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11 May 2009 16:00:01 EST

How digital platforms can help resuscitate the newspaper biz

By Bob Greenberg, chairman/CEO and global chief creative officer, R/GA

I am a devoted fan of The New York Times. I read it every day in its myriad formats: the classic print version, online at nytimes.com and on my Kindle through a daily subscription. A world without the Times would be greatly diminished perhaps even unthinkable, in my opinion. The newspaper business has been hit from all sides: declines in subscriptions, print ad revenues, classifieds. And online display ad dollars can't make up for the declines in print, despite the fact that many of these sites get 20 times the audience of their print versions.

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R/GA Honored as The Webby Awards First “Agency of the Year”

05 May 2009 16:00:01 EST

Digital Agency Wins Eight Awards across Multiple Categories

New York, NY, May 5, 2009—R/GA, the agency for the digital age™, was honored as the first-ever “Agency of the Year” during the 13th Annual Webby Awards competition. This newly created tribute is presented to the agency who receives the most awards across multiple Webby categories, including interactive advertising, websites, mobile sites, and online film and video. After receiving the highest number of nominations—14 in total—R/GA picked up eight wins.

Established thirteen years ago, The Webby Awards has become the leading international accolade for online excellence. This year’s Webby Awards attracted over 10,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide. Out of the eight awards R/GA received, three were chosen by the official judges, while the remaining five were determined by more than 500,000 votes cast by the advertising community and general public.

“It is truly an honor to receive such high acclaim from an organization that recognizes the Internet’s most innovative creative work globally,” said Bob Greenberg, R/GA’s chairman, CEO, and global chief creative officer. “It’s especially rewarding that our work resonated so positively with the public, because they are the ones who use these platforms and sites every day. We are also fortunate to partner with forward-thinking clients who are committed to breaking new ground in the digital space.”

The winning R/GA work includes:

Webby Award Winners:
NIKEiD, Website (Retail)
NIKEiD, Website (Best Visual Design/Function)
Nike SPARQ, Interactive Advertising (Rich Media: B-to-C)

People’s Voice Winners:
NIKEiD, Website (Retail)
Nike+ Human Race, Interactive Advertising (Environmental & Experience Marketing)
Nike SPARQ, Interactive Advertising (Rich Media: B-to-C)
Nike Football Head2Head, Interactive Advertising (Game or Application)
Pepsi Dear Mr. President, Interactive Advertising (Banner Singles)

The Webby Awards ceremony is on June 8 in New York City. Hosted by Saturday Night Live's Seth Meyers, the event will feature other winners, including this year's special achievement Webby honorees, Jimmy Fallon (Webby Person of the Year), actress and comedian Sarah Silverman (Best Actress), and Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor (Webby Artist of the Year).

The Webby Awards are selected by a 650-person judging academy whose members include Internet inventor Vint Cerf, political columnist Arianna Huffington, Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser, "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening, Virgin Atlantic chairman and founder Richard Branson, and The Weinstein Company co-founder Harvey Weinstein. For more information on The Webby Awards and a complete list of winners, please visit http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current_ad.php.

About R/GA
R/GA (www.rga.com) is a full-service digital agency that transforms the way people interact with brands. A commitment to design, technology, strategy, and innovation has defined R/GA’s continuing legacy as an iconoclast in the world of communications and marketing. With a holistic range of offerings that includes brand design, 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 for Adweek’s “Agency of the Year” in 2008, Ad Age’s Agency “A-List” in 2008, and Creativity’s “Interactive Agency of the Year” in 2007. R/GA is part of The Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG), one of the world's largest advertising and marketing services organizations.

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R/GA San Francisco and Miami Ad School Partner on First Digital Greenhouse

06 Apr 2009 16:00:01 EST

San Francisco Program Offers Students Real-World Digital Advertising Experience

New York, NY, April 6, 2009—R/GA, the agency for the digital age™, is pleased to announce a new partnership with Miami Ad School (MAS) to launch the school’s first digital Greenhouse program at R/GA San Francisco. This program, which allows students to spend extended time within R/GA’s walls, provides students with real-world, hands-on training in digital advertising. Up to now, only traditional agencies have hosted the MAS Greenhouse.

“We asked R/GA to partner with us on the Greenhouse program so students could experience what it's like to work in one of the most awarded interactive shops in the world,” said Pippa Seichrist, president and co-founder, MAS. “R/GA has been creating groundbreaking brand experiences for its clients since before our students were even born.”

A number of final-year students from creative and technology backgrounds are being invited to San Francisco each quarter throughout 2009 to spend 10 weeks at R/GA’s office. Today, the second group of students have started a 10 week term at R/GA. Students work closely in weekly classes with Mauro Cavalletti, executive creative director, Peter Cole, technical director, and Ryan Denning, managing director, to learn the inner workings of the digital advertising industry.

Students also have the opportunity to enhance their portfolios by working on projects related to new-business pitches and client campaigns. Work created in the program will be entered in D&AD and One Show student competitions. In addition, all three R/GA offices in San Francisco, New York, and London will present regular seminars, either in person or through video conferencing, to give students greater insight into R/GA’s collaborative creative process

“In today’s world, it’s imperative that students have a strong understanding of how digital technology helps build brands—from the strategic and creative campaign-development process to the delivery of brand platforms. We are very excited to begin this unique relationship with the Miami Ad School and look forward to setting the benchmark for future digital programs, evolving them into solid programs that prime students with practical digital experience to jumpstart their careers,” said Cavalletti

The MAS Greenhouse program has been established in major design-centric cities around the world, including Stockholm, Amsterdam, London, and Paris. R/GA San Francisco, which opened in May 2008, will host the students in its new 16,000-square-foot office space in the trendy South of Market district. As the sole host agency for San Francisco, R/GA aims to not only equip students with knowledge to succeed in the digital industry, but also provide an enjoyable West-Coast experience.

About R/GA
R/GA (www.rga.com) is a full-service digital agency that transforms the way people interact with brands. Our commitment to design, technology, strategy, and innovation has defined R/GA’s continuing legacy as an iconoclast in the world of communications and marketing. A range of holistic offerings that includes brand design, 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 Year” for 2008, Ad Age’s Agency “A-List” and “Digital A-List” for 2008, and Creativity’s “Interactive Agency of the Year” for 2007. R/GA is part of The Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG), one of the world's largest advertising and marketing services organizations.

About Miami Ad School
Founded in 1993, Miami Ad School (MAS) is known as the "School for Pop Culture Engineering" and offers innovative education programs that go where no other institution has dared. MAS is the only truly global educational network for the marketing communications industry, offering students the opportunity to study and intern in up to five different locations around the world, choosing from Miami, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Hamburg, Madrid, and São Paulo. Through partnerships with more than 50 companies, students can spend 10 weeks of their second year getting hands-on experience from working professionals at companies in up to four different cities including London, Sydney, New York, Chicago, Boulder, Dallas, Amsterdam, Dubai, Berlin, São Paulo, Moscow, Budapest, Beijing, Brussels, Moscow, and Shanghai. Graduates of the school currently work around the world at interactive firms, ad agencies, entertainment companies, ideation companies, and corporations.

For the past four years, the Gunn Report, which ranks agencies globally, has named Miami Ad School one of the most awarded schools in the world, based on the quality of awards received by its students.

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4A’s Creates Digital Board to Advise Association and Members on Digital Issues

30 Mar 2009 16:00:01 EST

R/GA’s Bob Greenberg to Serve as Digital Board Chair

New York, NY, March 30, 2009 — Nancy Hill, president and CEO, American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s), today announced the formation of the 4A’s Digital Board, a new advisory group that will report to the 4A’s national board of directors. Bob Greenberg, chairman, CEO and global chief creative officer, R/GA, will serve as chairman of the 4A’s Digital Board.

The mission of the newly created Digital Board is to help members address the unique challenges and opportunities that digital agencies face today—and in the near future. This includes the impact of technology on advertising, marketing and communications, as well as best practices for developing digital creative and services.

“Clients and consumers alike are increasingly more digitally savvy, and agency leaders must continually educate themselves on how best to solve a client’s business needs to more effectively reach consumers,” said Hill. “I look forward to working with Bob and the Digital Board to help the 4A’s community.”

“The issues that digital agencies face are quickly becoming issues that challenge our industry at large,” said Greenberg. “In the not-so-distant future, digital will be the core of all agencies. I applaud the 4A’s for creating this important forum to spark dialogue and encourage innovation.”

The Digital Board will also work closely with two other industry communities, the 4A’s Small and Mid-Sized Digital Agencies group and the Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA). Additionally, the Digital Board will work with the IAB and 4A’s creative agencies to launch a Creative Technology Conference later this year.

In addition to Greenberg, 4A’s Digital Board members include:

Carla Hendra, chairman, Ogilvy New York; CEO, Ogilvy North America

Clark Kokich, CEO, Razorfish

Laura Lang, CEO, Digitas USA

Jonathan Nelson, founder and chairman, Organic

David Sable, vice chairman and CCO, Wunderman

Additional Digital Board members may be named at a future date.

About the 4A’s
The American Association of Advertising Agencies is the national trade association of the advertising agency business. The 1,175 member agency offices it serves in the United States employ 65,000 people, offer a wide range of marketing communications services, and place 80 percent of all national advertising. The management-oriented association helps its members build their businesses, and acts as the industry’s spokesman with government, media, and the public sector. For more information visit our Web site at www.aaaa.org.

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Digital A-List 2009: R/GA Smashes Boundaries of Digital-Shop Model

30 Mar 2009 16:00:01 EST

Agency Sets Itself Apart by Partnering With Marketers to Create Brand Experiences

By Rupal Parekh

When it comes to digital marketing that forges deep, lasting connections with consumers, R/GA is still the gold standard.

In 2008 the 32-year-old Interpublic Group agency proved it has come a long way from its days as a specialty shop, blossoming into a full-service agency that top marketers call a trusted partner.

R/GA was among the first to eschew the old-media marketing approach of creating a narrative about a product in favor of building digital platforms that show what a product can do. The agency's work for Nike and Apple's iTunes is the original and often-trotted-out example of its knack for building custom digital applications...

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Interpublic Agency R/GA's Take on Mobile: Unprecedented Growth

26 Mar 2009 16:00:01 EST

By Mickey Alam Khan

That vote of confidence for mobile from one of the leading interactive marketing agencies nationwide must mean a lot. A specialist in Internet marketing, R/GA has been involved with mobile since 2001. The agency, whose most recent work was an eye-catching iPhone application for the Nike Training Club, is putting its money behind its mouth by naming a senior executive to help build its mobile business.

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R/GA London Launches “Store of the Future” For Zain

19 Mar 2009 16:00:01 EST

Agency Named Lead Digital Partner for Leading Telecommunications Company

New York, NY, March 19, 2009 – R/GA, the agency for the digital age™, is pleased to announce the opening of Zain’s flagship store in Bahrain, an interactive retail experience that utilizes the latest in digital technology. Zain is a leading wireless services provider in 23 countries across the Middle East and Africa providing a comprehensive range of mobile voice and data services to 63.54 million active individual and business customers. The digital component of the Zain project was led by R/GA London in collaboration with R/GA’s Retail practice.

“The flagship store in Bahrain exemplifies how digital technology can propel customer experience to new heights in the retail environment. It truly is the ‘store of the future,’” said Bob Greenberg, R/GA’s CEO and global chief creative officer. “Zain is an extremely forward-thinking company. To partner with them on this project enabled all of us to create something revolutionary.”

Capitalizing on a decade of digital retail experience working with world-class brands such as Nike, Verizon, and Nokia, R/GA partnered with Zain to transform the 350 square meter space into a digitally enhanced customer experience that places information about products and services front and center. The modern store features multiple large-scale LCD and LED installations, world-class customer service centers, and progressive technologies, such as motion sensor screens that change imagery when customers walk by, and “lift triggers,” which display product information when customers pick up mobile devices.

“We wanted to create a retail environment unlike any other in the world, an environment that’s entirely focused on the ultimate customer experience,” said Tito Alai, Zain’s commercial director. “Zain’s flagship store invites people to explore our products and services in a retail space that’s interactive, informative, and entertaining.”

In addition, R/GA custom built a rendering engine in Flash to show specialized Zain Arabic fonts. This feature allows customers to read all digital communications in either Arabic or English. Other key features of the flagship store designed by R/GA include:

Digital Signage: A 65” LCD Welcome Wall promotes Zain’s product offerings as customers enter the store. In addition, multiple smaller screens are displayed in several areas throughout the store.

“Brand Spine”: A massive installation in the center of the store combining 14 large LCD displays and text LED. Store visitors can text their messages to the sign and watch synchronized brand images, ambient signage and dynamic text move across the LCD displays.

Customer Queue: Alleviating the need to wait in line, customers can check in at a touchscreen display and receive a ticket or SMS message to alert them when a representative is available for checkout. Queue signage throughout the store lets customers know where their place in line.

Value-Add Service Touch Displays: Ten 42” interactive displays throughout the store, each describing a different Zain product or service. Touchscreens allow customers to find out more information.

Promo Wall: A 16-screen motion tracking video wall detects customers walking by and follows their movements with swirling, vibrant motion graphics. Four mobile devices in front of the display provide information to customers when lifted from their docking stations.

Zain Create: Customers can customize their mobile devices with Zain phone overlays, beads and other accessories. R/GA’s touchscreen tool allows customers to select from available phone skins and other available objects. A specialist applies the designs to the customer’s device while they wait.

R/GA has been working with Zain since early 2008 to drive its future digital strategy. All proprietary technologies and digital designs are created by R/GA. R/GA’s Retail practice works collaboratively with IPG-sister agency FutureBrand on digital retail efforts for the telecommunications giant.

About R/GA
R/GA (www.rga.com) is a full-service digital agency that transforms the way people interact with brands. A commitment to design, technology, strategy and innovation has defined R/GA’s continuing legacy as an iconoclast in the world of communications and marketing. With a holistic range of offerings that includes brand design, 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 for Ad Age’s Agency “A-List” in 2008 and Creativity’s “Interactive Agency of the Year” in 2007. R/GA is part of The Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG), one of the world's largest advertising and marketing services organizations.

About Zain
Zain is a leading emerging markets player in the field of telecommunications aiming to become one of the top ten mobile operators in the world by 2011. Today it is the 4th largest mobile network in the world in terms of geographic presence with a footprint in 23 countries spread across the Middle East and Africa providing mobile voice and data services to 63.5 million active customers (as of December, 31 2008).

Zain operates in the following countries: Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. In Lebanon, the company manages the network on behalf of the government operating as mtc-touch. The company offers innovative services in its markets such as One Network, the world’s first borderless mobile telecommunication network enabling customers to receive and make calls throughout many countries in Africa and the Middle East at free or local rates.

The Zain brand is wholly owned by Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC, which is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (Stock ticker: ZAIN). Zain is listed in the Financial Times’ Global 500 Index which ranks the world’s largest companies based on market capitalization (http://www.ft.com/reports/ft5002008). For more, please visit www.zain.com or email info@zain.com.

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R/GA Hires Technology Director for San Francisco Office

17 Mar 2009 16:00:01 EST

Award-Winning Innovator to Lead Department

New York, NY, March 17, 2009—R/GA, the agency for the digital age™, announced today the addition of Peter Cole as the agency’s technology director for its San Francisco office, which opened in May 2008. Cole, a 12-year technology veteran, is charged with building the office's technical capabilities to lead customer-focused digital innovation. He boasts an impressive track record of producing successful rich-media applications and cutting-edge digital experiences.

"Technology is a central component of R/GA's creative process. From e-commerce and brand platforms to digital signage and retail applications, software is the medium and technology is the foundation," said John Mayo-Smith, EVP and chief technology officer at R/GA. "Peter's combined understanding of branding, customer experience, and technology makes him the ideal person to help build and lead the San Francisco office’s technology department."

Cole will partner with Mauro Cavalletti, executive creative director, R/GA San Francisco. Cole and Cavalletti previously worked at AKQA, where they collaborated on projects for Target. While there, Cole oversaw and built multiple engagements for Nike, Xbox, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and Kraft. In addition, he helped develop and deploy the first iPhone applications for Target and Gap. His work for Nike and Xbox was recognized by 12 industry awards, including the CLIOs, FWA, ad:tech, D&AD, and One Show.

During his eight-year tenure at AKQA San Francisco, Cole rose to become director of creative development. In this role, he built and led the development department, which engineered and deployed integrated experiences for e-commerce, social networks, online advertising, mobile, and desktop applications. Prior to this, Cole served as AKQA’s technical manager and oversaw development for Nike and Visa.

He previously held the title of multimedia and web developer at Saatchi & Saatchi and Citron, Haligman, Bedecarre, where he developed websites, online marketing and various digital experiences for clients including, Visa, Palm and Proctor & Gamble.

About R/GA
R/GA (www.rga.com) is a full-service digital agency that transforms the way people interact with brands. A commitment to design, technology, strategy and innovation has defined R/GA’s continuing legacy as an iconoclast in the world of communications and marketing. With a holistic range of offerings that include, brand design, 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. Most recently, it was selected for Adweek’s “Digital Agency of the Year in 2008,” Ad Age’s Agency “A-List” in 2008, and Creativity’s “Interactive Agency of the Year” in 2007. R/GA is part of The Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG), one of the world's largest advertising and marketing services organizations.

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Adweek’s Digital Agency Report Cards 2008

16 Mar 2009 16:00:01 EST

Digital agencies hustle to compete and capture saturated consumers

By Brian Morrissey

Digital agencies made strides in 2008, although the slowing economy cramped their expansion in the last half of the year. After notching 23 percent growth in 2007, the agencies profiled in this year's report averaged 15 percent growth. The number is expected to drop again in 2009 as agencies with financial and automotive accounts can bet on spending being slashed.

This year, we cut the number of shops receiving report cards from 10 to 8, selecting shops based on their size and market presence. No two agencies are alike, but we aimed to include U.S.-based shops that operate in the same competitive set for large advertisers needing a digital shop...

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This Time, It's Different

09 Mar 2009 16:00:01 EST

Why some agencies won't survive the economic downturn

By Bob Greenberg, Chairman/CEO/Global Chief Creative Officer, R/GA

I've managed a company for 32 years and seen my share of economic downturns. Each one was a painful experience that ultimately forced change, which in turn allowed for new growth and opportunities. But this recession feels different to me (and many others). I believe we're in the middle of the perfect storm for the agency business and the landscape won't look remotely the same on the other side. The velocity of change in our business has been picking up pace for the past three years. But more has changed in the past six months than in the prior six years...

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Use8's "New Frontiers in Social Media"

20 16:00:01 EST

February 12, 2009
Brighton, UK
James Temple, Executive Creative Director, Interaction Design

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4A’s Planning Community Presents "The Moth: The Art of Storytelling"

20 16:00:01 EST

February 10, 2009
New York, NY
Hosted by R/GA,

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IxDA

20 16:00:01 EST

February 08, 2009
Vancouver, BC
Chloe Gottlieb, VP & Executive Creative Director, Interaction Design

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Mobile Analytics Event Hosted by R/GA

20 16:00:01 EST

January 29, 2009
New York, NY
Richard Ting, VP & Executive Creative Director, Mobile & Emerging Platforms

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