Dominating Canadian Advertising Landscape: Rethink's Achievements
Rethink Aims High in Canadian Magazine Strategy's Agency of the Year Honors
Independent agency Rethink, led by partner Aaron Starkman, has made a bold move in the Canadian advertising industry. Three years ago, Starkman and his leadership team set a goal to win gold in three categories of Canadian magazine Strategy's Agency of the Year honors – design, digital, and overall.
This ambitious goal, often referred to as a "hat trick", was a reflection of the high standards and ambitions of Rethink. The shop had already made a significant impact in the industry, having been named Independent Network of the Year and Independent Agency of the Year at Cannes Lions 2024.
In 2025, Rethink continued to shine at Cannes, winning a total of 12 medals, including 3 Gold and a Gold Young Lion. These awards showcased the agency's design and creative excellence. However, the exact number of gold awards Rethink has won specifically in Strategy magazine's Agency of the Year honors was not found in the available results.
In the first year of their campaign, Rethink won two golds and a silver in the Agency of the Year categories. The following year, they added two more golds and a silver to their tally. Despite coming close, the shop did not achieve their goal of winning gold in all three categories in either the first or second year of their campaign.
The lack of a gold in the design category was a consistent challenge for Rethink in both the first and second years of their campaign. Similarly, they did not win the digital category or the overall Agency of the Year category in either year.
Despite these setbacks, the goal of winning gold in multiple categories of Canadian magazine Strategy's Agency of the Year honors was a goal that any Canadian could appreciate, according to Starkman and his colleagues at Rethink. They remain determined to claim the top spot in all three categories, and the industry eagerly awaits their continued success.
