Contagious’ annual global ranking of the of the agencies that are the best and bravest on the planet has been released, naming 11 2026 Contagious Pioneers that have consistently set the standard in marketing excellence.  

The list is calculated from agency performance on Contagious IQ, the intelligence platform that deconstructs the best marketing from around the world. The ublication’s editorial filter is notoriously rigorous, so only work that demonstrates breakthrough creativity and exceptional strategic thinking is featured on Contagious IQ.

The 2026 Contagious Pioneers, in alphabetical order, are: 

• David New York 
• DDB NZ, Auckland (now known as McCann New Zealand) 
• Gut São Paulo 
• LePub, Milan 
• Leo UK, London 
• Marcel Paris 
• Mother London 
• Ogilvy Singapore  
• PS21 Madrid 
• Uncommon Creative Studio, London 
• VCCP London 

The 2026 Pioneers list features several first-time winners – David NY, Leo UK, London, Ogilvy Singapore, DDB NZ, Gut São Paulo, LePub Milan and VCCP London. It is also the first time that an agency from Singapore has been named a Contagious Pioneer. 

Not only do this year’s Pioneers hail from across the globe, but the work created by these agencies spans across a range of sectors too, from finance to fast food, proving that best-in-class creativity is agnostic of product category.  

Chloe Markowicz, Contagious editor, stated,, “We have no patience for “good” work at Contagious. We’re only interested in the best: the smartest strategic thinking, the most future-facing innovation and the bravest creativity. The work that is featured on Contagious IQ represents the top 1% of marketing excellence and the campaigns from our 2026 Contagious Pioneer agencies is the pinnacle of this content. 

“It’s already a tremendous achievement to be featured on Contagious IQ, but to be named a Contagious Pioneer shows that an agency has been repeatedly passed our editorial filter. It’s testament to their consistent creativity and originality and is a true marker of excellence.” 

The rankings are based on how frequently an agency’s work was featured on Contagious IQ from April 2025 until March 2025. Each agency’s score is then further weighted to take into account the quality of the campaigns (ie if they were named an Editor’s Pick), the consistency of the output (ie the ratio of campaigns to the number of clients) and whether the campaigns were selected for further in-depth coverage.