“Never say die,” was the motto of the ragtag crew of kids in the classic 1985 film “The Goonies.” It’s also how the team at Manila-based agency Gigil describes their approach to tackling the hurdles of 2020. While the Philippines entered a recession that saw its gross domestic product drop 16.5, the lowest in all of Southeast Asia, sending the industry into a spree of salary cuts, furloughs and more, the agency did just the opposite. It increased staff by 32%, invested $40,000 in continuous learning for staffers during lockdown and gave raises of at least 11% to every team member. The result? A 15% jump in revenue, from $2.5 to $2.9 million last year (61% from new business), with a projected leap of 131% to $5.18 million for this year. 

See all of Ad Age's 2021 Small Agency Award winners here.

But that’s just half the story.

Gigil has made international waves creating consistently outrageous ideas for its main clients RC Cola, Netflix and 7 Eleven, along with a host of others. RC, an underdog soda brand known primarily for its value, attracted the spotlight when the agency debuted a new campaign targeted straight at Gen Z, themed around the idea of “whatever.” The launch spot started out as a soapy melodrama about a teenager crying to his mother about being bullied for his unusual condition—he has four drinking glasses growing out of his back. But his mom then makes an even more jaw-dropping revelation and pulls off her head to reveal an RC Cola bottle growing from her neck. Similarly odd spots followed, including one about an indie band with equally out-there body parts. While the campaign went viral—even making an appearance on “Ellen”—it also worked. Sales of the product the campaign promoted, RC Cola’s Mega, jumped 67%.

See all of Ad Age's 2021 Small Agency Award winners here.