Between TravelBoom’s discovery that 53% of travelers will pay more for sustainability but 45% are cutting costs elsewhere, VaynerMedia’s Anti-Trend Report declaring trend fatigue officially mainstream, and Campfire’s Chris Marine making the case that media commissions hide the work that matters most, this week’s Indie Agency News members are wrestling with a shared theme: authenticity in an age of performance theater.
The following stories cut through the noise with refreshing specificity. From Lafayette American’s TikTok win for Mazda to Noble People’s Scamberry Pie that turns holiday dessert into scam prevention, these agencies are choosing substance over spectacle, clarity over mystique, and—in GYK’s case—bacon over ham.
🎯 When the Data Tells You What People Actually Want
VaynerMedia released their Anti-Trend Report for 2026, and it’s not another “top 10 trends” roundup. The premise: your 2026 content will flop if you just keep following trends. In an era dominated by AI, the brands that win will be the ones showing up as genuinely real. Emotional relevance, community connection, and true authenticity are the competitive advantages now. Trend fatigue isn’t just real; it’s the trend.
TravelBoom Hotel Marketing published research showing that 53% of travelers are likely to pay more for eco-friendly stays, yet 45% are cutting back elsewhere. The lesson: sustainability matters, but it can’t feel like a luxury tax. Make green features part of value, not a penalty.
Response Media argues that the most successful pharma brands in 2026 won’t be the loudest; they’ll be the most connected. As care pathways fragment across physical, digital, and hybrid settings, the challenge is cohesion. Multi-channel experiences that meet patients where they are and guide them forward with confidence will define the winners.
🏆 Recognition Where It’s Due
Lafayette American took home Best Corporate/Brand Identity Campaign at the 2025 Ad Age–Automotive News Global Automotive Marketing Awards for Mazda’s TikTok work. Bringing Mazda’s identity to a whole new audience has been nothing short of a joyride, and they’re just getting started.
McKinney landed on the shortlist five times at the New York Festivals Health Awards for work with Voices of Alzheimer’s, Sublocade by Indivior, and Wildlife Conservation Society. They also earned recognition as a MM+M Best Place to Work, a testament to the culture they’re building at the intersection of health and life.
Yes& Agency secured a spot on the 2026 Chief Marketer Agencies of the Year list. Their positivity and possibility earn recognition, but it’s their ability to crack complex client challenges through innovative strategy and bold creativity that keeps them in the conversation.
🎨 Creative That Stops the Scroll
GYK rebranded New Hampshire as New BACONshire for the bacon-scented $2 I ❤️ Bacon scratch ticket launch. Nottingham became Nottingbacon. Hampton Beach became Baconton Beach. Windham became Windbacon. The Governor herself announced the statewide transformation. Because who likes ham more than bacon? Exactly: no one.
Day One Agency created Gus the Gut, a wise-talking stomach-shaped puppet for Hot Pockets that bridges the gap between tweens and parent communication. They embraced teenage behavior and humor, translating hunger into the unmistakable sound of a full, happy belly saying “thank you” after eating Hot Pockets.
Partners + Napier turned Maimonides Medical Center’s love for Wicked into MM+M’s Campaign of the Week. The cultural moment activation earned recognition for defying gravity in healthcare marketing.
FIG celebrated Christmas birthdays with Publix in a spot that earned a shoutout from Carson Daly on the Today Show. “I want to see how this movie ends,” Daly said. Well, Carson, it’s on YouTube.
💭 The Industry Debates That Won’t Go Away
Campfire published a detailed argument for why the commission model fails challenger brands in a fragmented media world. Every dollar has a job, and leaders need to see how that job gets done. When you can’t see the work, it’s harder to trust the outcomes. Clean compensation makes reporting clearer. Clearer reporting builds stronger narratives. Stronger narratives enable confident decisions. For teams trying to grow in a noisy environment, that clarity is its own competitive advantage.
SRH released their TL;DR Dispatch explaining why 2026 media plans might need rethinking. They also used Tony’s Chocolonely as a case study for purpose-driven brands that don’t lead with purpose—they play the physical and mental availability game just like any smart FMCG brand. Growing by making the brand easy to think of, easy to find, easy to like, and easy to buy for as many people as possible.
Campfire also shared thoughts on customer frustration and what it means for brands building meaning. People are looking for something they can trust. The challenge: even the sharpest targeting and clearest message can only travel as far as the rest of the system allows. When the story isn’t aligned, media ends up carrying weight it was never designed to hold.
🧠 Strategic Thinking That Lands
Goodway Group shared MediaPost coverage on why cross-border talent models are quickly becoming a competitive advantage. Marketing teams are becoming more global, more flexible, and more connected than ever.
Karsh Hagan published their take on the new data frontier. The marketing world runs on data, but only if that data is clean, structured, and actionable. The future belongs to brands that not only generate data but make it useful.
White Rabbit Group explained how the best digital transformations don’t begin with massive overhauls. For Island Creek Oysters, that first strategic move was connecting their ERP system to Shopify. This solved an immediate pain point while building trust for the bigger play: consolidating their entire brand portfolio into one unified ecosystem.
🎤 Conversations Worth Having
Cornett CEO Christy Hiler sat down with Robin Bonn on The Immortal Life of Agencies to talk about what makes independent shops thrive and why female ownership matters more than ever. Big ideas. Real talk. A whole lot of heart.
Day One Agency featured Amy Francombe, a contributing editor at Vogue Business, on Day One FM. They discussed why news is out and gossip is in, moving from a post-truth society to a post-meaning one, how unplugging became luxury’s most valuable currency, and whether it cheapens a brand to have TikTokers sitting front row at fashion week.
Day One also featured CEO Josh Rosenberg on Agency Business, discussing how Day One was built around “earned creativity,” why curiosity has become the most essential trait in the age of AI, and why they created a $30,000 internal Learning Fund for employees to pursue continued education.
White Rabbit Group hosted a LinkedIn Live on agency mergers with the DNA&Stone leadership team. Not the kind that cut costs, but the kind that build something stronger, more stable, and creatively fearless for clients.
ASMBLY Entertainment shared a conversation with Kevin Willard and James Williams about AI. Their deal with AI is simple: do everything humans find boring, tedious, or soul-crushing—so humans can focus on what we’re actually good at.
🛡️ Doing Good While Doing Well
Noble People launched Scamberry Pie, a holiday campaign with the Tech Against Scams Coalition. It’s a limited-edition cranberry tart where each slice lifts to reveal a common scam red flag, paired with a simple conversation guide to help families talk openly about staying safe. Available across New York, Los Angeles, and London because scammers rely on silence to succeed.
Noble People also used Giving Tuesday to support colleague Matt Borchard and the Nichole Borchard Foundation, which improves the lives of patients facing high-grade neuroendocrine cancer. In its first year, the Foundation enabled 20+ patients to reach critical clinical trials, funded rising doctors advancing research, and built new tools connecting global advocates to clinical insights.
Yes& Agency is partnering with the United States Mint to celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary. The collaboration includes specially designed circulating and numismatic coins available only in 2026, plus five exclusive Best of the Mint coin and medal sets. The creative draws inspiration from iconic American symbols and monuments to capture the nation’s spirit.
📊 Research That Changes Perspective
Yes& Agency is hosting a virtual panel on December 10 called Gen Z in [FOCUS]™: The New Success Equation. Grounded in a Yes& study with high school juniors and seniors, the discussion covers what Gen Z truly wants from life after high school, the four path personas that clarify their complex decision-making, and strategic implications for messaging, enrollment, and student experience. Gen Z fundamentally reshapes what it means to pursue education, build a career, and define success.
Goodway Group shared insights on McKinsey’s State of AI in 2025 report, worth reading if you’re thinking about where this all goes next.
Partners + Napier introduced the Flavor Finders, the 12.2 million 21-27 year olds who are leaving their parents’ “bland cans” on the shelf in favor of something more unexpected. Gen Z isn’t just drinking less—they’re drinking cooler.
🎄 Seasonal Excellence
VaynerMedia hosted their fifth year at Art Basel with The Wellness Oasis™, the VaynerXpress water taxi (because Miami traffic is not it), boat cruises with brand leaders, and a holiday photo set courtesy of Lovesac. They asked brand leaders what makes a brand win at Art Basel. The main takeaways: be bold, be authentic, and be part of the culture.
Goodway Group CEO Paul Frampton-Calero published thoughts on accessible, authentic leadership, highlighting why working out loud, showing your thinking, and communicating authentically matters in a distributed world.
Between bacon-scented lottery tickets and pies that prevent scams, this week’s members are proving that the best work doesn’t chase trends—it creates conversations worth having. The agencies building for 2026 aren’t trying to follow the playbook. They’re writing a different one entirely.
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