NEW YORK, June 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --
- Global organic expansion
of the agency continues
R/GA, the agency for the digital age™, is pleased to announce
the opening of its new office, R/GA Stockholm. Anders Erlandsson has been appointed as Managing
Director and Kay Höök as Executive Creative Director. R/GA
Stockholm is a highly strategic move aligning the Swedish legacy of
creative excellence and technology prowess with R/GA's new agency
model. This is the second European office after R/GA London.
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There are many cultural synergies between Sweden and R/GA that make Sweden the right destination for R/GA's next
European office, including a talented pool of individuals who have
a deep understanding of the web, social and mobile, and a diverse
group of progressive clients. R/GA Stockholm is expected to grow to
25 by 2012. Höök will be responsible for shaping the agency's
creative vision and Erlandsson will oversee the overall management.
Both report to Bob Greenberg,
chairman, CEO, and global chief creative officer.
This announcement signals the continuation of a long-standing
relationship that R/GA enjoys with the Nordic region, having
recently recruited several employees and interns from the local
Swedish colleges such as Berghs School of Communications and Hyper
Island. These institutions are a new breed, touting forward-looking
and innovative curriculums with students who embrace digital.
"What makes the opening of R/GA Stockholm particularly exciting
is that this is not a move driven by a specific client requirement,
but a decision born solely out of our own agency's global growth
strategy," said Bob Greenberg,
chairman, CEO, and global chief creative officer. "We now have
extensive experience opening successful offices, this being our
ninth one. With Stockholm's
proximity to London, and R/GA
London's recent growth, I expect the Swedish office to flourish.
Since Sweden has long been a
hotbed of innovation and creativity in the digital space, our move
here gives R/GA an unrivalled opportunity to work with some of the
most talented people in the industry, clearly demonstrated by the
hires of Anders and Kay."
"Kay and I are delighted at the prospect of being involved in
launching R/GA in Sweden. Having
worked in the digital community for many years, I am fully aware of
what R/GA stands for as a pioneer and leader in creativity and
technology, and being a part of this exciting new step for the
agency is a fantastic opportunity," said Erlandsson. "With so much
up-and-coming talent in the Nordic region, we hope to be able to
tap into that and fuse it with the dynamic culture of R/GA to
produce cutting-edge and novel work for our clients."
Erlandsson has more than 20 years of experience in the
advertising industry, helping businesses and clients develop
marketing strategy while also offering high-level management
consulting. http://www.rga.com/doc/979/-/True He joins R/GA from
Digitas Sweden, where he managed a number of the agency's key
accounts, developed and implemented corporate vision and strategy,
and served as a member of the executive management group. Prior to
Digitas Sweden, Erlandsson was a partner and the CEO for Svensson
Advertising Agency and was CEO and founding partner of Ondatje
Advertising Agency. Throughout his career, Erlandsson has been the
strategic lead on a number of high-profile brands such as Canon,
Nike, and Absolut. During his time working on Absolut, he led the
retail strategy for the "In an Absolut World" campaign, which
gained widespread recognition within the industry and internally at
Absolut. While working with Heineken, Erlandsson helped develop the
company's Swedish digital strategy aimed at strengthening the
relationship with its core target audience.
Höök joins R/GA from Digitas Sweden as well, where he was
instrumental in growing the agency's profile and portfolio in the
region. http://www.rga.com/doc/982/-/True With over 15 years of
experience in both the online and offline advertising industry,
Höök has achieved excellent results whether it be on the client or
agency side. Between 2004 and 2010, he took the little-known agency
Scholz & Friends Stockholm from a small start-up to a top-10
creative agency in Sweden. Along
the way, Höök won many international and domestic creative awards
for numerous Nike campaigns, including the Nike "RUN" interactive
campaign, Nike Pro "It's All about Breathing," and the Nike Golf
"Redefine Range" campaign. In 2003, while managing director for
OgilvyOne and Ogilvy Interactive, Höök took the agency from bottom
ranking to "Direct Agency of the Year."
About R/GA
R/GA is a full-service agency that transforms the way people
interact with brands. A commitment to design, technology, strategy,
and innovation defines R/GA's continuing legacy as an iconoclast in
the world of communications and marketing. With a range of holistic
offerings, including both inbound and outbound services, along with
a specialization in brand development, mobile, and retail, R/GA's
agency model is adaptable to the ever-changing needs of consumers
in the digital landscape.
Founded in 1977, R/GA has received the most prestigious creative
awards for film, broadcast, design, advertising, and interactive.
It was selected Adweek's "Digital Agency of the Decade" and
"Digital Agency of the Year" in 2009. Advertising Age also
named R/GA one of the "Top 10 Agencies of the Decade," and included
the agency on its "Digital A-List" in 2009. Headquartered in
New York, R/GA is part of The
Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG), one of the world's largest
advertising and marketing services organizations. For more
information on R/GA, please visit us on Facebook
(http://www.facebook.com/rga) and Twitter
(http://twitter.com/rga).