Industry update

Manifest Group forges new global independent agency collective

by Other (Inbound)

8 December 2025 6:18 AM

2 mins read

Global brand communications agency, Manifest, has launched a new international indie agency network, The Etc. Collective, alongside founding members Loud, Openers and Mellakka, from Spain, Germany and Finland, respectively. Manifest's inclusion adds Australia, the UK, USA, and Sweden to its launch territories, with plans to recruit 20 independent agency members by May 2026.

The new agency network will offer commercial collaboration, shared services, cultural intelligence, and proprietary innovation, with the group able to provide a full gamut of integrated marketing services to shared clients across the globe.

Etc. will be managed independently through a member subscription, with a focus on equal representation for all members. Priority markets for member agencies include the Chinese, Singaporean, Indian, and South Korean markets in Asia, as well as other key markets in Europe, South America, and Africa.

Founder and Global CEO at Manifest, Alex Myers, commented: "Etc. is a collective of pioneering indy agencies that aren’t just reacting to the changing shape of our industry, but driving it. Far from the usual 'I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine' arrangement, or a dusty old network agency, Etc. is designed to provide a new model for brands seeking multi-territory, multi-disciplinary support. The collective shares knowledge, training, tools and innovations, as well as connected working processes and systems that make appointing the group as simple as appointing a single agency.

"It's the natural heir to what has become an increasingly redundant old order of global networks that are out of touch and unable to offer the agility needed by modern progressive brands. Across the world, the appetite for creative indy agencies has already overtaken the traditional 'surname and surname' networks, but the ability to execute large-scale global campaigns has remained a challenge - until now."

Telum Media creating connections

Get in touch to learn more

Book a demo

You might also enjoy

Research

Medill survey identifies key capabilities for the modern CCO

Medill Executive Education at Northwestern University has released its Medill 2026 CCO Monitor Survey Results, “The Medill CCO Monitor: Defining the Competencies of C-Suite Success.”

Conducted between September and November 2025, the survey features responses and insights from 125 senior communications executives from across industries.

Participants shared insights into the modern chief communications officer role, including the importance of being a business leader first, a comms leader second; developing leadership, judgement, and influence; and maintaining curiosity and learning.

Key survey findings include:

Respondents ranked strategic business thinking and financial acumen (66 per cent), executive presence and ability to counsel C-suite leaders (66 per cent), and mastery of the communications craft (53 per cent) as the three most important skills for success as a CCO.
Business and financial acumen (24 per cent) and executive presence(24 per cent) were also selected as the top skills CCOs needed to develop on the job most after becoming a senior communications leader, followed by cross-functional leadership; influencing without authority (19 per cent).
Respondents ranked the same three qualities as the top skills that the senior leaders on their current team need for the CCO role: business and financial acumen (76 per cent), executive presence (64 per cent), and cross-functional leadership (56 per cent).
In response to the most important professional development experiences for future CCOs, 91 per cent of participants selected working across comms disciplines as the most critical, followed by managing teams (68 per cent) and crisis management (55 per cent).
AI and automation (66 per cent), growth of misinformation (38 per cent), and political and social polarisation (30 per cent) topped the list of external forces CCOs expect to shape their role over the next three to five years.

18 March 2026 5:06 AM

2 mins read

Industry update

Mad Hat Asia secures sportswear brand PR mandate

PUMA Malaysia has appointed Mad Hat Asia as its PR agency of record following a competitive pitch.

Effective from February 2026 to January 2027, the 12-month partnership will see the agency serve as the brand’s dedicated PR point-of-contact, overseeing local press office functions and media relations. The scope includes media and influencer engagement, narrative localisation, relationship management, campaign activation coordination and event support.

Commenting on the appointment, Rengeeta Rendava, Founder and Managing Director of Mad Hat Asia (pictured right), said, “PUMA’s focus on growing communities around sport across different skill levels and interests makes this an exciting fit for how we approach communications at Mad Hat Asia. We believe the strongest lifestyle brands are built through community-first storytelling that generates participation and conversation, not just visibility.”

The appointment follows the agency’s renewed partnership with Bel Group for 2026, where it leads integrated communications, brand-building initiatives and consumer engagement.

18 March 2026 2:49 AM

1 min read

Moves

Stefanie Francesca is promoted to Head of Brand Experiences

Stefanie Francesca has stepped up at iD Collective as Head of Brand Experiences. She has been with the agency for more than 11 years and was most recently General Manager of PR and Communications.

18 March 2026 1:29 AM