DCX Growth Accelerator is small (just 10 employees) but scrappy, a trait that helps the five-year-old shop go after underdog brands that it says are “willing to challenge cultural forces more powerful than they are.” The very first campaign from the agency involved helping a mom-and-pop shop, Jesse’s Deli, avoid being priced out and shuttering its doors. The agency, which says that first campaign set the tone for the rest to follow, has gone on to develop such work as the viral Palessi fake luxury shoe store stunt. 

DCX had a breakout year in 2019, scoring a slew of assignments from Ben & Jerry’s, Ecobee, Zipcar, Fiverr, The Rockefeller Foundation, Mastercard, Indeed, L’Oreal, Beech-Nut Naturals, BurgerFi, Guinness (Ireland), Tullamore Dew, William Grant & Sons (a new whiskey brand), King Arthur Flour, Affinity Pet Food, Pay Up Climate Polluters and OpenWeb. The agency was also signed to Procter & Gamble’s roster and its revenue rose an outstanding 51 percent to $6.2 million last year.

—Lindsay Rittenhouse