values he carried: steady, thoughtful, and grounded in the place it calls home.

Doug Zanger took a moment during the show to remember him, calling Charlie “part of the important story of that great agency.” That story continues with Dooley Tombras and a team that’s still growing, still evolving, and still doing things their way.

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Five moments worth jumping to

???? 13:40 – Building the scoreboard
What the 24.1% stat really means—and why the real win is momentum.

???? 15:01 – Claude tries its best
The AI was overeager. The outcome was useful. The tone stayed indie.

???? 19:30 – When ethics enter the room
The DM9 Brazil controversy, Cannes’ response, and why indies stayed focused.

???? 21:35 – Recognition is a tailwind, not a trophy
Why belief inside a team matters more than the metal.

???? 24:57 – Final thoughts on confidence and credibility
“Be pure of heart. Be pure of mind. Be proud that the work you do matters.”