Over 100 marketing leaders gave their predictions to Ad Age, and the indie perspective cut through: be human, embrace the unfiltered, and remember that AI is rewriting strategy—not replacing it. Meanwhile, agencies launched work that poked fun at AI-generated nonsense while others turned strategic expertise into 24-hour deliverables. The message? Speed, authenticity, and being boldly yourself matter more than ever.
🎯 The C-Suite Sees What’s Coming
Ad Age asked 100+ leaders for predictions. Indies delivered the clearest answers.
Consiglieri‘s Tiffany Holland predicts reaching consumers in 2026 means winning over their AI agents—a fundamental shift in customer engagement. Eight Oh Two Marketing‘s Robert Langenback shared how LLMs are transforming brand visibility, noting AI isn’t replacing strategy, it’s rewriting it.
JOAN Creative declared branding’s entered its unfiltered era: “Brands that took sides, even spicy ones, didn’t suffer. In fact, they surged. In 2026, the brands that stand for nothing will lose to the brands that stand for something.”
Trade School‘s Genna Franconi cut through prediction fatigue: “What we need to consider heading into 2026 is not a single prediction, but the mindset required to navigate whatever comes our way.”
GLOW Creative Agency‘s Maggie Walsh connected AI and the creator economy while Laughlin Constable‘s Anthony Romano weighed in on TikTok’s uncertain future.
🎨 Creativity Predictions Took a Different Turn
When Ad Age asked about 2026 creativity trends, indies brought humanity back to the conversation
Terri & Sandy‘s Peyton Sutton predicted indie freedom will win the day. Laughlin Constable‘s CCO Patrick Laughlin said what’s on trend for 2026 is being human, emphasizing the role of AI as tool, not replacement.
WorkInProgress co-founder Matt Talbot weighed in on creativity trends while The Mayor‘s Tom Hamling focused on what matters most: developing junior talent: “They won’t be raised like we were. If we’re not careful, we lose an entire generation to efficiency over craft.”
Argonaut‘s Head of Creative Hemant Anant Jain reminded everyone there’s no shortcut to building brands: “AI will start to be used in an even more discerning way. When everything starts to look AI-made, consumers tune out.”
🤖 Work That Takes AI Head-On
Two agencies launched campaigns that poke fun at AI-generated nonsense
McKinney teamed up with Jonas Brothers and Almond Breeze to cut through AI clutter with a simple message: it’s really good milk. The spot lampoons over-the-top, misguided AI pitches that miss the mark on authenticity—from space-traveling milkshakes to existential product philosophy.
CYLNDR Studios explained their AI POV in action: “Ideas belong in the real world, not on a whiteboard. We shaped every AI sequence to fit a specific comedic context. We know brands are under pressure to participate in AI culture without looking foolish.”
🚀 When Process Becomes Product
Indies are turning strategic capabilities into time-bound offerings
Fortnight Collective launched Hacky Hour—one focused hour tackling your biggest brand challenge, with polished ideas delivered within 24 hours. It’s a brilliant model: turn process efficiency into a product clients can buy without traditional pitch cycles.
TiNY went meta and created their own Wordle puzzle. Can you solve it? It’s the kind of playful proof-of-concept that shows creative thinking without requiring a deck.
Agency SOS released their first newsletter of 2026 celebrating the 20 best campaigns of 2025. They reviewed everything that caught their eye and distilled it to the best of the best.
📊 The Data That Matters
Research and strategic thinking that changes how indies approach client work
Left Hand Agency CEO Lauren Ridgley makes the case for awareness campaigns fueling sales, drawing on decades of research from Byron Sharp and Les Binet. Many brands still treat awareness and performance as competing priorities—marketing science says otherwise.
SRH highlighted Les Binet and Will Davis’s crucial presentation “Go Big or Go Home,” reminding us that reach is everything, but fewer than half of CMOs are maximizing reach. Advertising has never been more efficient—but is it more effective?
Model B shared insights from Curve Dental CMO Robin Bowling on how AI is reshaping visibility and organic traffic. With massive AI adoption growth, marketing is shifting from paid ads to strategic understanding of how AI agents discover brands.
TravelBoom Hotel Marketing shared research showing social media influence jumped from 39% to 55% between 2025 and 2026. Travelers discover through TikTok, Reels, and video more than ever.
Unruled Outdoor Agency revealed 67% of hunters shop in big-box stores, but nearly 40% buy direct from brands they trust. If your message doesn’t move between shelf, screen, and field, it’s getting left behind.
🎬 The Work Gets Recognition
Campaigns making noise for all the right reasons
GYK and Sweet Baby Ray’s launched a mission to stop Dry January with “Say No to Dry January” (say yes to Sauce Season instead). As the team told MediaPost: “Dry January gave us the perfect backdrop to flip a growing cultural trend on its head in a bold, unmistakable way.”
Familiar Creatures launched Duke’s Mayo is Coming to introduce the southeast secret to the rest of the country. Their latest work with Crunch Fitness “Crunch. Feel More.” continues a partnership that started in 2021: “We don’t just toss fun work into the ether and hope for the best. We dig, we mine, we hunt for insights that drive business.”
Bakery Agency saw its Tree Hut relaunch “Uncontain Yourself”.
Another Thing tackled tax season with Betterment’s “Time to Be Great,” helping avoid “tax-cidents” at all costs.
David&Goliath used Times Square on New Year’s Eve to celebrate the people behind Kia’s all-new Telluride. The takeover wasn’t just a spectacle—it was a tribute to the Kia Georgia team members who build every vehicle.
POKE THE BEAR™ embraced bowling’s cold truth for Go Bowling: “It’s especially rewarding when you have a client who doesn’t insist on ignoring or bending the truth. And the cold truth about bowling? You can suck at bowling and still enjoy it.”
🏆 The Rising Stars
Ad Age’s Creatives to Watch 2026 featured indie talent
Curiosity saw Andrea M. Book and Evan Dulaney named to Ad Age’s 92 Creatives to Watch: “From song parodies to tail-waggin’ brilliance and sugar-coated bliss, these two cook up the kind of creative chaos we live for.”
Highdive celebrated Frank Viglione and Gaby Bates being named to the Creatives to Watch list: “2026 is already looking bright for independent agencies and bold creative teams—and Frank and Gaby are proof of that.”
🎤 Insights Worth Your Time
Podcasts and articles diving deep into what matters
Made Music Studio and Sentient Decision Science released a sonic branding insights episode: “When a visual identity is done well, you feel enveloped in it—everything around you is that brand. Sound creates that same visceral connection.”
Hatch hosted Ad Age Executive Editor Judann Pollack on Eat In or Dine Out to talk about the benefits of working with small creative agencies: “Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. But you know what doesn’t have layers? Small creative agencies.”
Curiosity hosted Mintel’s Diana Kelter on the Question Everything podcast unpacking the “Affection Deficit”—why consumers crave emotional connection and what that means for 2026 strategy.
Reverve Agency featured SharkNinja’s Dave Kersey on Humans & Brands, diving into virality and consumer-led brand building.
Model B released an episode with Thunes CMO Mathieu Limousi on global marketing practices and trust in payments.
Legal+Creative hosted Harv Naik on The Innovative Agency Podcast about advancing operational maturity: “When growth relies on duct-taped processes and heroic effort instead of dependable systems, chaos and burnout aren’t far behind.”
💡 Thought Leadership That Lands
Indies writing about what matters
Yes& Agency founder Bob Sprague wrote for Fast Company about leading like jazz musicians: businesses don’t need tighter scripts, they need better improvisers.
Public Inc. CEO Phillip Haid contributed to Carol Cone’s Fast Company piece about corporate purpose facing a fork in the road in 2026.
Day One Agency‘s CCO Jamie Falkowski was featured in Print Magazine’s “What Matters” by Debbie Millman: “I think it’s hard for me to sit in ego or glory for too long, and either not want to keep getting better or want to figure out what comes next.”
FUSE Create ECD and Partner Steve Miller pulled together 25 years of agency learnings from their “Sit, Sip, ‘n Scroll” series—some hard-earned, others surprising.
Campfire wrote about why every brand is a media company now and why first-party data is the only data that matters: “For a long time, the marketing industry treated data like a shortcut. That era is ending.”
Brandon shared four strategic media buying tips that blend data, instinct, and creativity: “It’s not just about being everywhere. It’s about showing up where it matters—with the right message, in the right context.”
Eight Oh Two Marketing detailed how they rebuilt a luxury skincare brand’s paid search using AI, addressing rising CPCs and shrinking ROAS.
Mower Agency‘s Geoff Thomas wrote about agentic AI pushing B2B marketing from automation to autonomy: “Your edge won’t come from flashy features. It’ll come from building the fundamentals of trust, transparency and brand-safe guardrails.”
🎪 The Show Goes On
New business, new hires, and new partnerships
Mother welcomed Weetabix to the breakfast table, a new partnership signaling continued momentum.
Bob’s Your Uncle founder Bob Froese joins Indie Agency News to unpack the strategic moves that turn challengers into category leaders—and why execution without transformation stalls growth.
Gear Seven announced Tim O’Hara joined as Head of Client Partnerships, bringing brand partnership experience from ADWEEK.
Brandon welcomed Kim Lannou as Account Manager, bringing deep agency experience and a client-first mindset.
SRH called out brands ready to get aggressive: “Chick-fil-A is going big for its 80th anniversary. Not sure if we’re a fan of the word ‘newstalgia,’ but we love it when a brand takes a big swing. Any fast food brand out there ready and willing to throw some elbows? Hit us up.”
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