The New Wave ~ Akcelo
The New Wave is Campaign Brief’s Q&A series spotlighting the next generation of independent creative companies and exploring how the indie model is evolving. From structure and speed to culture and capability, we unpack where these businesses are finding their edge and what’s driving client decisions today. Next up is Akcelo.
1. Give us the elevator pitch – who are you and what do you do?
We’re Akcelo. We build brands for the experience era.
We look at the entire customer journey and create incredible stories that connect every touchpoint in meaningful and impactful ways.
Our work spans traditional integrated channels through to digital and physical experiences, creating meaningful interactions wherever customers engage with brands every day.
We do this for some of the world’s best brands, including McDonald’s, PepsiCo, TikTok, OpenAI, Spotify, Suntory, PlayStation, Amazon, Tinder, CapCut and Asahi, to name just a few.
2. Are indies still challengers, or have they become the norm?
There are challengers, and then there are challengers.
In a world of ever-larger holding company mergers and increasing consolidation, independents are still challengers in many ways. But the landscape has shifted.
It no longer feels like every major decision automatically defaults to a network, as it once did. The momentum is swinging back towards independents. Whether that’s cyclical or a more permanent change remains to be seen.
3. What’s your unfair advantage over the networks today?
I’m not sure we have an unfair advantage, but our ability to stay fluid in our operations keeps us nimble and competitive.
The ability to adapt our technology, processes, platforms, ways of working, investments and even our real estate means we can move faster and deliver more without being weighed down by legacy systems or outdated structures.
We focus on what’s right for our team and our clients, and act on it quickly.
4. How are you using AI to compete above your weight?
AI is integrated into the fabric of Akcelo, from strategy and ideation right through to technology development and content at scale.
It’s unlocking a new level of craft and enabling us to create things that simply weren’t possible within the budgets and timelines of the past. We’re absolutely embracing that opportunity to deliver greater value, stronger outcomes and more impact for our clients every day.
5. What kind of clients are choosing indies right now – and why?
Creatively ambitious brands led by CMOs who want to make real commercial and creative impact, not just for today, but for the long-term health of their brands.
Media still seems to be largely locked up by the holding companies, whether that’s a scale play, a safety play, or simply driven by global alignment. But AI and automation are changing the economics quickly, and I suspect we’ll see the playing field become a lot more level over the next few years.
6. What’s next – growth, staying lean, or something else?
We’re growing. Globally.
Having recently opened in London alongside LA and Vancouver, we’ve already secured some big wins – including our recent appointment as Yoto’s global agency of record – and are producing incredible work across those markets. We’ll continue to scale our borderless model and have a crack at making our mark on the world stage.
Check out the other New Wave Q&As below:
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