Indie Agency News members are closing out the year with that particular mix of creative swagger and honest gratitude that comes when December hits. Between award wins and research drops, holiday campaigns and Claus-themed playlists, there’s something here for everyone who spends this time of year both celebrating and already thinking about Q1. Here’s what caught our attention.
🎄 The Holiday Movie Debate You Didn’t Know You Needed
Noble People let Christmas superfan Mark Cerofeci loose on his definitive holiday movie ranking, and the result is exactly what you’d expect: controversial, heartfelt and missing Elf entirely. Strong opinions were had. Tough calls were made. The comments section probably needs its own content warning.
Meanwhile, GYK brought back NH Nick, their lotto-loving Santa, for the New Hampshire Lottery, and also launched the Year Two sequel of TRACKed for Keolis Commuter Services—an animated year-in-review campaign that turns ridership data and CO2 emissions saved into fun, digestible storytelling about millions of miles of train travel benefiting Greater Boston communities.
🎵 Anti-Schmaltz and Other Creative Antidotes
Made Music Studio dropped their Anti-Claus playlist for anyone who’s hit their limit on jazz covers of White Christmas. EVP of Global Brand Partnerships John Taite describes it as “a soundtrack for that time in your life when you shake off your parents and make new holiday traditions with your chosen family.” Think Khruangbin, Harry Nilsson and Phoebe Bridgers—funk to punk with everything in between.
Rethink saw three campaigns make Ad Age’s Best Holiday Ads roundup for Brach’s Confectioners, IKEA and Instacart. Not content with just that recognition, their Sleep Talk Reviews campaign for IKEA also landed on Contagious’s 15 Most Contagious Campaigns of 2025 list.
Mischief @ No Fixed Address created JCPenney’s middle-child redemption campaign with the tagline “it’s what they thought that counts”—sweet vindication for everyone who ever felt overlooked at gift-opening time.
🏆 Innocean Takes Epica Grand Prix
Innocean made history at the 2025 Epica Awards with their Night Fishing campaign, becoming the first Korean-based agency to win the Innovation Grand Prix. The campaign also earned gold in Automotive and silver in Branded Content, marking a significant milestone judged by journalists from advertising, marketing and PR industries worldwide.
🧳 The Burnout Booking Window
Mower Agency released The Cost of Escape research showing travelers—especially parents and caregivers—book sooner when overwhelmed. The insight flips conventional marketing wisdom: the CTA isn’t “book now and save.” It’s “book now and breathe.” TravelBoom Hotel Marketing echoed the theme with their 2026 Leisure Travel Study, pointing to flexible booking plus transparency plus experience as the new price of admission.
🎭 Creator Partnerships and Strategic Shifts
Barbarian had Associate Strategy Director Urvashi Ajmera featured in LBB on creator partnerships: “When brands stop interrupting creators and start joining their worlds, everything clicks.”
Special Australia saw their Cher Turn Back Too Far campaign for Uber Eats make LBB’s Favourite Campaigns of 2025. The detail that caught attention: Cher’s search history includes “anti-ageing cream” for exactly two seconds max.
📊 The Research That’s Sparking Conversations
Worlwide Partners got a shoutout from DCA and Amar Chohan for their Confessions of a CMO research, which reveals how modern CMOs navigate adversity and reinvent their role rather than fading away. Through candid, off-the-record conversations with senior marketing leaders worldwide, the research shows evolution, not extinction.
Davis+Gilbert released their PR Industry Trends Report showing 63% of clients are open to thoughtful AI integration, while also flagging the legal collision between New York’s new law requiring disclosure of AI-generated synthetic performers and a White House Executive Order attempting to halt all state AI laws.
🎬 When UK Creativity Meets Celebrity Strategy
SRH dropped their TL;DR Dispatch asking the questions everyone’s thinking: What’s the best way to use celebrities in campaigns? How do you get the most out of them? And why are UK Christmas ads so effing brilliant?
📈 Media Playbooks and Post-Launch Reality
RP3 Agency published The Media Playbook, defining Wildly Original media as what happens after launch—live optimization, clear signals and whip-smart human creativity when the data gets messy.
🎁 Real Stories, Real Impact
Klick created a real-life Christmas story with Baraka Hospital in Kenya, giving 1,600 free life-changing surgeries. The campaign proves heart-tugging Christmas stories don’t have to be fantasies.
🥂 End-of-Year Energy
TiNY had their annual holiday party at The Folly in NYC and were so busy having fun they forgot to take photos. They’re now crowdsourcing images from guests because all they have is one shot that might be Jeff Rosner from the Association of Music Producers. Or Warren Beatty. Hard to say.
Response Media released their 2025 Wrapped—45 years of greatest hits in one end-of-year package.
Crackerjack Communications took their team to Flight Club for darts, mini tacos and settling scores. Holiday spirit is sky-high, but let’s just say a few scores are yet to be settled.
Schafer Condon Carter announced they love what they do so much they never want to stop—not even for the holidays. See you in 2026.
New Best Friend Co. wrapped their year with gratitude for everyone who took the time to meet with them and promised to maybe try posting on LinkedIn more than once every few months in 2026. TBD.
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