The search revolution isn’t coming with fanfare. It’s arriving in percentages and quiet shifts in user behavior, and Indie Agency News members are watching it happen in real time. Meanwhile, campaigns are getting smarter about turning purpose into profit, creative work is pushing boundaries in unexpected categories, and recognition is flowing to agencies doing genuinely interesting work. Here’s what stood out this week.
🔍 The Search Funnel Just Got Reordered
Eight Oh Two Marketing released a 2026 AI + Search Behavior Study with numbers that should make every strategist pause: 37% of consumers now start with AI instead of Google, and nearly half say AI influences which brands they trust first. The report makes one thing clear: AI isn’t replacing search, it’s reordering the funnel.
Vuja Dé Digital added context with their own data dive: 64% of marketers worldwide say reduced use of traditional search engines will be the top AI-driven shift impacting digital advertising in the coming years. Daily AI search users in the US doubled from 14% to 29.2% between February and August 2025, while Google’s clickthrough rates dropped for both paid and organic results. The takeaway? This isn’t a five-alarm fire, but the writing is on the wall.
🏆 Recognition Where It’s Earned
Moonrock entered 2026 as Inc. 5000’s #1 company in Advertising, Marketing & PR, proving that gaming audiences and community-first activations can drive measurable results both online and at major live events.
Cornett showed that print still has power: their “Bittersweet Views” campaign for VisitLEX ranked #1 for recommending the destination in Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards issue. Instead of selling the arrival, they focused on the hardest part of visiting Lexington, KY: having to leave.
Raindrop earned Gold at the 2025 Vetty Awards for “Spruce Let The Dogs Out,” launching a new product for P&G with heart, humor and credibility in the animal health care industry.
Public Inc. made Real Leaders’ 2026 Top Impact Companies list, putting in the work and creating real impact.
🎬 Creative Work That Moves Culture
Witness Me worked with Love Song director Ja’Lisa Arnold on Timeline’s cinematic brand debut, reframing the conversation around longevity and cellular health. “It’s About Time” captures the emotional journey of reclaiming power in midlife, moving away from anti-aging tropes toward science-backed storytelling.
Mythology created Dove x Bridgerton’s “Let Them Talk” campaign, celebrating real women who embrace their bodies no matter what anyone has to say about it. Built around real creators and their stories, the work proves that the best campaigns happen when purpose and culture come together.
Curiosity just added Nurri to their roster with “Shake Ya Can,” a campaign that brought the headlines to the yard courtesy of Campaign US and Ad Age coverage.
Fortnight Collective launched an AI-powered campaign with Noodles & Company, celebrating the return of Steak Stroganoff by turning actual social comments into over-the-top re-enactments. Using real fan passion, they celebrated social engagement like never before.
💡 Purpose That Performs
Bob’s Your Uncle answered the question “How do you get people to care about food waste?” with a simple solution: make a beer. Been A Slice, created with Second Harvest, turned rescued bread into a craft lager that raised nearly $500,000 for food-rescue efforts and won recognition from Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas.
Rethink is sending Canadian athletes performance enhancers for their latest Molson Coors campaign, but not the kind you’re thinking. Fans in the stands. Studies show cheering fans can boost athletic performance 5-10%, so they’re giving athletes the 100% above board kind of performance enhancement.
📊 Data-Driven Insights
Giant Spoon gathered 26 Media Predictions for 2026 from leaders across Reddit, Bloomberg, Axios and beyond, offering sharp takes on what’s coming and which shifts will matter most in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Fohr is pulling back the curtain on their new predictive campaign intelligence, the same system that recently delivered results for The RealReal that were “so good, they felt magical.” Their thesis: the internet has become too complex for any team to navigate on gut instinct alone, so they built a system that predicts what will and won’t work before you spend a dollar.
Iris called Zipcar’s UK retreat what it really is: a marketing failure. Their Chief Strategy Officer Ben Essen argues that utility alone doesn’t create movements—culture does—and Zipcar never made the leap from useful service to cultural necessity.
🎯 Industry Intelligence
Rethink CCO Tara Lawall sat down with Ad Age to discuss whether long ads are making a comeback, exploring the pros and cons of the approach as brands experiment with unconventional ad lengths.
Serviceplan Group opened this year’s DLD Conference in Munich with a powerful tone: we’re entering a real wilderness shaped by AI, agentic systems, quantum technology and geopolitical shifts. Co-founder Steffi Czerny’s message? The future doesn’t need a roadmap. It needs courage.
Walrus celebrated Hello Products’ launch of Whipped Toothpaste, proud to play a small part in disrupting the oral care aisle.
Mintz + Hoke earned coverage in Hartford Business Journal for their strategic marketing efforts with Connecticut Insurance & Financial Services, defending Hartford’s title as the Insurance Capital of the World.
Young Hero‘s Roberto Max Salas Dos Santos perspective was featured in Adweek. In the piece, he breaks down why music licensing for social has become one of the trickiest issues brands face as culture moves faster than the rules built to protect it.
🌟 Judging Excellence
Chemistry‘s Christy Bates, EVP of Client Partnerships, is in the judge’s seat for the 2026 Effie Worldwide Awards, surrounded by ambitious ideas, standout craft, and work that works.
Highdive‘s CSO Nimisha Jain has been selected as a jury member for the NCM 2026 US Cannes Young Lions Competition, the ultimate proving ground for young creative talent.
Attention Arc‘s Co-President Swapnil Patel was selected as a juror for the 2026 U.S. Young Lions Competition in the Media category, one of the most respected global competitions for emerging talent.
Rethink CCO Mike Dubrick will be one of three jury chairs leading Campaign Canada’s second annual Agency of the Year awards, specifically leading judging on The BIG Awards.
🏅 People Making Moves
Yes& Agency‘s CMO Debbie Bates-Schrott is a finalist for the 2026 OnConferences Icon Top 100 Marketers Awards, leading the kind of marketing that unsticks the stuck, sparks possibility, and turns “what if” into “watch this.”
Lewis Art Director Anna Ramsey has been named an honoree in the Campaign US 2026 Spark Awards, recognizing rising talent shaping the future of marketing.
Delve Deeper welcomed Jennifer Lancaster Dana as their new Chief Client Officer, bringing deep experience in client leadership, customer experience, and digital transformation.
Worldwide Partners, Inc. officially welcomed Quantum to their network, a UK-based independent brand experience agency that knows how to turn intent into action through bold, connected experiences.
Day One Agency‘s Senior Director of Story Sarah Balagia shared tips for finding creative confidence, including keeping a Kudos Folder of compliments and praise to reference when you need a little ego boost.
Klick participated in today’s White House discussion about expanding access to medication safely and appropriately, as the FDA’s new ACNU NDA pathway goes live with important questions about patient access and healthcare efficiency.
Want your agency featured in Indie Spin? Join the 280+ independent agencies in the Indie Agency News community at indieagency.news
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Kyle O’Brien is managing editor of Indie Agency News.
