Code and Theory Named Adweek's Inaugural Innovation Agency of the Year

Rhea-AI Summary

Code and Theory (NASDAQ: STGW) was named Adweek's inaugural Innovation Agency of the Year on December 9, 2025, recognized for integrating creativity, engineering and AI into customer experience platforms. Key capabilities cited include The Machine for Stagwell (AI orchestration), Experience Transformation Practice (EXT) and an AI-native Engine studio.

Reported performance metrics: 17% revenue growth YoY, 33% team growth, 35 new client wins, and 88% talent retention. Client results include Qualcomm developer engagement +540% and Amazon Ads unaided awareness +33%.

Positive

• Revenue growth of 17% YoY
• Team growth of 33%
• 35 new client wins
• Talent retention at 88%
• Qualcomm developer engagement +540%
• Amazon Ads unaided awareness +33%
• Sponsored TV non-endemic revenue +118%
• Henry Schein speed to purchase improved 46%

Negative

• None.

Key Figures

Revenue growth 17% year-over-year Code and Theory revenue growth metric cited in release

Team growth 33% Code and Theory team growth year-over-year

New client wins 35 clients New clients including TIME and Stanley Black & Decker

Talent retention 88% Code and Theory talent retention, above industry averages

Developer engagement 540% increase Qualcomm pivot from B2B to B2D developer engagement

Software downloads 18x increase Qualcomm developer software downloads after pivot

Unaided awareness 33% improvement Amazon Ads national campaign result

Speed to purchase 46% improvement Henry Schein reimagined e-commerce platform

Market Reality Check

$5.61 Last Close

Volume Volume 1,459,275 is slightly below the 20-day average of 1,567,449, suggesting no outsized positioning ahead of this award news. normal

Technical Price at $5.61 is trading above the 200-day MA of $5.30 while still 29.52% below the 52-week high.

Peers on Argus

STGW was down 2.26% with volume slightly below average while key advertising/marketing peers like IAS, ZD, CRTO, QNST, and EEX also showed negative moves ranging from about flat to mid-single-digit declines, indicating a generally weak backdrop but no scanner-flagged sector momentum.

Historical Context

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Dec 04	Leadership alignment	Positive	+5.0%	Created unified communications and advocacy vertical with sizable revenue base.
Dec 03	Executive appointment	Positive	-0.4%	Named new CEO to lead AI-powered Harris Quest research platform.
Nov 25	AI partnership	Positive	-1.1%	Partnered with Gradial to bring agentic AI capabilities to marketers.
Nov 25	Product integration	Positive	-1.1%	Integrated UNICEPTA’s AI agent with Microsoft 365 Copilot for insights access.
Nov 24	Privacy partnership	Positive	+2.8%	Teamed with Harvard OpenDP to add differential privacy to marketing platform.

Pattern Detected

Recent news has focused on AI-driven capabilities and strategic partnerships; market reactions have been mixed with 3 aligned and 2 divergent moves versus generally positive headlines.

Recent Company History

Over the last few weeks, Stagwell has highlighted several AI- and data-focused initiatives. On Nov 24, 2025, it partnered with Harvard’s OpenDP to embed differential privacy into its Palantir-powered platform, which coincided with a 2.81% gain. A Nov 25 Gradial partnership and an AI integration at UNICEPTA both saw modest declines despite constructive narratives. Early December brought leadership alignment in communications and advocacy and a new CEO for Harris Quest. Today’s Adweek innovation recognition fits a pattern of emphasizing technology-enabled marketing capabilities.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement underscores Stagwell’s positioning around AI-enabled, systems-level marketing through Code and Theory, which reported 17% revenue growth, 33% team expansion, and 35 new client wins. The recognition as Adweek’s inaugural Innovation Agency of the Year reinforces the strategic focus seen in recent AI partnerships and leadership moves. Investors may watch how these innovations translate into broader financial performance at the STGW level and whether growth at flagship networks like Code and Theory remains durable.

Key Terms

ai-driven technical

"customer experiences through creativity, technology and AI-driven innovationNEW YORK"

AI-driven describes products, services, processes or decisions that rely on artificial intelligence—software that detects patterns in data and makes predictions or choices without step-by-step human direction. For investors it signals potential for faster growth, lower operating costs or new revenue, but also new risks (model errors, data problems, regulatory limits); think of it like a smart thermostat that can save energy and money but can also misbehave if fed bad information.

orchestration platform technical

"The Machine for Stagwell: An enterprise-level, AI-driven orchestration platform that"

An orchestration platform is software that coordinates and automates how different applications, servers, or services work together, like a conductor directing musicians so each part starts and stops at the right time. For investors, it matters because it can cut labor and error costs, speed product updates, and let a business scale reliably—factors that directly affect profitability, operational risk, and growth potential.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

Code and Theory honored for redefining customer experiences through creativity, technology and AI-driven innovation

NEW YORK, Dec. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Code and Theory, the industry-leading creative and technology network within Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW), has been named Adweek's first-ever Innovation Agency of the Year.

At a time when the business landscape is undergoing its most profound transformation since the dawn of the internet, Code and Theory's recognition reflects a fundamental shift in what businesses need from their agency partners. Marketing is no longer a discrete function. It's becoming the connective tissue between customer experience, operational systems and AI-driven decision-making.

A recent study conducted by WSJ Intelligence in conjunction with Code and Theory revealed that 93% of executives believe their customer experiences are "broken." The companies that will win aren't just hiring agencies to make ads or one-off creative work. Businesses want partners who can help them build the actual systems that run their business. These systems connect everything they do, from marketing to products to service, so the customer gets one clear, consistent experience instead of disconnected moments.

Clients come to Code and Theory for innovations that couldn't exist without its balance of 50% engineers and 50% creatives. New capabilities include:

• The Machine for Stagwell: An enterprise-level, AI-driven orchestration platform that unifies people, tools and data across the marketing organization. It reinvents how the entire discipline operates.
• Experience Transformation Practice (EXT): EXT was built to close the gap between technology investment and realizing value with measurable ROI. Instead of adding more tools to an already crowded stack, EXT maximizes tech around people (customers, employees and stakeholders) to unlock efficiency, clarity and growth.
• Engine: A new definition of how a studio operates. AI-native from the ground up, Engine is built to prototype and produce at algorithmic speed, fundamentally reimagining the relationship between concept and execution for clients like Amazon, Microsoft, NFL and NBC.

These innovations are paying off. Code and Theory has achieved significant growth while delivering transformative results for some of the world's most ambitious brands, including Microsoft, TIME, Stanley Black & Decker, T. Rowe Price, JP MorganChase and more. The results:

• 17% revenue growth year-over-year
• 33% team growth
• 35 new client wins, including TIME, Stanley Black & Decker and the Philadelphia Flyers
• 88% talent retention, outperforming industry averages

Code and Theory enters 2026 as the leader in what it has deemed the golden age of creativity. The company's unique 50/50 split between engineers and creatives isn't a marketing position. It's the fundamental architecture that makes transformation possible. It's why Code and Theory is the place where CMOs, CTOs and CIOs come together to experience change. Recent client highlights include:

• Qualcomm: A major industry pivot from B2B to B2D(developer) drove a 540% increase in developer website engagement and 18x software downloads.
• Amazon Ads: The national campaign, "Matches Are Made With Amazon Ads," improved unaided awareness by 33%, grew Sponsored TV non-endemic revenue by 118% and advertiser growth +10%.
• Henry Schein: A reimagined e-commerce platform gave critical time back to doctors and dentists, so they can focus on patient care. It improved speed to purchase by 46%, while increasing spend per visit by 23%.

Winning the Adweek Innovation Agency of the Year recognition adds to a historic streak of accolades, marking Code and Theory's seventh Agency of the Year achievement in 2025 alone from organizations including Ad Age, ANA B2s, Digiday, Campaign and the Shorty Awards, in addition to three Fast Company Innovation by Design distinctions.

Dan Gardner, Co-Founder of Code and Theory, says, "Creativity is not defined by how you do things. It is defined by how you think. We believe innovation happens when imagination meets technology. In other words, it emerges at the intersection of technology and creativity. This pairing shapes everything we do, from our founding and our growth to our people, our process, our DNA and even our name, Code and Theory. Adweek's recognition is proof that this approach matters. I'm grateful to our teams who make it possible every day and for our clients who embrace our mantra that Code and Theory is the place where the C-suite comes together to experience change."

Michael Treff, CEO of Code and Theory, says, "I'm grateful for our collaborative clients that trust Code and Theory to build experiences that didn't exist before. From AI-driven systems to human-centered design, our work proves that true innovation delivers measurable results. With the upcoming launch of the Machine and other major innovations on the way, the scale of what is possible is opening fast. The creative energy and technical momentum inside the company make it impossible not to feel that we are entering a golden age of creativity. What we can talk about is exciting, but what we can't share yet is even more. I couldn't be more thankful for the hard work our teams bring every day."

About The Code and Theory Network
The Code and Theory Network is the only technology and creative network with a balance of 50% creative and 50% engineers. Our unique makeup makes us the place where CMOs, CTOs and CIOs come together to drive results for their businesses. We partner with our clients to redefine what is possible to create lasting impact and drive long-term growth. Part of Stagwell, Code and Theory offers a global footprint and the capabilities to work across the entirety of the customer-facing journey, implementing the technology that powers it. The network includes the flagship agency Code and Theory as well as Kettle, Instrument, Left Field Labs, Truelogic, Create. Group, Rhythm and Mediacurrent. Code and Theory clients include Amazon, JPMorganChase, Microsoft, NBC, NFL and Yeti. For more, visit codeandtheory.com

Contact:
Carly Ross
carly.ross@codeandtheory.com

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SOURCE Stagwell Inc.

FAQ

What did Code and Theory announce on December 9, 2025 about Adweek recognition and STGW?

Code and Theory announced it was named Adweek's Innovation Agency of the Year on December 9, 2025; the agency is part of Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW).

How did Code and Theory's reported revenue and team size change year-over-year for 2025?

The company reported 17% revenue growth YoY and 33% team growth.

What client outcomes did Code and Theory cite for Qualcomm and Amazon Ads in the announcement?

Qualcomm saw developer website engagement +540% and 18x software downloads; Amazon Ads reported unaided awareness +33% and Sponsored TV non-endemic revenue +118%.

What new capabilities did Code and Theory highlight that may affect STGW's services?

They highlighted The Machine for Stagwell (AI orchestration), Experience Transformation Practice (EXT), and an AI-native Engine studio.

How many new clients did Code and Theory report winning in 2025?

The announcement listed 35 new client wins, including TIME and Stanley Black & Decker.