R/GA Expands Further into Europe with Opening of Swedish Office

NEW YORK, June 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- 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 Hook 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. Hook 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.

Hook 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, Hook 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, Hook 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, Hook 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).

SOURCE R/GA