R/GA, headquartered in N.Y., has extended its European reach, opening an office in Stockholm under the aegis of managing director Anders Erlandsson and executive creative director Kay Höök. The Swedish foothold complements R/GA’s operation in London.
Erlandsson and Höök join R/GA from Digitas Sweden. Erlandsson managed a number of Digitas’ 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.
Höök was instrumental in growing Digitas Sweden’s profile and portfolio in the region. With over 15 years of experience in both the online and offline advertising industry, Höök has such accomplishments as between 2004 and 2010 taking the little-known 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’s “It’s All about Breathing,” and the Nike Golf “Redefine Range” campaign.
At R/GA, 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.
“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.”
Plans call for the staff of R/GA Stockholm to grow to 25 by 2012.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More