The world of public relations has always been about making a splash. And in an age of more and more media clutter, breakthrough ideas have never been more important. To create that can’t-miss-it buzz, this year’s most innovative PR firms paired an A-list Hollywood actor with an A-list Hollywood director, staged a surprise pop-event in a major urban transportation hub, enlisted some of the biggest stars from the booming world of women’s sports, and employed some creative grammar to stir up social media chatter.
Giant Spoon created a campaign for the emerging electric vehicle brand Lucid that was essentially a short action film, directed by James Mangold (Ford v Ferrari, A Complete Unknown) and starring Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet. Jellyfish staged a surprise mini takeover of Grand Central Station to promote Apple TV+’s hit sci-fi series Severance. The Brand Agency not only created a memorable campaign for one of Disney’s most popular animated TV shows that had been on hiatus for nearly a decade, but it also enlisted Bradley Cooper to help the venerable BOSS fragrance line reach a younger audience with its newest scent launch.
In the sports arena, Day One Agency leaned into the growing women’s sports wave by leveraging partnerships with female athletes and leagues for a popular beauty brand and teamed up with legendary tennis star Billie Jean King to promote a ride share service. For Super Bowl LIX, Colle McVoy deployed Paris Hilton to give traditional hot sauce brand Frank’s RedHot a dash of hip, and Alison Brod Marketing + Communications used an intentional typo to help get social media users talking about Coors Light.
Black Arts PR helped Britpop mega-band Oasis make its much anticipated reunion tour a hit in its home country. Moonrock helped brands like Walmart and Ally Bank crack the wildly popular gaming space code. SolComms helped boost sales of contraception and cervical cancer prevention products, all with a greater social purpose in mind. And Weber Shandwick deployed AI bots to help navigate a real-time PR crisis for a major multinational food and beverage brand.
1. Giant Spoon
For turning an ad for an emerging EV brand into a short action film (directed by James Mangold and starring Timothée Chalamet)
If you were in New York City in the summer of 2024, you might remember the giant, inflatable dragon wrapped around the Empire State Building promoting HBO’s House of the Dragon. Giant Spoon was behind that. In 2025, the agency pulled off another big stunt: it got Timothée Chalamet, arguably Hollywood’s hottest young star, to be the face of its client Lucid Motors’ marketing campaign.
For Lucid’s “Driven” campaign, the electric car brand partnered with Chalamet and director James Mangold (Ford v Ferrari, A Complete Unknown) on a high-octane short film that positioned Lucid’s Gravity model as the symbol of a reimagined automotive future.
In the spot, Chalamet’s motorcycle breaks down, leading him and model Larsen Thompson to steal a Gravity SUV to escape. One social media user referred to it as “cinema gold” — and according to Giant Spoon, the campaign resulted in more than a 10% increase in likelihood of buying a Lucid for shoppers getting a car in the next 6 months.
Ahead of the premiere of A24’s Marty Supreme, starring Chalamet, Giant Spoon worked with Lucid again on a content series where the three-time Oscar nominee drove one of the cars while being interviewed by New York Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart about what “greatness” means to him. In its first week, the series drew 2.87 million impressions on social media and secured press in publications like Rolling Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety and more.
According to Giant Spoon, the series set a new benchmark for Lucid, surpassing its highest social engagement ever within the first hour of launch. Overall, Giant Spoon says it grew new business by 13% year-over-year in 2025.
2. Weber Shandwick
For using generative AI to help brands navigate crises in real-time
In the Internet and Social Media Age, a PR crisis can go viral in an instant. To help companies respond as quickly and effectively as possible, Weber Shandwick has developed AI solutions that can work just as fast.
Weber’s core AI capability, Weber I/O, helps teams navigate unfolding scenarios in real time—drawing on an organization’s own plans and past responses, along with intelligence from similar crises, to forecast likely escalation and engagement scenarios and draft responses in the organization’s tone.
For instance, the platform was essential during an ESG crisis faced by a Fortune 500 food and beverage client. In that case, Weber used its AI tools to track audience sentiment and media coverage in real-time and to detect crises and deploy AI agents to craft and send messages to appropriate outlets in the client’s voice. Those efforts streamlined the tasks crisis management had to do so they could focus on more high-level work.
For the same client, Weber Shandwick developed a campaign highlighting the company’s mission and commitment to creating and sustaining U.S. manufacturing jobs, and used AI to test a complex message for the marketplace across key audiences. The campaign generated significant social-media mentions and coverage in top-tier media outlets.
According to Weber Shandwick, its North American business saw double-digit year-over-year growth in multiple sectors.
3. Jellyfish
For engineering a viral popup event at Grand Central Station to promote Season 2 of Severance
If you happened to pass through New York’s Grand Central Terminal on January 15, 2025, you might’ve stumbled across the mysterious glass office cubicle occupied by Severance cast members Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Patricia Arquette, Zach Cherry, all in character, that appeared in the middle of the station. It turns out it was a viral marketing stunt orchestrated by Jellyfish as part of a campaign promoting the second season of the Emmy-winning Apple TV hit.
The immersive, live-action event featured the actors portraying their “”innie characters”” performing everyday office tasks, like staring at computer screens with green numbers flashing on them, just as they do on the show.
According to Jellyfish, the stunt helped the Severance Season Two campaign earn 1 billion impressions, 3.5 million engagements, and over 77,000 organic social mentions. The campaign also earned the agency the Silver Lion award at the 2025 Cannes Lion festival. Severance, meanwhile, has become Apple TV’s most-watched series.
4. Colle McVoy
For creating hip campaigns for formerly sleepy brands
For many, the words “cool” and “hip” might not be the first terms that come to mind when they think of La-Z Boy recliners or Frank’s RedHot hot sauce. But last year, the Minneapolis-based full-service creative agency Colle McVoy helped reposition the brands as just that, winning them a new generation of fans.
For La-Z-Boy, the agency did a brand refresh targeted to Gen Z, positioning the product as more than just your grandpa’s old-school couch. The effort included a new logo, a softer visual identity, and a confident, inviting tone that positioned the product as more than a chair or sofa, but rather a sanctuary. The agency also led a #BanReclining campaign, in which people signed a pledge to keep their seats upright when they’re on an airplane. That effort resulted in more than 470,000 pledges, while the campaign drew some 2.9 billion impressions overall, plus coverage in major media outlets including CNBC. In its most recent earnings report, La-Z-Boy reported an increase in sales to $522 million, up 4 percent from the previous period.
For Frank’s RedHot, meanwhile, Colle McVoy tapped Paris Hilton as the face of the brand for a winky Super Bowl LIX campaign that played on Hilton’s kitschy internet fame and her iconic catchphrase “That’s hot.”
Instead of releasing a traditional in-game spot, the brand focused on the week leading up to the game, when fans are filling their shopping carts for their game-day parties. During that period, Hilton unveiled her own bedazzled Frank’s bottle and shared her “hottest” recipes for Buffalo chicken wings and dip with fans. Within 24 hours, more than 20,000 fans also submitted their own recipes in response to a Frank’s request.
In all, the campaign resulted in 7.1 billion earned impressions and drove pre-game sales to a record $7.1M, a 178% year-over-year increase.
5. The Brand Agency
For creating fun, experimental activations for “forgotten” brands and media
The all-female team behind creative communications firm The Brand Agency delivered a one-two punch for brands that hadn’t been top of mind for some time.
Disney’s animated series Phineas and Ferb, for example, was off the air on a 10-year hiatus, before returning for a fifth season. The Brand Agency helped promote the show’s comeback marketing campaign, which took place over the summer (the titular characters’ favorite season, since school is out). Their efforts included a stop at the Vans Warped tour (which itself was returning from a multi-year hiatus), activations including a secret spy lair disguised as an ordinary portable bathroom, and a Los Angeles premiere party that featured cast members like Ashley Tisdale and Vincent Martella, who performed popular songs from the show. According to the agency, the campaign received 3.1 billion earned media impressions, $79.6 million in estimated media value, and 11.5 million organic social media impressions.
The 100-year-old fashion brand BOSS, meanwhile, which has been releasing its own signature scents for nearly 40 years, has spent the past few years attempting to refresh its image for younger generations. To aid that effort, The Brand Agency supported the campaign for the launch of the new BOSS Bottled Beyond fragrance, which featured actor Bradley Cooper and Colombian singer Maluma as brand ambassadors.
For the launch party, held at the Manhattan’s immersive tech museum Mercer Labs, the agency invited influencers and celebrities like TikToker Noah Beck and Abbott Elementary star Tyler James Williams. Activations included scent samplings and photo opportunities. Cooper and Maluma were at the party and prior to the event, the agency hosted a separate performance with Maluma at the top of the Empire State Building. According to the agency, the event generated 7.7 billion earned media impressions, $192.7 million in total estimated media value, and 88.2 million in organic social media impressions.
Overall, The Brand Agency says it grew by 32% in gross billings between January and September 2025, marking its third consecutive year of double-digit growth.
6. Black Arts PR
For bringing Oasis into the social media age
“I said maybe, you’re gonna be the one that saves me.” It seems that Black Arts PR, the firm that represents Oasis, took those lyrics to heart when handling public relations in the UK ahead of the wildly popular Britpop band’s much anticipated 2025 tour—its first in 16 years.
When the group announced it was going on the road after the lengthy hiatus, fans were shocked. Had band members and brothers Noah and Liam Gallagher squashed their long-running public beef?
Either way, the global reunion tour, which took place during the fall and summer last year and spanned the U.K., Europe, North America, and South America, ended up making more than $380 million in ticket sales, merchandise, and sponsorships — and is likely to reach more than $1 billion for its entire global run.
Leading up to and during the tour, Black Arts PR handled the UK regional press for the band, with a campaign focused on reminding fans of the pride, nostalgia, and impact its music carries back at home. For instance, the firm touted the 30th anniversary of “Wonderwall” — the band’s most popular album, with 22 million copies sold globally — by heavily pushing limited-edition releases of “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory” box sets that featured four remastered 7” vinyl discs with B-sides in a “cigarette-style” box, including various colorways.
The Sunday Times went on to call the Oasis comeback tour the “biggest rock comeback in history.”
7. SolComms
For helping companies find new prescriptions for improving women’s health
After the re-election of Donald Trump in November 2024, the telehealth company Wisp saw sales of its reproductive health products, such as its Plan B morning after pill, spike as women began to stockpile emergency contraception for fear that they might lose access to it. SolComms worked with Wisp to gather data demonstrating the phenomenon, then publicize it.
That effort led to over 700 media placements, including segments on CNN and stories in The Hill and The Associated Press, that resulted in more than 9 billion impressions. The campaign didn’t just help Wisp boost its business (according to SolComms, the company saw an immediate 2,000% surge in emergency contraception sales); it also helped the company fulfill its goal of raising awareness of women’s health issues. The fact that 10% of Wisp’s patients live in reproductive care deserts made the effort even more meaningful.
Also in 2025, SolComms worked with Teal Health, a virtual women’s health company that focuses on eliminating cervical cancer by offering at home screening kits for the disease. The agency helped position the FDA’s approval of the kits as a milestone for women’s health, driving over 1,700 media stories and 13.9 billion impressions. All told, the campaign spiked consumer sign-ups by 250%.
8. Moonrock
For helping brands like Walmart find a cheat code for video-game marketing
Little-known fact: With some 3.5 billion players worldwide, gaming is a more popular entertainment option than movies and music combined. Moonrock is at the forefront of tapping that popularity for marketers, through both digital and real-world efforts.
In 2025, for instance, the agency produced Walmart Skyward, a custom activation built in Minecraft that also extended into Discord. Through Skyward, players could go in and explore a branded world while engaging in Walmart’s Discord Video Quest program. That program allowed users to join Walmart Skyward’s server (a digital public space where users can chat and interact) to watch a trailer to unlock rewards like Discord avatars and other in-game items.
According to Moonrock, Walmart Skyward drove “”millions”” of community interactions in Minecraft and Discord, with influencers engaging organically, fans creating content, and the campaign running well beyond its launch window. Discord also reported that the program resulted in over 513,000 completed views and 178 days of total watch time, surpassing established benchmarks and driving strong engagement.
In another effort for Wamart, Moonrock launched an in-store gaming tour that spanned 75 locations across the United States, bringing hands-on gameplay and brand experiences to Walmart parking lots.
For Ally Bank, meanwhile, the agency created Tee Time Speed Run a custom, immersive golf experience on Fortnite where players can “”be the ball,”” and participate in different obstacle courses and challenges. That initiative won a Digiday Award for Best Esports/Gaming Campaign.
9. Alison Brod Marketing + Communications
For spinning a “mistake” into marketing gold
No, your eyes weren’t deceiving you. In conjunction with Super Bowl LIX last year, Coors Light launched a series of ads that read “Mountain Cold Refershment” in which “refreshment” was deliberately misspelled. The spots appeared as print ads in the New York Times and on large digital billboards in high-profile locations like Times Square.
Social media users quickly noticed the mistake, with many wondering whether it was a genuine proofreading error. In a public statement, Coors Light blamed it on a “case of the Mondays.” The company also released limited-edition “Mondays Light” 12-packs as well as sloth-themed ads and merch, like a “chill face roller,” to promote relaxation on everyone’s least favorite day of the week, especially the one after the Big Game.
Alison Brod Marketing + Communications helped capitalize on the misspelling to make sure it went viral on social media and was covered in top media outlets. For the “Case of the Mondays” brand for the 12-packs and merchandise, the agency helped develop and push the “chill” narrative and helped position the beer brand as the solution to cure the post-Super Bowl Monday blues. Those efforts helped drive 12.6 billion earned impressions. All told, the brand sold some 1.8 billion of the limited-edition beer packs.
10. Day One Agency
For tapping into the women’s sports boom to reach new audiences
Michael Jordan may have ushered in the Golden Age of athlete as pitchman. Now, with women’s sports booming, Caitlin Clark, Coco Gauff, and others are taking up the mantle. This past year, New York-based Day One Agency helped bring e.l.f Beauty and Lyft Silver into the sports marketing arena.
For Gen Z beauty favorite e.l.f, the agency secured a partnership with Katherine Legge—the only woman racing in the NASCAR CupXfinity Series and Indy 500—sponsoring her during races in which she drove an e.l.f.-branded car. D1A got e.l.f into the ring with female wrestlers, becoming the first-ever beauty sponsor for the Wonder Women of Wrestling (WWW) Varsity Tournament, the largest high school girls’ wrestling event in the United States. And the agency brokered a sponsorship deal between e.l.f and the Professional Women’s Hockey League, tapping Minnesota Frost star Kendall Coyne Schofield as a brand ambassador. All told, according to D1A, e.l.f supported more than 500 athletes and drew more than 12 billion impressions from activations in 26 cities worldwide.
For Lyft Silver, D1A paired the newly launched service, which aims to help the millions of older adults in the United States who lack adequate transportation, with tennis legend Billie Jean King—demonstrating an ability to reach diverse demographic groups. To that same end, D1A also helped forge a collaboration between Lyft Silver and the New York Liberty’s Timeless Torches dance troupe.
The results? Lyft reported that Lyft Silver got off to a strong start. Rides have doubled since last May, with an 80% user retention rate, and nearly 20% of Silver users are new to the platform.
Explore the full 2026 list of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, 720 honorees that are reshaping industries and culture. We’ve selected the companies making the biggest impact across 59 categories, including advertising, applied AI, biotech, retail, sustainability, and more.
