Colenso BBDO named one of the world’s top 11 agencies in Contagious Pioneers 2025 list
Colenso BBDO has once again made the 2025 Contagious Pioneers list, consistently making the list almost every year since the ranking launched in 2016. This year 11 agencies from around the world have been recognised.
The Contagious Pioneers is an annual global ranking of the agencies that have consistently set the standard for creativity, innovation and excellence in marketing. These agencies can rightfully call themselves ‘the best and bravest’ on the planet because they have relentlessly pushed creative boundaries and set new benchmarks for the industry.
This year’s list in alphabetical order is:
- • Adam&EveDDB, London
- • AlmapBBDO, São Paulo
- • Colenso BBDO, Auckland
- • Golin, London
- • Impact BBDO, Dubai
- • LePub, Amsterdam
- • Mother, London
- • PS21, Madrid
- • Publicis Conseil, Paris
- • Rethink, Toronto
- • Uncommon Creative Studio, London
The Contagious Pioneers ranking is calculated by analysing the campaigns featured on the Contagious IQ intelligence platform. Only work that demonstrates outstanding creative thinking and strategic excellence passes the rigorous Contagious IQ editorial filter.
This year’s ranking was based on the number of times that an agency’s work appeared on Contagious IQ between April 2024 and March 2025. Each agency’s score was then further weighted to take into account the quality of the campaigns (ie, if they were named an Editor’s Pick), the consistency of the output (ie, the ratio of campaigns to the number of clients) and whether the campaigns were selected for further in-depth coverage.
The 2025 winning agencies created work across a multitude of sectors, including retail, beer, financial services and beauty. The 11 agencies come from eight different countries, indicating that the ranking is truly agnostic of geography or category, and is instead based on the quality of the work.
The year’s winners feature long-time incumbent agencies, such as Colenso BBDO, Uncommon Creative Studio and Rethink, as well as returning winners including Impact BBDO, and new Pioneers Golin, LePub, PS21, and Publicis Conseil. This year also marks the first time agencies from Spain and the Netherlands have been named to the ranking since it was established in 2016.
Says Chloe Markowicz, Contagious Editor: “We’re unabashedly picky about the work that we deem good enough to be featured on Contagious IQ, so getting featured on Contagious IQ is a feat in itself. But becoming a Pioneer is proof that an agency didn’t just get lucky with a great client or dream brief, they consistently put the work in, delivering future-facing marketing that gets noticed, and is, well, contagious. These agencies weren’t recklessly bold, but instead demonstrated an exceptional ability to take calculated creative risks that translated into real business results.’
Do you have what it takes to become a Contagious Pioneer?
Unlike other industry awards, you can’t officially enter your agency for consideration. In fact, there’s only one way to increase your chances of becoming a Pioneer in 2026: send Contagious your work. It’s that simple. Email submit@contagious.com with your latest campaign and Contagious will determine whether it has what it takes to be featured on Contagious IQ.
Contagious is on the lookout for work that exemplifies the best creative or strategic thinking. But the publication is especially interested in campaigns or activations that can really satisfy our penchant for analytical rigour. Contagious gravitates towards work that uses technology or media in a new way, brings emerging marketing trends to life and cleverly taps into consumer insights or behaviour. Basically, if it’s innovative, effective and marketers can learn something from it, Contagious wants to know about it.
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