Indie Agency News members are leaning into big moments while simultaneously rewriting the rules on everything from email marketing to search visibility. This week’s collection reveals agencies comfortable with spectacle—the Super Bowl, the Sphere, full-length spaghetti westerns—while others are finding leverage in quieter, smarter places: Pinterest’s intent signals, AI-powered search citations, participation-based cultural design. The contrast is instructive: big swings still matter, but the new competitive edges are being built in the infrastructure.
What’s emerged across these stories is a particular kind of confidence. Not the chest-thumping variety, but the kind that comes from understanding how platforms actually work, how communities form around invitations rather than messages, and how to turn owned channels into revenue engines instead of afterthoughts.
🎬 When Animation and Storytelling Do the Heavy Lifting
Öpınıonated returned to animation for Panda Express’s 2026 Lunar New Year film “Wishes,” partnering with Passion Pictures to create a sweeping celebration of togetherness and the role food plays in bringing communities together. Following up their 2025 film “The Invitation,” the agency continues building narrative depth for a brand that understands cultural moments require more than surface-level gestures.
McKinney celebrated National Hot Sauce Day by dropping a trailer for Texas Pete’s feature-length “Spaghetti Western”—a reimagined take on the classic genre complete with spaghetti recipes and an upcoming full-length film. When a hot sauce brand commits to a feature-length film instead of a 30-second spot, it’s worth paying attention to what content strategies are becoming.
Witness Me spotlighted Arts & Sciences directors Adam & Dave’s work with Jean Smart for OLIPOP’s Dry January campaign, transporting the Emmy-winning actor to the 1950s to reimagine the Shirley Temple as a modern mocktail. The spot blends mid-century charm with playful storytelling, proving nostalgia works best when it’s specific rather than generic.
🎯 The Participation Economy (Not the Attention Economy)
The Many published new thinking on how “Becoming Chinese” became 2026’s first viral cultural trend through their Participation Exchange platform. Their analysis focuses on architecture over content: the invitation was real, the practices substantive, and value flowed in multiple directions. When they say “participation is catchy,” they’re describing cultural mechanics, not campaign tactics.
Meanwhile, The Many also noted that Dr. Pepper’s viral TikTok jingle demonstrates participation in action—turning a creator’s viral moment into official brand expression. The line between brand content and community creation continues to blur in interesting ways.
🏈 Super Bowl Season Means Big Swings
Mother in Los Angeles teased their Super Bowl work for Meta with minimal fanfare—just “Hey, Meta… see you at the Super Bowl! 😎” Which is exactly the kind of confidence you can have when you’re sitting on Super Bowl creative.
Not content with just the Big Game, Mother Berlin announced they’ve been appointed global creative agency of record for Lufthansa Group, Europe’s leading airline group. Taking off indeed.
Preacher Amsterdam kicked off the year by taking over the Las Vegas Sphere and a Liverpool barbershop for Under Armour’s “Cut Different” campaign featuring fighter Paddy Pimblett. One fighter, two sides, two cities—showcasing the duality between the bowl cut meme machine and the fierce full-braids fighter. When your canvas includes the Sphere, you’re playing a different game.
📊 The Numbers That Actually Move Needles
Lewis delivered +148% revenue per email for LED Technologies through a 12-day advent calendar-style campaign of 24-hour deals designed to cut through post-Black Friday noise. The results: +174% average daily subscriber growth and 38% of total Q4 email-driven sales. Proof that owned channels can be revenue engines when the strategy is right.
Mother Bear Agency landed front-page Wall Street Journal coverage for Coldwell Banker’s 2026 Luxury Trend Report, bringing insights on the $4.6 trillion generational wealth transfer shaping luxury real estate to national attention. A WSJ exclusive plus Mansions section print coverage—that’s PR execution that understands both the story and the outlet.
Yes& helped DISH TV turn retention into entertainment through DISH Perks’ gamified monthly PLAYscapes, layering in gamification to create something subscribers actually look forward to. Loyalty programs shouldn’t feel like afterthoughts—they should feel like thank-yous that keep saying “we see you.”
🔄 Growth Through Smart Combinations
Yes& welcomed Symmetri Marketing Group to expand their B2B expertise, doubling down on what drives their best work: bold ideas, generous collaboration, and results that move the needle. The language around the acquisition feels refreshingly straightforward—less “synergy,” more “we’re energized by what’s ahead.”
WorkInProgress and Noble People are partnering on Belle Tire’s account, with WIP handling creative and Noble People on media for a brand entering a massive growth chapter with plans to double its U.S. footprint. As WIP noted: “As an agency that specializes in advertising round objects, we couldn’t be more excited to partner with another wonderful brand that specializes in selling them.” Self-awareness at its finest.
Noble People separately announced they’ve been named media AOR for Belle Tire, emphasizing the brand’s expansion plans and their role in scaling media strategy to match ambition.
🧠 Platform Intelligence Over Platform Presence
Campfire broke down why Pinterest is building one of advertising’s most underestimated platforms after seeing their CES updates firsthand. While other platforms fight for attention, Pinterest is doubling down on intent, planning behavior, and real signals from people actively deciding what comes next. Less noise, more meaning, better performance. If you think Pinterest is just mood boards, you’re missing what it’s becoming.
Planit shared critical intelligence on how 95% of AI-cited links come from unpaid, earned media, with editorial content from major outlets dominating AI search results. As AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude change how brands show up in search, the agencies understanding this shift are already adapting their strategies.
🎨 New Launches Worth Watching
Raindrop helped launch FORALL, a game-changing protein powder brand built on the radical idea of one ingredient—flavorless protein with no fillers, no flavors, no category clichés. The national multichannel campaign positions FORALL to disrupt a category that desperately needs it.
Bits&Letters worked with Landscape to launch Everself’s new website, demonstrating that digital foundations still matter even in an era of social-first everything.
Chameleon Collective supported the announcement of Evermark, the newly formed company created through the merger of Suave Brands Company and Elida Beauty, landing coverage in Beauty Independent, HAPPI, Drug Store News, and Beauty Packaging. Iconic brands, serious momentum.
🏆 Recognition Where It’s Due
Joybyte was named one of Ad Age’s Best Places to Work 2026, recognizing the team behind their explosive influencer campaigns and TikTok Shop success. The award acknowledges what drives the work: the creative, driven minds behind the magic.
David&Goliath CCO Ben Purcell joined LBB’s Super Bowl LX Ad Jury to share perspective on cultural relevance, brave creativity, and exceptional work that moves the needle on advertising’s biggest stage. The big game’s biggest ads demand big perspective.
McKinney Creative Director Julianna Strong is joining the ADC Awards 105th Annual Awards jury for Pharma & Health/Wellness, bringing her perspective to recognizing creative excellence shaping health and wellness today.
🗣️ Conversations and Guidance
Beers With Friends founders Dana Hork and James Wood were quoted in Ad Age’s guide for agencies preparing for an influx of new business in 2026, offering guidance on managing the reviews and RFPs heading agencies’ way.
RP3 Agency is bringing back their December webinar due to popular demand, focusing on why 2026 doesn’t call for the same old playbook but for original thinking that breaks through.
Chameleon Collective is hosting a virtual event on the shift from Customer Communication Management (CCM) to Customer Experience Management (CXM), exploring how organizations are reimagining customer conversations and moving beyond managing communications to engineering meaningful experiences.
🎥 Behind the Scenes
Witness Me featured Neighborhood Watch’s Daren Rabinovitch discussing his magical realism approach to his latest Noname music video, which brought tactile craft and in-camera effects to LA streets with intricate felted creatures and spontaneous choreography. His preference for hand-made world-building over digital spectacle creates puppet dream worlds in urban alleys.
Want to be featured in Indie Spin?
Indie Spin highlights the work, wins, and insights from our community of 280+ independent agencies. If you’d like to be included in future editions, join Indie Agency News and share your story.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Kyle O’Brien is managing editor of Indie Agency News.
