72andSunny turned optimism into a business strategy

It turns out optimism is a strategy after all. With 11 new client wins, seven Super Bowl ads and a 30% increase in revenue, 72andSunny had outstanding results in 2024. The agency’s executives attribute the performance to adhering to their founding principle of optimism amid what they called a “gloomy” year of ongoing stresses, including AI’s effects on creativity and the impact of industry mergers. But optimism at 72andSunny doesn’t necessarily mean positivity. It’s an attitude that shows up in creative work, in employees and in deeply collaborative client relationships, said Marianne Malina, president, North America for 72andSunny. While optimism provides an emotional uplift, it’s also what gives the firm remarkable grit and ambition. This combination in 2024 led to standout work with brands such as United Airlines, Barbie, Activision Blizzard, Venmo and the NFL, and a 40% increase in guests to Sport Beach, the Cannes activation 72andSunny dreamed up for owner Stagwell in 2023. See all of Ad Age’s 2025 Agency A-List winners here “Optimism is a behavior and the belief that you can see opportunity in everything,” Malina said in an interview. “So you will see a relentless pursuit of opportunity in good times and bad times, and it means we ask the hard questions. We do have a positiveness about us as people, but optimism allows us to see all sides.” Clients of 72andSunny tend to be optimists too. When United Airlines was struggling through the worst effects of the pandemic, it looked to better times, enlisting 72andSunny to craft a new narrative around purpose that would separate it from other airlines. This resulted in the ongoing “Good Leads the Way” campaign that launched in 2022. “They won our business by truly understanding United’s internal culture—asking insightful questions, walking our airport terminals during the pandemic and staying engaged with our leadership long after the pitch,” said Maggie Schmerin, chief advertising officer of United. Optimism wasn’t something Schmerin would have considered a business objective before associating with 72andSunny. Now things are different. “I love getting on a Zoom with them because staring back at us on the screen is a spirit of ‘We can and will get this done.’ So as a client, I would say, yes, optimism really matters.” A series of regional Super Bowl ads running in United hub cities in 2024 starred actor Kyle Chandler, known for his role as coach Eric Taylor in “Friday Night Lights.” Chandler delivered market-tailored pep talks encouraging viewers to book a Super Bowl trip in advance to highlight United’s zero-fee cancellation policy. The ad was called “Believing changes everything” and had an unexpected payoff, said Lauren Smith, 72andSunny executive creative director. “We were trying to drive brand love, but we drove immediate and attributable 8% lift in bookings the following day,” said Smith. “It really goes back to optimism, and about being a force for good in the world.” “I never worked with an agency that so clearly articulated their core value consistently in everything they do,” Schmerin said. “It would be very easy for it to be a slide in a new business deck and never to be heard from again, but it is the opposite. They bring this spirit of optimism, of positivity, of collaboration to every situation, every call, every project.” The NFL has been a 72andSunny client for seven years. Their work together has given viewers a steady diet of new perspectives on football, including in 2024 the spectacular Super Bowl ad “Born to Play,” shot on location in Ghana, and the season-opening “This is Football Country,” which showed diverse teams playing a variety of football variations, but sharing the same spirit. Tim Ellis, chief marketing officer of the NFL, said 72andSunny has demonstrated a deep understanding of the brand and culture of the NFL. “They’ve helped us craft bold, compelling narratives that resonate with our diverse audiences, translating our values and vision into engaging, culturally relevant content,” he said. Moreover, the NFL’s business results have improved as 72andSunny pushed its creative boundaries. NFL viewership was up 12% in 2024, its revenue topped $20 billion and brand love has increased for six years straight, according to the agency. “Their team has a unique knack for blending innovation with authenticity, which has allowed us to tell the league’s story in fresh, dynamic ways,” Ellis said. “Together we’ve stretched and modernized the NFL brand, bringing in new audiences that promise to future-proof our business.” Zach Hilder, executive creative director of 72andSunny, said experiences such as a challenging commercial shoot in a busy city in Ghana are another reflection of the agency’s ambition. “The power of optimism is that it’s like anything becomes possible,” he said. “So we dream up these crazy ideas every year, and we get to go make them.” 72andSunny execs say results have come from a loyal workforce—it retained 85% of its 256 workers in 2024 and counts more than two dozen “boomerang” workers who had left and since come back. “This is a high-performance culture, but at the same time, we think you can do great work without being an a-hole,” said Geoff McHenry, executive strategy director. “I think we can get to great stuff but still be kind to one another.” “We give a shit,” added Malina. “You will see that passion through and through.” A core value of being “learners not experts” has become an advantage in winning new clients, said McHenry. Two recent wins, Panera Bread and MassMutual, came to know 72andSunny for its increasing knowledge and collaborative spirit. “During those pitches, we were on a learning journey every single round,” he said. “And that spirit is not only for new business pitches but with all of our existing clients. As their needs evolve, we’re ready, we’re adaptable, we’re flexible, we’re learning and we’re growing right there with them.” Venmo, United Mileage Plus, Cadillac, Google Gemini + Photos, Choice Hotels, Mattel, Warner Bros. Discovery, Hard Rock Bet, Champion and Garage Beer were other 2024 wins for 72andSunny. “What you experience in working with 72andSunny is a deeply collaborative, roll‑up‑your‑sleeves partnership where both sides of the table become one team. There are client-agency relationships where clients like the agency to bring them a ‘ta-da!’ solution and solve all the problems,” said Malina. “That’s not who 72andSunny is. We solve it together.” See all of Ad Age’s 2025 Agency A-List winners here

72andSunny turned optimism into a business strategy

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