Head of Planning Hired for R/GA Sao Paulo

NEW YORK, May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- R/GA, the agency for the digital age™, is pleased to announce the addition of Fabiano Coura as the head of planning for the Sao Paulo office. An industry leader, he has enjoyed a solid reputation in Sao Paulo for more than 11 years and has a breadth of experience helping global and Brazilian brands find innovative ways to interact with consumers.

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Coura joins Paulo Melchiori, executive creative director, and Paola Colombo, group director, production. He will be an integral part of the team as it taps into Sao Paulo's creative and planning communities to generate new business and increase R/GA's Latin American presence, a move prompted by the agency's selection as MasterCard's global digital agency of record.

"Establishing strategic capabilities in Sao Paulo is an important aspect of R/GA's overall growth strategy. As we continue to expand our planning practice globally, we will look to Fabiano to help staff a team of planners, researchers, and strategists at R/GA Sao Paulo," said William Charnock, chief strategy officer. "I'm very impressed by Fabiano's experience in mobile and across all digital channels. He's a standout in the industry and really recognizes the role digital plays in cultivating client-consumer relationships."

Coura comes to R/GA from Insula Comunicacao, where he served as the digital planning and creative director. He focused the digital startup on delivering strategic, branded content — from relationship and services platforms to mobile applications, a rarity in the Brazilian market at the time. Working with the executive team, Coura helped shape Insula into an innovative and forward-thinking agency in the digital arena. He led creatives and planners to create more than 390 utility-driven interactive projects across 17 different brands, including Bradesco, Bradesco Seguros e Previdencia Bradesco Vida e Previdencia, TIM, Mentos, Levi's, iG, and Unilever. His direction and leadership were instrumental in earning the company "Digital Agency of the Year" honors from the Associacao Brasileira de Marketing Direto (ABEMD) in 2008.

While at Insula, he initiated the agency's mobile lab and led a team to develop the first Latin American commercial iPhone application approved by Apple: "Seguro Auto," built to help Bradesco Seguro Auto establish a genuine mobile engagement with their clients. The application earned a 2009 Gold ABEMD Award. Under his leadership, Insula was also the first agency to develop an augmented reality application for the iPhone 3GS in Brazil. Bradesco Presenca reinforced the presence of Bradesco's brand in Brazil, giving iPhone users the ability to use their device to take a picture of their surroundings and instantly see locations, directions, and operation hours for the banks closest to their mobile location.

"I first met Bob Greenberg in Cannes a few years ago and was greatly inspired by R/GA's way of thinking. R/GA's agency model is the way forward for the industry and it will be interesting to see how R/GA Sao Paulo will impact the Brazilian ad culture," said Coura. "I look forward to working with Paulo once again and getting to know Paola as we build a solid presence for the agency in Latin America."

Previously, Coura worked as the planning director for NEOGAMA/BBH, where he worked with the executive team to develop below-the-line services within the agency, transforming NEOGAMA/BBH into a full-service shop. In less than two years, Coura led a team of more than 40 people to transition the agency's digital and direct marketing offerings, restructuring the integrated communications area into what eventually became Insula Comunicacao.

Earlier he worked for Fabrica Comunicacao Dirigida, where he helped develop the Internet services offering and subsequently became director of planning, overseeing all the agency's work. Coura also worked for Modem Media as a marketing strategy and services manager and planned diverse interactive projects for Intel, Philips (Latin America), Peugeot, HSBC, HP, Brasil Telecom, and Unilever.

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 holistic range of 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 as 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 and "Agency A-List" in 2008.

Headquartered in New York with offices located throughout the world, 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).

SOURCE R/GA