Independent creative agency
Rethink
Owner-operated Canadian creative agency: Ad Age Agency of the Year and Cannes Lions Independent Agency of the Year in 2026.
Rethink is an independent, owner-operated creative agency founded in 1999 and headquartered in Toronto, with offices in Vancouver, Montreal and New York; since 2020 it has been a limited partnership run by managing partners. In 2026 it was Ad Age Agency of the Year, Cannes Lions Independent Agency and Independent Network of the Year (and third Agency of the Year overall), and One Show Independent Agency and Independent Network of the Year; Rethink Montreal led the Canadian table of the 2025 North America Effie Index.
Standing in the Report's landscape
No. 1 in North America agencies, 2026
27 points: Ad Age Agency of the Year 2026; Cannes Lions 2026 Independent Agency and Independent Network of the Year and third Agency of the Year; One Show 2026 second agency, Independent Agency and Independent Network of the Year; first in Canada in the 2025 Effie Index.
See the list and how it was made
The rankings behind it
- Ad Age A-List 2026 — Agency of the Year
- Cannes Lions 2026 — Independent Agency of the Year, Independent Network of the Year, #3 Agency of the Year
- One Show 2026 — Independent Agency of the Year, Independent Network of the Year, #2 agency in the Global Creative Rankings
- Effie Index 2025 (North America) — #1 agency in Canada (Rethink Montreal)
A place in a list is read from published rankings and award tables by a points rule set out with the list; nobody pays to be on it. Size and fame are not fit: check what this agency does against your brief.
Where it shines
- The most awarded agency in the North American tables read: first at Ad Age, Cannes Lions (independents) and the One Show (independents) in 2026.
- Creative awards matched by effectiveness: first in Canada in the 2025 Effie Index.
- A limited-partnership structure its leaders say makes the agency very hard to sell.
Check before signing
- Staff in any office can work on any account: ask who will be on your team and where they are based.
- Its New York office is its only one outside Canada: ask about US capacity for a US-led brief.
What it offers
- Markets
- CanadaUnited States
How it is classified
- Category
- CreativeBrand strategy
Something is listed only when it can be checked. A connection we could not confirm is left off, and Find your stack then credits a public API at half weight.
Our six checks
- Ownership is public: met
- Services are published: not known yet
- Offices are listed: not known yet
- Privacy is published: not known yet
- Effectiveness is evidenced: met
- Work is shown: not known yet
- Ownership is publicMet
It names its owner (the holding group) or states that it is independent, and names its leadership.
States that it is independent and owner-operated; the press names its partners and its 2020 move to a limited partnership.
- Services are publishedNot assessed
A services or capabilities page says what it does.
Its services page was not checked for this listing.
- Offices are listedNot assessed
It publishes where it operates: its offices or markets.
Its own office list was not checked; the cited sources name only some offices.
- Privacy is publishedNot assessed
Its site has a privacy notice, and a code of conduct where one was seen.
Its privacy notice was not checked for this listing.
- Effectiveness is evidencedMet
An independent effectiveness ranking or award from 2023 to 2026 names it (the Effie Index, the IPA Effectiveness Awards, the WARC Effective 100).
Rethink Montreal was first in the Canadian table of the 2025 North America Effie Index.
- Work is shownNot assessed
It publishes case studies or named client work.
Its own case-study pages were not checked for this listing.
Not assessed is not a failure — it means we have not checked yet. Methodology
Evidence
Sources
- Rethink: A-List 2026To re-check
- Cannes Lions 2026: Agency of the Year, Network: Ogilvy, Rethink, LePubTo re-check
- One Show 2026 Global Creative RankingsTo re-check
- Canadian agencies continue to see North America success in Effie IndexTo re-check
- Grais, Shepansky, Staples leave Rethink — as independent as everTo re-check
- Dawning of a new chapter for Canada's Rethink agency as it expands to New YorkTo re-check
Every attribute
The same attributes, measured by the same rules, for every listing. "Not recorded" means we have not checked yet — never a "no". Spot something missing or wrong? Suggest an edit.
Identity
| Type | Agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Categories | Creative, Brand strategy | |
| Founded | 1999 | |
| Headquarters | Canada | |
| Ownership | Privately held | |
| Added by | IMC Report team |
Fit
Trust
The community
| "Looks right" confirmations | 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Community experiences | 0 |
Experiences and ratings
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