The ICA Reveals Its Creative Power List 2025

Today, the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA) published its Creative Power List for 2025, ranking 105 Canadian agencies to deliver a transparent measure of creative performance over the past year.

Considered to be the definitive evaluation of Canadian creative savvy, the list is based on performances at major domestic and international creative awards across the previous year – utilising strict methodology that covers success in only the most prestigious schemes.

“The Creative Power List was inspired by South Africa’s Creative Circle,” explains ICA president and CEO Scott Knox. “With so many awards programmes around, creative leaders felt it important to take back control of the recognition of our industry. So, they set about debating the most important national and international awards shows – the ones that really matter.”

To work out the comparative value of each programme and win, as well as the integrity of the list, the ICA has worked with Doane Grant Thornton LLP, a global tax and audit consultancy for the past several years. Receiving the raw data and compiling the list on behalf of the ICA, a strict scoring system is used by the company which embraces success at five international awards (Cannes Lions, The Clios, D&AD, The Immortal Awards, and The One Show), as well as four national shows (ADCC Awards, CMA Awards, Effie Awards Canada, and Marketing Awards).

This is by design, according to Scott. “Creative leaders wanted the programme to be fully transparent, so that everyone could see what each award could do for eventual rankings,” he adds. “Each year the methodology is declared to help agencies and brands focus their resources on the awards that matter.”

So, just what did this year’s appraisal reveal for the Canadian creative industry at large?

For a start, significant changes were seen in the top 10 ranking section. While Rethink retained the top spot for the fourth year running, followed by FCB and Dentsu Creative – the latter of which 10 spots – three other notable inclusions were independent agency Courage, which rose 26 spots, new entrant VML, ranked eighth, and McCann Canada sliding into the 10th spot with a five position rise.

Some additional big movers included Lifelong Crush, which rose an impressive 63 places to 28th, Fela, which moved up by 57 spots, and Type1, which jumped up to 32nd, 72 places higher than it was last year.

All in all, there were a total of 43 new agency entrants on the list – a positive indicator for the future health of Canadian advertising.

The fun doesn’t stop there, however. Alongside the agency Creative Power List, the ICA has also once again published a similar ranking of brands — 103 to be exact. Big winners include the number-one ranked Heinz, second-placed SkipTheDishes (which climbed 13 spots), and first-timers Stok’d Cannabis, Coors Light and Egale Canada, all of which made the top 10.

"Congratulations to all the agencies that feature in the Creative Power List 2025,” says Scott “What really stands out this year is the strong impact that Canadian creativity is making on the global stage at prestigious events, including Cannes Lions and D&AD. This world-class performance provides strong evidence of the dynamism and diversity of Canada's agency sector. It's also exciting to see so many new agency entrants to the Creative Power List in 2025, a sure sign of the depth and breadth of creativity in the market."