It’s Your Time, B2B: Develop a Voice

Flipping the script, breaking conventions, and celebrating authentic personality in advertising

This edition of Indie Spin starts with a rallying cry that should resonate far beyond its original context: “It’s your time, B2B. Develop a voice, summon some personality, take a chance or three.” Barrett Hofherr’s invitation to business brands isn’t just good advice—it’s a philosophy that runs through the most compelling work, news and thinking coming from indie agencies.

From Zambezi flipping the script on financial marketing stereotypes to Clever Creative redefining a brand “from the inside out,” what stands out is the courage to prioritize authentic personality over convention. As Campfire aptly observed in their industry analysis, “What’s being said off stage is often more important than what’s on it.” The same applies to brand communications—sometimes the most powerful message is the one that breaks from expectation.

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🎭 Personality Over Paperwork

Barrett Hofherr advocated for more personality in B2B marketing, comparing brands that take chances to “a random wildflower pushing up through a grey sidewalk crack”—a vivid reminder that distinctiveness, not just competence, creates memorability in business communications.
Clever Creative partnered with FHI Heat to redefine their brand “from the inside out,” beginning with mission and values before extending to visual identity—proving that authentic personality starts with internal clarity before expressing itself externally.
Hydrogen Advertising participated in improv exercises at the WPI NEXT 25 Conference that pushed them to “listen, adapt, and say ‘yes, and…'”—a reminder that finding your voice often requires getting comfortable with creative chaos and collaborative uncertainty.

🔄 Convention? What Convention?

Zambezi created a campaign for LPL Financial featuring Anna Kendrick, described as “the antithesis of the typical clients featured in many financial service firms’ marketing”—a deliberate choice to disrupt industry conventions and connect with a new generation of investors.
Left Off Madison demonstrated that “smart strategy > big spend” by helping a Japanese clothing brand break into the U.S. market on a budget—challenging the assumption that market entry requires massive investment rather than creative thinking.
Campfire observed that “the industry is overdue for a shift” after attending Upfront and NewFront events, noting that the transactional model between agencies and publishers has limited the full potential of what media can achieve—a call for fundamental rethinking rather than incremental improvement.

🏆 Shiny Objects Worth Having

Special U.S. celebrated 13 wins at the One Show, including 10 for their U.S. office and 3 for New Zealand, with gold recognition for their “Football is for Food” Uber Eats campaign—demonstrating that creative excellence knows no geographic boundaries.
Drake Cooper noted, Foul Mouth Creative observed, and Left Hand Agency celebrated their finalist spots in the Cascadia Creative Awards, with reactions ranging from Drake Cooper’s “the creative bar keeps rising” to Foul Mouth’s refreshingly casual “Well, this is fun”—a collective testament to the Northwest’s creative strength and the various ways agencies process recognition.

🔭 Reading Between the Headlines

VaynerMedia shared CCO Rob Lenois’s advice for recent graduates entering the marketing industry, emphasizing staying humble and focusing on craftsmanship—a timeless perspective on building careers based on substance rather than hype.
Strike announced that Pierre Bellefleur will serve as Jury Chairman for the Social Goals category at Kyiv International Advertising Festival—a statement of solidarity with Ukraine and a reminder that “creative communities persist even through the darkest of times.”

🎉 Moments Worth Marking

INNOCEAN celebrated their 20th anniversary, tracing growth from a single Seoul office to a global network spanning 23 countries—a journey they described as #remarkable, #powerful, and #lifechanging, with a commitment to continue “as ONE INNOCEAN.”
Blurr Bureau expressed appreciation for Indie Agency News highlighting their FAB Awards nomination for Society De La Rassi, noting they “also love keeping an eye on what other indie agencies are up to”—a reminder that community recognition strengthens the entire independent agency ecosystem.
VaynerMedia announced their Cannes programming, designed “not just to inspire but connect marketers”—demonstrating how industry events can be opportunities for relationship building beyond just showcasing work.

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