The Agency of the Year and why brands must give creators more control
Welcome back to Ad Age Briefly! It’s been a busy time at Ad Age, with last week’s NextGen Marketing Summit and the reveal of our Agency A-List on Monday. Let’s dive right in. —Ad Age Senior Engagement Editor Mark Fischer .
Tombras soars to new heights?
The lowdown: The Knoxville, Tennessee indie was crowned Ad Age Agency of the Year after establishing itself as a top industry player in 2024. Tombras earned the title not just for its creative excellence but also for its strong financial performance, among other factors.?
Creative chops: Tombras was behind plenty of memorable creative moments last year, including bringing Josh Wine out of retirement on X to capitalize on a viral Gen Z-driven meme. But perhaps none was more iconic than when it helped Bark launch a real airline for dogs in April. Tombras led the branding, in-flight experience and advertising for Bark Air, which sold out its flights for 2024.
Financially fit: The agency “posted the winningest year in its 78-year history, nabbing integrated assignments with bigger clients and bolstering revenue by 6% to $98.5 million,” writes Ad Age’s Ewan Larkin . It won business with Kellanova and Spirit, now two of its top three clients by revenue.?
??? As Ad Age Executive Editor Judann Pollack writes, the Agency A-List proves that “creativity is alive and well in this business.” Explore the full list here and look back at more than 50 years of Agency of the Year winners here.
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NextGen Marketing Summit takeaways?
A big thanks to everyone who attended last week’s NextGen Marketing Summit, a three-day conference packed with Gen Z, DTC marketing and creator economy insights from top industry leaders and influencers—and a whole lot of networking, thanks to our Gen Z Career Forum.?
Two panels that stood out to me explored why brands must give up creative control to creators. As fashion influencer Achieng Agutu, who boasts over 875,000 Instagram followers, told our Sabrina Sanchez on stage: “You come with the money, and I’ll come with the vibes.”?
Her point? Brands often forget that creators know their audiences best and understand what kind of marketing will resonate. The key, according to McDonald’s Head of Social Amanda Mulligan , is for brands to get “comfortable” being uncomfortable with creators leading the way, she told our Erika Wheless . Speaking of Amanda, here are five rapid-fire questions with the fast-food chain marketing leader:
?? If you're craving more influencer insights—from both the creator and brand side—do yourself a favor and sign up for Gillian’s Influencer Marketing newsletter here.
Just Briefly
Creativity Corner
“Zevia has enlisted Jelly Roll in its latest punking of Big Soda, with the Grammy-nominated artist starring in an amusing spot that parodies Cindy Crawford’s classic 1992 Super Bowl commercial for Pepsi,” writes Ad Age Creativity Editor Tim Nudd .
This newsletter was curated by Ad Age Senior Engagement Editor Mark Fischer . Have any feedback or tips? Reach out to him at [email protected].
?International CMO ? McCann ? FCB ? Strategy ? Advertising ? Marketing ? Media ? Award-Winning Creative ? High-stakes Negotiations ? Company Launch ? Team Leadership ? Startups ? Branding ? Digital ? Direct
2 天前Give creators MORE control? Sure... if creators agree to 3 things: (1) Read the marketing brief (2) Read the segmentation analysis for their particular core group and (3) follow some brand guidelines regarding the tone, manner, and positioning (not necessarily the graphics). A creator's audience doesn't exist in a vacuum, they interact with the brand on many other fronts. Otherwise, really stupid idea!