Indie Agency News members spent the week toggling between high-stakes Super Bowl work and existential business model questions. The split is revealing: half the community is crafting emotional punches for America’s biggest advertising stage while the other half is systematically dismantling the discount-driven playbook that’s dominated retail for decades. Between these poles sits the real story—indies proving that creative ambition and strategic thinking aren’t mutually exclusive, they’re the same muscle.
The Super Bowl content ranges from Young Hero’s GLP-1 medication spot with Serena Williams to Lady Gaga’s transcendent “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” performance for Rocket and Redfin (yes, that happened). Meanwhile, quieter work tackles harder questions: how loyalty actually works when you stop racing to the bottom, what AI litigation means for creative IP, and whether protein powder needed a theological intervention. Turns out it did.
🏈 Big Game Theology
Young Hero produced Ro’s first Super Bowl commercial featuring Serena Williams, tackling GLP-1 medication stigma in healthcare’s most sensitive category. The spot runs during Super Bowl LIX.
SRH created the Rocket and Redfin Super Bowl preview with Lady Gaga singing “Won’t You Be My Neighbor”—a transcendent moment that broke the internet before the game even started.
Special U.S. teased Uber Eats’ Big Game showdown, hinting at celebrity face-offs that will dominate Super Bowl LX conversation.
VaynerMedia released their Big Game Marketing Guide, walking brands through how to capitalize on millions of eyeballs without buying a $7 million spot.
💰 The Death of Discount Culture
Left Off Madison pulled data across automotive aftermarket, breakfast, bottled water, cereal and pet food to identify five major brands losing buyers—not because categories are dying, but because specific brands chose price wars over differentiation.
Mower Agency released research showing emotion and economics shape modern travel more than discounts. Burnout and inspiration drive urgency, not deal alerts.
Giant Spoon highlighted how OLIPOP spent zero on traditional advertising that 85% fails to reach attention thresholds, while legacy soda brands burned millions. The Stir breakdown shows why attention architecture beats media spend.
🧬 One-Ingredient Revolution
Raindrop launched FORALL, a protein powder with one ingredient and zero additives—challenging an entire category built on supplement stacking and proprietary blends. The brand positioning reads like a cleanse for the supplement aisle.
Lewis analyzed how “healthy” evolved from low-calorie to ingredient transparency, with consumers prioritizing what’s not in products over traditional nutrition claims.
🎬 Production at Altitude
Revery announced the full cast for GRINDER at Sundance, including David Zayas, Hari Nef, Ivy Wolk and Killer Mike. The feature film marks the agency’s continued expansion into entertainment production.
Witness Me directed Daniel Russell’s high-energy Nurri protein milkshake spot “Shake Ya Can,” waking up the ready-to-drink category with movement-driven creative that runs nationally.
🤖 AI’s Legal Reckoning
Legal+Creative | Toerek Law promoted the 2026 AI for Agencies Summit, where Samantha Jordan will address whether agencies are intentionally adopting AI or just reacting to it.
Davis+Gilbert LLP presented at the AI Horizons Conference on crowdsourcing bulletproof AI policies in 15 minutes—critical as agencies navigate IP protection in generative workflows.
Vuja Dé Digital released 2026 predictions showing fundamental disciplines shifting faster than most brands can adapt, with AI rewriting operational playbooks at agency level.
🎯 New Business Heating Up
Trade School CEO Genna Franconi joined Ad Age’s conversation on managing the new business surge, addressing how agencies stay intentional when review volume spikes.
Preston Spire is hiring an Account Supervisor for their employee-owned shop—clarity and collaboration required.
Chameleon Collective launched Collective OS, a platform designed to systematize how flexible talent models operate at scale.
🏆 Creative Recognition
BarkleyOKRP won Gold Best of Show at the Vetty Awards for “Playing with Fire,” their B2B work with Elanco that ditched branded pens for actual creative ambition in pet pharma.
Epica Awards highlighted TBWA\Canada’s Sweat Sheet for Canadian Premature Babies Foundation—bridging mother-baby bonds through scent when physical presence isn’t possible.
TiNY created the 2026 AMP Awards campaign with talking ears last year and “radio heads” this year for the Association of Music Producers.
🎤 Soundproof Clarity
Cactus CCO Brian Watson and Cochlear’s Jaime Stanley discussed the brand’s global “Hear the Difference” campaign in MM+M, focusing on capturing the clarity of everyday sounds rather than medical claims.
Agency Noir conducted one-on-one conversations about Microsoft’s Maia 200 chip launch with Scott Guthrie and Jessica Hawk, demonstrating how technical B2B storytelling benefits from intimate interview formats.
📚 Strategic Inputs
Lafayette American released Lunch Reads 423, curated weekly by Philip Bator—essential reading for agency strategists.
Powell Communications shared lessons from Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird” in Campaign’s piece on books that inspire adlanders’ creativity, including the reminder that perfectionism is the enemy of good work.
Legal+Creative | Toerek Law featured the Succession Under Pressure podcast with Christy and Whitney Hiler, addressing what it takes to lead agencies when stakes impact both business and family.
🌍 Platform Partnerships
Fohr supported DICK’S Sporting Goods’ fourth annual Varsity Team program, with Digiday covering how brands invest in in-house influencers for greater control over creator narratives.
Barbarian redesigned Samsung’s US Newsroom homepage, focusing on visitor experience and content discovery beyond simple refreshes.
Klick continued their partnership with Baraka Hospital, with Beast Philanthropy and Legacy+ Foundation bringing life-changing care to the Mara region.
🚀 What’s Coming
PJX Media analyzed OOH advertising opportunities for FIFA World Cup 2026, with Canada, Mexico and the U.S. hosting matches across the summer.
YPR president Yanik Deschenes will speak at Grenier aux nouvelles on how brands and media rebuild trust between fake news, generative AI and dubious influence.
The through-line this week: indies building value systems that outlast campaign cycles. Whether it’s protein theology, loyalty beyond discounts, or IP protection in AI workflows, the work reflects agencies choosing strategic clarity over reactive tactics. That choice compounds.
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Kyle O’Brien is managing editor of Indie Agency News.
