R/GA, which bills itself as the agency for the digital age, is extending its reach internationally. The New York-headquartered shop has opened a London office which will serve as the firm’s main European hub, administering full-service offerings in digital marketing and advertising.
“London was a natural choice for us, not only in catering to client needs, but also due to the history of creativity and digital expertise that has flourished in the city,” said Bob Greenberg, R/GA chairman/CEO. “Given the vibrancy of the market, our goal is to establish a strong footprint in Europe and maintain the consistent high quality of work for which we are known.”
R/GA gained a presence in London last year when it won the global Nokia Nseries account. Last week the Mobile Marketing Association honored R/GA’s Nokia Bluetooth campaign for best use of mobile marketing in a product/services launch. The Bluetooth-enabled posters, which appeared early this year in London Underground stations, invited commuters to download a Superfuture (London’s premier online city guide) map to their handsets. Once downloaded, the maps highlighted surrounding area hot spots, demonstrating the power of Nokia’s mobile multimedia computers.
The new office will follow R/GA’s mantra of integrating creative, technology and media, in addition to extending practices in mobile marketing, experience design, and universal planning. “Following the success of the Bluetooth campaign and together with ongoing support from the New York office, we are looking forward to adding another dimension [with the U.K. expansion] to R/GA’s rich working culture,” said Chris Colborn, the agency’s worldwide creative director.
The London office will also support other R/GA clients and build on local clientele. R/GA London expects to have approximately 20 people in the fold by early 2007. Previously, R/GA had been sharing office space in the U.K. with sister IPG agencies.
Supreme Court Allows Multibillion-Dollar Class Action Lawsuit To Proceed Against Meta
The Supreme Court is allowing a multibillion-dollar class action investors' lawsuit to proceed against Facebook parent Meta, stemming from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm.
The justices heard arguments in November in Meta's bid to shut down the lawsuit. On Friday, they decided that they were wrong to take up the case in the first place.
The high court dismissed the company's appeal, leaving in place an appellate ruling allowing the case to go forward.
Investors allege that Meta did not fully disclose the risks that Facebook users' personal information would be misused by Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump 's first successful Republican presidential campaign in 2016.
Inadequacy of the disclosures led to two significant price drops in the price of the company's shares in 2018, after the public learned about the extent of the privacy scandal, the investors say.
Meta spokesman Andy Stone said the company was disappointed by the court's action. "The plaintiff's claims are baseless and we will continue to defend ourselves as this case is considered by the District Court," Stone said in an emailed statement.
Meta already has paid a $5.1 billion fine and reached a $725 million privacy settlement with users.
Cambridge Analytica had ties to Trump political strategist Steve Bannon. It had paid a Facebook app developer for access to the personal information of about 87 million Facebook users. That data was then used to target U.S. voters during the 2016 campaign.
The lawsuit is one of two high court cases involving class-action lawsuits against tech companies. The justices also are wrestling with whether to shut down a class action against Nvidia.... Read More