M&A Signals – Deals Announced Through January 8, 2026
Highlights Vistra acquired Cogentrix Energy — Deal value: $4,700,000,000 Vistra is an energy company with a generation portfolio across major U.S. power markets. Cogentrix Energy is a portfolio of 10 modern natural-gas generation facilities totaling about 5,500 MW. Vistra said the acquisition expands its generation footprint across PJM, ISO New England, and ERCOT, and expects it to be accretive to ongoing operations. Agency lens: Expansion across multiple markets often raises… Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
Cooley’s Push Toward Stronger Content and Distribution Systems
An analysis of the executive conversation and our research, surfacing the priorities and opportunity lanes agencies can leverage to win new business. At A Glance Interviewee: Matthew Lieberman, Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer Company: Cooley LLP Estimated Revenue: $2 Billion Location: Palo Alto, CA Website: www.cooley.com Industry: Global law firm focused on tech and life sciences Company Notes: Cooley has ~1,400 lawyers and 3,000+ employees across … Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
AEC Brand Elevation Opportunity (Private Introduction)
We are supporting a private introduction between the Chief Marketing Officer of a well-established AEC firm and a small number of highly specialized agencies with deep experience in branding within architecture, engineering, and construction. This is not a public RFP and not a full rebrand search. The CMO is actively exploring a brand elevation / brand refresh — an intentional evolution of brand strategy and identity that reflects where the firm is today and where it is headed next, without discarding existing brand equity. Our role is to curate and introduce a short list of qualified agencies from within the NextBigWin Pro community who specialize in this type of work. What We Can Share (At a High Level) The firm operates in the AEC space with multi-disciplinary capabilities Marketing leadership is newly elevated at the C-suite level There is a clear mandate to modernize and sharpen the firm’s brand strategy and identity This is an evolution, not a ground-up rebrand Specific company details are intentionally withheld at this stage. What the CMO Is Looking For This engagement is centered on brand elevation, including areas such as: Brand strategy refinement Positioning and narrative clarity Visual identity evolution (not wholesale replacement) Modernization that respects legacy and credibility The CMO is not looking for: A full rebrand Tactical-only execution Generic creative services without AEC context Who This Is For This opportunity is relevant only for agencies that meet the following criteria: Proven experience leading brand strategy and brand refresh work Deep familiarity with AEC firms and professional services dynamics A clear point of view on balancing heritage, credibility, and modernization This will not be a fit for most agencies — and that’s intentional. What to Submit (Email Only) If this aligns, send a short email to: info@thenextbigwin.com Please include: A brief overview of your AEC brand experience 1–2 relevant brand refresh / brand elevation examples (anonymized is fine) A short note on how you approach brand evolution vs. full rebrand Submissions will be reviewed personally. A small number of agencies will be selected for a direct introduction to the CMO. This is time-sensitive. There is no fixed deadline, but earlier submissions will be prioritized as the shortlist is actively taking shape. Important Notes This is not an RFP response No guarantees of introduction NextBigWin’s role concludes after the introduction is made If you have deep AEC branding experience and a thoughtful approach to brand evolution, this is worth responding to. Precision matters more than polish.
Oregon State Treasury Digital Marketing Services: Five-Year Term With Unlimited Renewals Option
At a Glance Buyer: Oregon State Treasury (Oregon Retirement Savings Board / OregonSaves) Industry: Public Sector / Financial Services (Retirement Savings Program) Location/markets: Oregon (statewide) Primary scope: Digital marketing assessment + Digital Marketing Plan (Phase 1), with anticipated implementation/services (Phase 2) Key deliverables/channels: Research + discovery; technical assessment; audience targeting approach; measurement/… Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
Clackamas County Integrated Marketing Campaign: $800K All-In Budget, Full Media Buying
At a Glance Buyer: Clackamas County (Tourism / Tourism Development Council) Industry: Destination Marketing / Tourism Location/markets: Mt Hood Territory (Clackamas County, Oregon); short-haul drive markets (about 300 miles) Primary scope: Develop and execute a comprehensive, integrated marketing campaign (turnkey) Key deliverables/channels: Strategy + creative concept; production; media planning & buying; digital/social/SEM/OTT-CTV/pr… Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
University of Utah Creative Services: Multi-Award Setup for Impact Marketing and Design
At a Glance Buyer: University of Utah (Sorenson Impact Institute) Industry: Higher Education / Impact (social & environmental Impact) Location/markets: Salt Lake City, Utah; U.S.-based operations required Primary scope: Marketing & design services in the impact space Key deliverables/channels: marketing strategy; website design/support; social content; graphic design; newsletters Budget: Not specified Contract type/term: Anticipated 3-year contract; multi… Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
NYS Dept of Agriculture and Markets Seeks Marketing AOR for New York State Fair and Fairgrounds
At a Glance Buyer: State of New York — New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (Division of the New York State Fair) Industry: Public sector / Events & Entertainment (State Fair + Year-Round Venue) Location/markets: Syracuse, NY (New York State Fairgrounds); markets: Not specified Primary scope: Marketing, advertising, and public relations services for the New York State Fair and Fairgrounds Key deliverables/channels: Annual marketing/advertising plan; integ… Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
Travel South Dakota AOR for $8.5–$9.5M Annual Brand Marketing Spend
At a Glance Buyer: South Dakota Department of Tourism / Travel South Dakota Industry: Tourism / Destination Marketing (Public Sector) Location/markets: Pierre, SD (South Dakota; regional, national, and international audiences) Primary scope: Agency of Record (or Agencies of Record) across branding, marketing, and public relations services Key deliverables/channels: Omni-channel campaigns; creative + production; media planning/buying (TV/CTV/OTT, digital, social, audio, print… Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
CMO Moves – Week of January 5, 2026
Elizabeth Judge named CMO at Visit Syracuse Visit Syracuse is Onondaga County’s official destination marketing organization. Judge joins the executive leadership team with a remit tied to brand stewardship and driving economic impact across the region, spanning sales, sports, film, and leisure. Agency lens: The announcement signals work across digital experience (including an integrated booking platform), CRM/data dashboards for ROI tracking and segmentation, and integrated… Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
What It Really Takes for Small Agencies to Win Big Clients
In the agency world, we treat something as normal that actually isn’t. It’s not unusual to see a 10-person agency working with a multi-billion-dollar company. That almost never happens in most other industries. A small software company wouldn’t pass security reviews. A tiny manufacturer wouldn’t meet compliance or scale needs. But agencies do it all the time. What rarely gets talked about is how those wins actually happen. Most of the time, they don’t come from brand marketing or lead generation. They come from relationships. A founder knew someone. A former colleague made an intro. Trust existed before the first meeting. And once agencies land one or two of these clients, they assume they can repeat the outcome by doing more outreach. So they’re told to run more campaigns. Send more cold emails. Buy more tools. Push harder on lead generation. That advice works for agencies selling to small and mid-sized businesses. It breaks down completely at the enterprise level. Without an existing relationship, most small agencies simply don’t exist to enterprise buyers. They can’t afford broad brand marketing. Traditional lead gen gets ignored because there’s no trust behind it. The problem isn’t effort or volume. It’s credibility. What agencies should be hearing, but rarely are, is that enterprise growth requires a different approach altogether. It’s not about getting louder. It’s about creating access. Access doesn’t come from status or brand recognition. It comes from utility. You don’t need to be invited into executive rooms to build trust. You need to create a reason those rooms exist. That starts with tight positioning around a specific problem and curating conversations where peers can learn from each other without selling. Early on, you’re not expected to be the expert in the room. You’re the organizer. The connector. The one making something useful happen. Over time, familiarity replaces cold outreach. Trust compounds quietly. And when timing is right, you’re remembered. Takeaways for agencies: Stop applying outdated SMB growth tactics to enterprise buyers. Recognize that enterprise growth is a trust problem, not a lead problem. Create access by being useful before you’re known. Narrow your positioning so executives know exactly when to think of you. Small agencies can win big clients, but only if they stop chasing attention and start engineering trust.