Indie Spin: It’s Not Detergent, It’s Sauce

Plus, ownership evolution, award-winning work, and agencies putting purpose into practice

This edition of Indie Spin starts with something that shouldn’t feel radical but does: reframing everyday products in unexpected ways. When Raindrop declared “It’s not detergent. It’s sauce,” they captured what makes indie thinking distinctive—the willingness to break category conventions rather than simply follow them. That spirit runs throughout this roundup.

Some of it’s bold in the right ways—agencies challenging ownership models and creating work that earns recognition without sacrificing substance. Some of it’s more subtle—like Moontide Agency championing “honesty over hype” or Partners + Napier exploring “unreasonable creativity.” What ties it all together is a refreshing independence of thought: work that feels true to the agency creating it, the brands they serve, and the people they’re trying to reach.

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🌟 Breaking The Right Rules

Raindrop reimagined laundry detergent as “sauce,” creating a brand that genuinely breaks through category conventions—the imagery takes you somewhere else entirely while actually making perfect sense for the product.
FIG explores how AI is transforming our personal and professional lives in ways both promising and concerning, looking beyond the hype to examine the human implications of rapidly evolving technology.
Partners + Napier unpacked “the art of unreasonable creativity,” drawing inspiration from hospitality principles to show how real relationships form the foundation of breakthrough creative work.

💯 Substance Over Style

Moontide Agency challenged marketing norms with their “honesty over hype, ROI over reach, real people over polish” philosophy. Their perspective that “brands winning right now are listening harder and marketing smarter” offers a refreshing counter to filter-first approaches.
Brandon created a design “not to win, but to work”—then watched as it received a Top 40 Design Merit Award anyway. Their candid admission that effectiveness trumped award-seeking makes the recognition all the more deserved.
1stAveMachine welcomed director Tim Bierbaum to their roster, highlighting his “distinctly his own” voice—a reminder that in creative industries, authentic perspective often matters more than polish.
Fortnight Collective shared key takeaways from #MirrenLive2025 focused on the fundamentals: “it’s always about the people” and the conversations that shape the industry, not just the flashy trends.

🏆 Hard-Earned Recognition

INNOCEAN celebrated a Grand Clio win for Hyundai’s “Night Fishing” campaign, plus Bronze honors for their “Life-saving Bathhouse” CSR initiative—showing that purpose and creativity can successfully coexist.
Blurr Bureau announced Society De La Rassi’s selection as a finalist for the 2025 FAB Awards with a refreshingly unfiltered enthusiasm that matches the achievement itself.
Serviceplan Group secured second place in the PR-Journal revenue ranking for 2024, managing to increase both revenue and staff numbers against industry trends—proof that growth and quality can happen simultaneously.
Response Media earned an Award of Excellence from The Communicator Awards for their email marketing work with Sharpen by McGraw Hill, demonstrating that effective digital communication still matters in a social-first world.

🔄 Evolution In Progress

Zambezi participated in a Mirren panel where founder Jean Freeman joined other female agency leaders to discuss how underrepresented leaders can reshape what ownership looks like—a conversation that needs to continue.
The Gerety Awards featured indie agency founders in their latest “Talks” series, putting some of the industry’s true innovators in the spotlight while amplifying female creative leadership.
Planit advised brands to revisit their PR playbooks before crisis hits, noting that the media landscape has evolved dramatically—making yesterday’s communication plans increasingly irrelevant.
Colossus created a new global campaign for Hitachi Digital Services that marks the debut of the brand’s unified identity with a bold promise to “fuse the capabilities of the physical and digital worlds”—showing how evolution can happen at both agency and client levels.

💭 Purpose In Practice

Klick examined the convergence of PR, social, and influence in their Difference-Making Strategy series—applying meaningful analysis to practices often treated as separate disciplines.
Campfire showcased The Midcoast Villager on their Fireside podcast, highlighting how this innovative publication doubles as both local newspaper and neighborhood café—reimagining community journalism for modern needs.
Storythings invested in Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion training for their hybrid team—addressing the unique challenges of building inclusive culture across distributed workforces.
Spero Studio created the FY24 Annual Report for Southeast Crescent Regional Commission, capturing the “scale, strategy, and substance” of work happening across a seven-state region—transforming required reporting into meaningful storytelling.

👥 Building Better Teams

Corner Table Creative celebrated team member Ria Beatrice Clemente’s first anniversary with genuine appreciation for both her client work and cultural contributions—including teaching the entire agency how to make dumplings.
Mower hosted students from the College of Visual and Performing Arts, demonstrating that mentorship and knowledge-sharing happen best when curiosity flows in both directions.
Chameleon Collective analyzed how global brands can navigate complex economic challenges including tariffs and trade disputes—offering substantial expertise rather than simplistic solutions.
Hatch launched “Eat In or Dine Out,” a new video series examining how marketing leaders decide whether to build internal teams or hire agencies—providing practical guidance through the lens of a culinary metaphor that actually works.