In the small circle of Illinois advertising, State Farm marketing executives had long known of Highdive, the Chicago agency that burst on the scene eight years ago with high-profile campaigns for the likes of Jeep and Rocket Mortgage. Yet working with the agency was always out of the question—one of Highdive’s longtime clients was The General, an insurance rival. So when the shop resigned the account in 2022, State Farm saw an opportunity.

“Over the years, there’s been a maintained relationship and an appreciation for the principals and founders of Highdive,” said Alyson Griffin, head of marketing at State Farm. “I liked their vibe, I liked what they were about—their philosophy. They’re scrappy and smart and they’re a winning agency.” She added, “We knew we were going to do something with them some day.”

That day came last summer, when Highdive won a jump ball-style pitch for part of State Farm’s business. Joining the insurer’s roster was just one of Highdive’s many highlights last year, as the independent agency saw blockbuster revenue and employee growth, invested in new departments and resources and continued to charm new clients with its unique blend of creative collaboration.

“One of the things we consistently hear is the work we’re doing is great, but the way in which we’re doing the work is what really stands out,” said Megan Lally, a co-owner at Highdive who was promoted to CEO from managing partner last year, noting that at the company, “great ideas can come from anywhere—clients contribute ideas, account people have ideas. That makes the work better.”

Blockbuster growth

In 2023, Highdive expected its revenue to grow to $31 million, up 21% from 2022’s 20% revenue rise, marking the agency’s seventh consecutive year of double-digit growth.

Such gains came from a slew of new clients, including State Farm, BetMGM and Dollar Shave Club, as well as from existing relationships with marketers including Jeep and Jersey Mike’s. The agency counted 11 new clients in the first 11 months of 2023—its best new business year yet. To keep up with such demand, Highdive ramped up its hiring, adding 33 new staffers to reach its current 100-plus headcount.

This year, Highdive continued its momentum with two large-scale Super Bowl spots for State Farm and BetMGM in February. The agency won its fourth USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter for its State Farm work. The cinematic Big Game spot, which found Arnold Schwarzenegger struggling to pronounce the word “neighbor” before ultimately facing replacement by his old “Twins” co-star Danny DeVito, also tapped into some Highdive client synergy. DeVito stars as a spokesman for Jersey Mike’s. 

The win for State Farm followed similar Highdive Super Bowl successes for Rocket Mortgage, which ran a Barbie Dreamhouse spot in 2022 and a spot with Tracy Morgan in 2021, and Jeep, which aired a Groundhog Day-themed ad in 2020.

Along with memorability and humor, Highdive’s Super Bowl campaigns have cross-generational appeal—even if that appeal comes from younger audiences who don’t necessarily know, or need to know, about insurance or mortgages. Such high-impact creative is a reason why clients continually return for more—relationships with Lay’s and Jeep both started as projects that evolved to agency of record assignments, for example.

“Every piece of the business that they touch for us—from account leadership to their strategic insights, obviously, their creative is brilliant, their production team is top-notch—across the board as an agency partner, they’re as good as it gets,” said Randy Ortiz, VP of global content and advertising at Jeep owner Stellantis.

Beyond Super Bowl

Yet Highdive’s Super Bowl campaigns are not just single-use TV spots. For example, State Farm’s push included a movie trailer, in-person activations and a late-night talk show appearance (part of a deal with State Farm collaborator Jimmy Fallon). Some 40% of Highdive’s revenue comes from TV and online video; another 30% comes from social; and the rest is derived from channels such as experiential, print, outdoor and radio. By expanding TV campaigns into more channels, the agency reaps the benefits of earned media as well as paid.

“Super Bowl is not just one day,” said Chad Broude, Highdive’s co-founder and co-chief creative officer. “It can be two months or longer.”

Highdive’s first campaign for State Farm debuted last fall. The push, which reimagined the insurer’s “Like a good neighbor” jingle in a humorous way that also reflected the brand’s service offerings for customers, is performing “very, very, very well,” according to Griffin, who noted the future potential of the campaign. Newer iterations are due out this spring with NBA partners.

“They are an idea factory—it’s endless,” Griffin said of the agency. “When they understand the assignment, they just dial it in and come up with so many ideas that as a brand you can see the longevity and that something is not going to get stale too quickly.”

For Jeep, which began working with Highdive shortly after its founding, the agency has been able to deliver impactful campaigns at pop-culture speeds. The shop has an “Always On” team for Jeep that is constantly scouring social media trends and cultural events to see what the automotive brand should pop into. A campaign for Jeep that debuted during the 2023 Super Bowl tapped into electrification by showing animals dancing to “Electric Boogie.” The campaign helped the hybrid SUV Jeep Wrangler 4xe sell a record-breaking number of units in the second quarter of 2023, according to Highdive.

“It’s fast-moving, the auto business, and things are changing rapidly and I think we’re able to keep up with such quick movement with our fast ability to react in real time,” said Mark Gross, Highdive’s co-founder and co-chief creative officer.

As it looks to continue the revenue success it earned in 2023, the agency is investing in several areas. One is its strategy department, where Highdive recently hired its first chief strategy officer, as it builds on its ability to amass real-time consumer feedback and respond accordingly with creative. Another is production; Highdive is ramping up its four-year-old internal production studio, 1986, which collaborates on all work, including Super Bowl TV spots and witty social media content.

In addition, Highdive is focusing on employees as it seeks to continue its 90%-plus staffer retention rate. This year, it introduced an employee recognition award in honor of founding partner Louis Slotkin, who passed away last year. The agency will send one Highdive employee and a guest to France, where Slotkin started his career, for a week.

“Every agency is only as good as the talent, and we are confident we have some of the best in the world,” said Broude.