We’re honored to share that Stella Rising has been named Silver Winner for Media Agency of the Year at the 2025 Ad Age Small Agency of the Year Awards!
“We are so proud to receive this honor,” said Andrea Van Dam, CEO. “It reflects the power of a culture that puts people first and never stops innovating. At Stella, we’re on a mission to become the most admired independent agency in the world—and this award is a proud milestone on that journey.”
This coveted recognition from Ad Age affirms what our clients and team already know: we’re building the media agency model of the future—powered by excellence, driven by ingenuity, and grounded in humanity. It’s also a reflection of our commitment to the Stellas. As a woman-led agency with four consecutive Ad Age Best Places to Work wins, we know that a thriving culture drives meaningful results.
At Stella Rising, we proudly manage media, strategy, and advanced analytics for top brands like Coldwell Banker, Amorepacific, and Power Crunch, bringing together precision, predictive insights, and powerful storytelling to accelerate profitable growth.
From launching AI-powered tools like TokTrak and LumosAI, to delivering measurable outcomes for legacy and challenger brands alike, our agency shines—and this honor truly celebrates our journey.
To our powerhouse team and inspiring clients: thank you. This award is for every Stella who dares today to define tomorrow. 💫
Looking to elevate your brand with a partner that blends culture, innovation, and performance? Connect with us.
Below, find the profile on Stella Rising from Ad Age:
Stella Rising Uses Tech Innovation to Drive Successful Client Outcomes
Stella Rising is using tech innovation to transform its clients’ media strategies, from AI capabilities to new takes on marketing mix models.
And as a result, Stella Rising has been chosen as Media Agency of the Year, Silver, in the 2025 Small Agency Awards.
In this year’s first quarter alone, the agency launched 10 active innovation pilots through its research council, Stella Labs. Recent products include a tracker called TokTrak that measures brand visibility in TikTok search; a post-purchase consumer insight tool, Stella Asks, that aggregates real-time feedback on what drove the conversion; and an automated gauge of search channels that adjusts spending and has reclaimed as much as 24% of clients’ search budgets for reallocation, according to the agency.
One tool, Halo, takes campaign goals and provides strategy on media investment. Halo was central to a successful campaign for Suave as it sought to combat declining household penetration and reverse the impact of years of decreasing media spend. The campaign aggregated consumer insights to identify key moments to place mass messaging, such as an activation during the Paris Olympics and a Pinterest Halloween takeover.
Across the campaign, media drove a 3.2% increase in point of sale purchases, while reworks of retail media strategies led to revenue growth, such as 59% topline growth on Amazon, according to the agency’s entry.
For real estate giant Coldwell Banker, Stella Rising went deep into the client’s marketing mix model to vet recent decisions in media investment during a volatile real estate market. Given 2024’s dip in home sales as prices and mortgage rates rose, Stella Rising sought to solve the role of Coldwell Banker’s marketing against economic factors out of their control, and optimize strategy to combat market conditions.
Stella Rising’s analysis found that 78% of sales decline was due to external factors, and that 16% was the result of the client’s reduction in paid media investment. And funneling 100% of its Meta spend into lead generation had resulted in a 38% decrease in return on ad spend, according to the agency. Stella Rising shifted Coldwell Banker’s strategy to mix reach and performance tactics as well as pairing media spend with event sponsorship, all of which was predicted to close the ROAS gap.