R/GA Expands Further into Europe with Opening of Swedish Office
By Rga, PRNEWednesday, June 15, 2011
NEW YORK, June 16, 2011 -
- 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.
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.
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 (
and Twitter (
Karen Spiegel, R/GA, +1-212-946-4055, Karen.spiegel at rga.com
Tags: June 16, New York, R/ga, sweden
