Independent agencies have been leading the charge in social-first marketing, and new research from Department of Creative Affairs confirms what many have suspected: social media isn’t an add-on anymore. It’s the operating system.
Amar Chohan, Founder of Department of Creative Affairs and former Contagious veteran, shared insights from their latest deep dive on social’s evolving role in business strategy. The conversation centered on why CEOs and CFOs need to understand social as a full-funnel business driver—and how indies are perfectly positioned to capitalize on this shift.
Read the full Deep Dive report here →
The Watershed Moment Has Arrived
The numbers tell the story. Research from System One and TikTok analyzed 900 campaigns across eight markets and found that those with sales-dominant messaging drove 88% higher conversion rates than campaigns focused on traditional brand messaging. But here’s the kicker—those same campaigns also delivered long-term brand-building effects.
“Besides AI, the other key talking point at Cannes this year has been how social and the creator economy is really having a watershed moment,” Chohan explains. “It’s become too big to ignore.”
Chohan spent 12 years at Contagious, which he describes as “the global authority when it comes to creative excellence.” By the time the business was sold to Cannes Lions, it had evolved into a creative transformation consultancy focused on breakthrough innovation and best practices in emerging marketing areas.
Stop Chasing Vanity Metrics
For too long, agencies have been stuck measuring likes, shares, and follower counts. But social platforms have evolved beyond simple engagement metrics. The algorithms now prioritize content quality over follower size, meaning a brand with 1,000 engaged followers can achieve greater reach than one with a million passive ones.
“Sales, obviously, is very easy to make a case when you’re talking to the more financially driven folks,” Chohan notes. “But it’s the wider value that social can bring because of the direct connection with the consumer.”
That wider value includes real-time customer insights, creative testing grounds, reputation management, and direct marketplace functionality through features like TikTok Shop and YouTube Shopping.
Explore the full research findings →
Three Things Agencies Need to Stop (and Start) Doing
According to Chohan’s research, agencies need to evolve their approach:
Stop doing:
- Focusing solely on content output (that space is saturated)
- Chasing vanity metrics instead of business outcomes
- Treating creator partnerships as transactional media buys
Start doing:
- Positioning social as a full-funnel business solution
- Building always-on strategies rather than one-off campaigns
- Creating genuine, long-term creator relationships
“Ask for forgiveness, don’t ask for permission,” Chohan quotes from Sarah Sutton, Global Media Director at Oatly. “Sometimes you’ve just got to put yourself out there, work with a creator, prove how effective it’s been, and take those results back to the business.”
Always-On: The New Operating System
Here’s where the conversation gets interesting for indie agencies. Social media’s always-on nature makes it ideal for retained relationships rather than project-based work. While traditional advertising agencies face pressure from the shift to project work, social agencies are becoming the new agencies of record.
FivebyFive, an Indie Agency News member, captured this perfectly in their client presentations: “Equity is an operating system, not a seasonal stunt. Not only cheaper, but compounding.”
This always-on approach means social becomes the testing ground for all other marketing efforts. The content that performs well organically should inform creative for traditional media—flipping the old model on its head.
The Indie Advantage
Independent agencies are killing it in this space, according to Chohan’s research. Whether it’s full-service social agencies handling strategy through execution, specialists focusing on particular communities, or boutique influencer shops, indies have the agility and focus that holding companies struggle to match.
“The independent agencies in this space are killing it,” Chohan emphasizes. “It’s one sector of the agency market where it’s clear that the independent scene is where you should prioritize your search.”
Making the Business Case
When pressed for the one thing indies should tell clients who still see social as an afterthought, Chohan’s advice was refreshingly direct: “Read the deep dive.”
But beyond that, it’s about having grown-up conversations focused on business outcomes. “It’s no longer just a content bucket to fill,” he explains. “How can social help you solve a business challenge? Because we’re seeing others do this through social—budgets big, small, or medium-sized.”
Access the complete Deep Dive with case studies and agency landscape →
The research is clear: social media has matured from a nice-to-have into a must-have business driver. Independent agencies that embrace this shift—positioning themselves as social-first business consultants rather than content creators—are perfectly positioned to lead the next phase of marketing evolution.
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Doug Zanger is the founder and editor-in-chief of Indie Agency News. He is also the founder of the Creative Bohemian consultancy, lives in the Pacific Northwest and is insufferable about it.
