Indie Agency News members kicked off the week with refreshingly specific takes on what’s working (and what’s spinning its wheels). From strategic observers calling out beverage industry repetition to agencies proving their packaging redesigns with hard data, this batch of content feels less like promotional noise and more like field notes from the front lines. Plus: multiple agencies showing their work through campaign breakdowns that actually explain the “why” behind the creative.
🍹 Beverage Industry Reality Checks
Fortnight Collective returned from BevNET in Marina del Rey with what they’re calling “tough love”—their Director of Strategy noting that after a decade in the beverage trenches, this year’s conference felt like déjà vu. Not because speakers weren’t smart or brands weren’t trying, but because the same patterns keep repeating. The agency later shared that their packaging redesign for Solely won a Designalytics Effectiveness Award based entirely on real market performance and consumer data, not creative opinions. Their strategic foundation: “The fruit. The whole fruit. Nothing but the fruit.”
Bob’s Your Uncle reflected on how Mike’s Hard Lemonade didn’t just launch a product—they launched an entire category. Before the RTD aisle became a battlefield, Mike’s made it a destination, with the agency helping define the tone, attitude, and creative rebellion that turned a challenger into a cultural phenomenon.
📊 Growth Strategy Skepticism
SRH pointed to research showing that targeting your most loyal buyers isn’t a growth strategy, particularly visible in the struggling alcohol industry. They connected this to cognac’s challenges and broader category consumption issues, noting that while Gen Z does drink, marketing alcohol has gotten significantly harder.
Left Off Madison made their case for mandatory product usage: agencies should actually buy their clients’ products. Not symbolically, but regularly. They discovered a DTC client’s website literally blocked purchases of more than one item—explaining why average cart size was flatlined at “1.” Their conclusion: be your client’s customer first, then be their advocate.
Campfire launched a Substack focused on how smaller brands win by turning up in the right moments rather than shouting louder. Their first post explores shifting from broadcasting to becoming a place people return to because it feels familiar.
🎬 Campaign Breakdowns That Show The Work
Highdive continued their “12 Days” series with detailed campaign anatomy. For Lay’s “The Little Farmer,” they tackled the insight that 42% of consumers didn’t know Lay’s chips are made from just three real ingredients. For State Farm’s “Severed From Your Parents’ Insurance,” they positioned aging off parents’ policies as “insurance severance” and met Gen Z in the world of Apple TV+’s “Severance.”
TiNY premiered their launch spot for MiNTiES Freshbites, which debuted on Prime Video’s “Merv.” Their declared mission: eradicating the scourge of dog breath.
GYK broke down the ingredients needed to successfully launch New Hampshire Lottery’s bacon-scented “I ❤️ Bacon” scratch ticket: wild AI teaser videos, a Governor willing to rebrand the state to “New Baconshire,” in-person activations with bacon roses, scent cannons, and bacon candy.
Terri & Sandy landed in Muse’s Top 5 News Stories of 2025 alongside Apple, Cadbury, Coca-Cola, and Jeff Goldblum for their Freshpet Mob spot featuring Steve Schirripa.
🎯 2026 Industry Predictions
Doe-Anderson CEO John Birnsteel was featured in Campaign US’s predictions for 2026, calling out a shift already underway: brands turning to independent agencies that don’t treat people like efficiencies.
Serviceplan Group ranked #1 in the Campaign Germany Creativity Ranking for the second year running, with the ranking evaluating creative performance across relevant national and international award shows. They also announced taking over retail communication for Miles & More from Lufthansa Group.
🎙️ Behind-the-Work Insights
Reverve Agency featured B. Sunni Hickman, founder of B. Sunni, on their Humans & Brands podcast. After 20 years marketing brands like Dollywood and Harlem Globetrotters, Hickman realized people saw the work but not her. The episode covers the desert season where you question if you’re actually good at what you do, retraining yourself to say “I did that,” and why AI will never replace marketing instinct.
🔥 Quick Hits
McKinney made MM&M’s Best Places to Work list, with Managing Director Michael McNamara noting their focus on keeping people happy while gaining unfair attention for clients.
Davis+Gilbert partner Gary Kibel was quoted in both The Wall Street Journal and TechCrunch discussing the heating AI policy landscape.
Worldwide Partners released anonymously sourced CMO confessions—the things CMOs would never say on stage or in podcasts.
Special New Zealand announced office expansion to Auckland, Sydney, LA, Melbourne, Wellington, NYC, London, and Tokyo, noting their move to Google’s platform to better integrate global creative and production teams.
Indie Agency News members: Submit your agency news, work, and insights to he***@*********cy.news. Not a member yet? Learn more about joining 280+ independent agencies at indieagency.news/join.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
