27
2019
Brooklyn, New York
Creative agency: Saving the world from boring advertising
10
Misfit
From the day we came from Amsterdam and made it in New York, we’ve been misfits. Not built to follow industry templates, but to break them. Every year we reinvent what we do. We create new ways for brands to break into the memes, the streams and engage. We are a small, purposefully tight team that acts big, creating revenue generating results for the world’s largest brands.
We don’t buy attention—we earn it. Over the past year our content generated roughly 500 million views, more than half of which—260 million—were organic and earned. Our model flips the old industry order on its head: instead of starting with media, we start with people.
Through The Robins, our collective of 80 Gen Z tastemakers, we uncover insights into the next generation. We’ve also created JIMMY, our network of world-class CGI and AI artists, that turns those insights into stories that drive likes, shares and comments. It’s an earned-first approach that doesn’t fit neatly into any category—because we’re not a social shop, not an experiential agency, not a creator agency, not a studio. We’re all of these, and more.
That’s why our work has redefined what cultural impact looks like: letting bison fly for Netflix, sending sneakers to space for Balenciaga, transforming bus stops into aquariums, even wedging a blimp between buildings for NFL Gameday. These aren’t stunts—they’re cultural interventions that connect with younger audiences who won’t be found in front of a TV screen.
If it works? Oh yeah. We build modern day brands with creative cadence, reformat what is successful and expand on our organic reach with paid ads in social, DOOH, CTV and more. It’s mighty effective, and we’ve got the numbers to prove it.
And because we believe in breaking industry rules responsibly, we’ve gone through the rigor of becoming a B Corp, proving that bold creativity can—and must—be socially and ecologically responsible.
At SuperHeroes, we’re proudly not like the others. ‘Saving the world from boring advertising’ means breaking the rules because it’s the only way to create new ones—new ways for brands to show up in culture, stay always-on, and never, ever be ignored.
We save the world from boring advertising from our hideout in a converted art gallery in Brooklyn. We have “Dutch-lunch” with our crew every day because we act like family.
We have created an internal culture that supports outlandish ideas and gives our teams permission to create their own projects. Like an AI powered mechanical Owl that uses an array of AI tools to give our teams added support. Or a “Smell Stopper” that saves New Yorkers from summer’s smelly sidewalks. Or a “Janklet” that rings as you walk to keep Rats away.
We believe that great ideas come from a diverse and inclusive community and we have built that at SuperHeroes NY. While large holding company agencies are walking away from diversity, we are leaning in even further, partnering with BLAC to support the next generation of talent from underrepresented communities and fostering an inclusive company where everyone can feel they belong.
The sensibility we bring from Amsterdam to New York, gives us a global perspective that fuels experimentation and originality. What we dream up every day could not be possible without the independent spirit to support it.
To be an agency that focuses on reaching digitally native, young generations requires us to keep innovating in how we tell stories. We’re super entrepreneurial and in the last three years have built and launched our own insights collective (The Robins,) artist and creator collectives (JIMMY), specialized units (SuperHeroes Deluxe) and have set up a wide range of unique collaborations with AI and digital artists for fearless experimentation with technology.
We don’t have anyone who says “no” to an idea. We even partner with other agencies and in-house teams. Our model and work is not something everyone has access to and they appreciate our ability to be true partners.
Our success is evident in our growth. 90% of our clients come back to us again and again for work. Our revenues have increased triple digits year over year.
Our work for Lenovo that features a bi-monthly series of social content leveraging digital and AI artists has driven +32% increase in global sales, +10% brand awareness, +6% brand consideration and +8% willing to pay more.
And let's just say a few words about our co-founder Rogier Vijverberg. He’s the first to say that a large hold co would be like jail. A free-spirit who inspires us to think of the most daring ideas possible and then to help find ways to make it happen.
