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Featured Barbarian
Filterbuy’s Air Filter Ad Starts Normal. Then It Gets Gloriously Unhinged
PDA's national push for the brand opens as a tidy home-care ad. By the end there's a moose in the doorway and some amorous bunnies in the bedroom
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A Pontiac Fry-ero, a Ten-Foot Fridge, and the Question Holdcos Keep Getting Asked
Indie Spin: The one with Yung Gravy, a pickleball hype tunnel, and 82% of physicians saying they're overworked.
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Every Brand Is Either a Tim Curry Role or a Dolly Parton Song
Indie Spin: The one with the Whopper's comeback, seashells finding their way home, and a bodega in Queens.
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Grocery Store Receipts, a Rain-Soaked Sword Fight, and the Case for Being a Shark
Indie Spin: The one with an 83% valuation jump, a DP who jumped into Lake Arrowhead, and the ballot that…
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A Flying Suitcase, a Beer Named After an Album, and the Weekend the Ballot Closes
Indie Spin: The one with Wrong Guard, a 42% CPM drop, and a hot air balloon shaped like luggage.
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A Spokestrout, a Cat Named Mittens, and Ten Indies on the Inc. 5000
Indie Spin: The one with a fish who finally got the mic, 589 million hours of Canadian TV, and an…
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AI’s Steamed Carrot Problem, a Ketchup Ambush, and a Bodega Built for Protein
Indie Spin: The one with a fleet of Leading Women, a Times Square hot dog hijack, and 93% of physicians…
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Sea Monkeys, Suitcase Balloons, and the Slow Death of the Click
Indie Spin: The one with a 1,392-foot cheese pull, a cannabis light beer named Herbert, and a whole industry finally…
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Indie Bombshells, Empty Auctions, and a Stanchion Pad With Opinions
Indie Spin: The one with the Cannes villa takeover, ChatGPT's wide-open ad auction, and a butter sommelier on the payroll.
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The Best Met Gala Statement Wasn’t on the Red Carpet
Indie Spin: The one with the bulletproof dress, therapy in a pint, and an accidental fleet of pilots.
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Cerulean’s Second Coming, Bruce the Goat, and a Mountain of Pencils
Indie Spin: The one with a Green Mountain goat, CMOs as first responders, and Gen Z's split verdict on kids.
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Horse-Powered Travel Planners and Other Reasons the Indie World Doesn’t Do Boring
Indie Spin: The one with predictive creator math, a Kentucky Fried three-peat, and a zombie game announcement nobody saw coming.
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What Role Does AI Play in Your Org? And a More Human Strategy.
Indie Spin: The one with cultural velocity, the brands that lost their soul, and what CMOs say when there's no…
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Barbarian Has Been Inventing the Next Thing Since 2001
How Jeff Blackman, Danielle Parkes and Alara Yildizlar keep a 120-person New York agency sharp across AI, culture and brand…
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Super Bowl Sermons and the Death of Discount Culture
Indie Spin: The one with protein theology, AI litigation, and the quiet extinction of "sale" stickers
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Fan-Made Jingles and Other Reminders That Creativity Still Comes From Anywhere
Indie Spin: The one with brands learning to get out of the way, creatives proving their worth, and a treadmill…
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Year-end reflections, holiday merriment, and the surprising science when overwhelmed travelers actually book
Indie Spin: The one with holiday playlists, holiday burnout research, and one very definitive holiday movie ranking
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Shake Shack Selections, 6 Million Views and Other Strategic Wins
Indie Spin: The one with burger partnerships, viral breakthroughs, and industry recognition
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When 8 Slices of Pizza Beat 8 Slices of Burger (And Other Indie Math That Adds Up)
Indie Spin: The one with Domino's dismembering burgers, indies calling BS on sacred cows, and 400 million people learning about…