Sibling
The executive leadership team from GSD&M and the founders of multicultural ad agency LatinWorks announced this week the exciting launch of Sibling, an integrated creative and media agency with a decidedly multicultural DNA. The agency plans to implement a new strategic model for reaching the evolving American mainstream, an audience strongly influenced by its multicultural heritage. Sibling’s unique approach will help drive growth for progressive client brands who each have their own unique and evolving audience within the total market itself. Sibling was created by senior executives from GSD&M, the leaders in purpose-based marketing and branding, along with the founders of LatinWorks, the country’s leading multicultural agency. The agency will operate out of Austin with creative development led by Executive Creative Director Rafael Serrano, who brings close to 20 years’ general market and multicultural experience including award-winning stops at LatinWorks and Wieden+Kennedy. Alejandro Ruelas, cofounder of LatinWorks, and GSD&M CEO Duff Stewart will also provide leadership support and guidance. Sibling will launch with blue-chip clients including Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and Southwest Airlines and will seek to grow relationships with new brands and partners.
Sibling, an integrated creative and media agency with a decidedly multicultural DNA, was launched this week
Stewart said: “Sibling is inspired by GSD&M’s purpose-based branding approach and leverages the expertise that built LatinWorks into the industry’s premier multicultural agency Both agencies are headquartered in Austin and have worked side by side informally for years across many clients. It was the right time to come together to create a solution that responds to the seismic changes in the consumer landscape that are being driven by the multicultural population in the U.S.” Ruelas added: “The evolution of the marketplace demands a new marketing approach. American culture has been changing in dramatic fashion, becoming much more global and reflecting the influence of younger, more multicultural people. Sibling will help brands to effectively navigate this new environment.”
We Are Social
Global social media agency We Are Social has further increased its worldwide footprint by launching in China, announcing a new office in Shanghai. The agency has appointed Pete Lin to lead its Shanghai operations as managing director. Lin has 17 years’ experience in digital marketing, initially in the US where he helped build the digital practice at Grey in San Francisco, amongst others. In China, he has worked as business director at Grey Shanghai, client services director at Publicis, and head of digital at JWT. Award-winning creative director Ying Chang has also joined the team to lead its creative offering. Chang is a veteran of the China advertising industry, having worked at agencies such as Leo Burnett, DDB and most recently, AKQA where she was associate creative director. We Are Social opens in Shanghai with a number of initial clients, including global beauty brand L’Oreal as well as international conglomerate Liebherr and GMAC. Shanghai is the agency's second new office launch in 2015 following the announcement of its San Francisco base earlier this year. The Shanghai office launches with a team of fifteen, and the agency is actively recruiting for five more open roles following high demand from clients.
We Are Social has further increased its worldwide footprint by launching in China, announcing a new office in Shanghai
Lin said: “The social landscape in China is maturing, platforms are becoming more sophisticated and brands are increasingly seeking tangible benefits from their social presence in China. We Are Social’s Shanghai office is launching with back-office support from BlueFocus Communication Group, China’s largest marketing services company. The agency will also be able to tap into the BlueFocus group’s resources and experience as required. While there are obvious differences between social media in China and the West, We Are Social’s focus on human insight and creativity, not platforms, translates in any market. We’ll bring this approach to the Chinese market, and with it, we’re confident we’ll attract forward-thinking brands and the best talent to service them.” Robin Grant, global managing director, We Are Social, added: “China is an extremely important market for our global clients, but just as importantly, is increasingly leading the way in social media innovation. It was clear we needed to establish a presence here. “Our global experience and the success of We Are Social’s approach of putting social thinking at the centre of our clients’ marketing strategies will be hugely beneficial to brands in China. Our expertise combined with the unparalleled local knowledge of Pete and his team is an impressive combination; one we’ve already seen resonating with brands even at this very early stage.”
Happy Finish
Visual content creators Happy Finish recently launched a new studio in New York. Prior to launching in NYC, the agency has been working with New York Agencies and Photographers, including BBDO-NY, Leo Burnett NY, Publicis Kaplan Thaler, Saatchi & Saatchi NY, and TBWA, and their additional presence in NYC will aid in the continued growth across it’s many service offerings such as retouching, CGI, VFX, and most recently Virtual & Augmented Reality. To support this important step, they also welcome Ed James as new Executive Producer, an important addition to the company. Ed began working in NYC and London with his own independent company, Ed James Photography, whilst lecturing and mentoring at the renowned American advertising school; The Creative Circus. Ed will be bringing his range of creative content production services to the east coast, with more than 20 years of photographic industry experience, working with the world’s largest brands and advertising agencies.
Visual content creators Happy Finish recently launched a new studio in New York
Recognising the rise of digital, cross-media integrated productions Ed has chosen to transition out from life behind the lens and apply his love of conceptual advertising to developing new markets with Happy Finish who are aggressively pursuing the convergence of motion & stills post-production as well as maturing digital content market and newly emerging content consumption technologies such as Augmented and Virtual reality. “With a collaborative relationship lasting over a decade, Happy Finish warmly welcomes Ed into the Happy Finish US team and looks forward to working together as we continue to expand our global network of studio locations and establish our East Coast office in New York” said Toby Roberts, President/COO Happy Finish US.
Output Group
Design agency Studio Output is being integrated into a new design and branding company called “Output Group.” The re-structuring sees individual teams Studio Output (London), Found Studio and Studio Output (Beijing) come together under parent company Output Group, as well as the newly-formed Allez! Studio. As part of the launch, Output Group is also announcing a brand new studio, Allez! Studio, which will deliver cutting-edge immersive content. Headed up by Group MD, Ian Hambleton, Allez! will create exciting, large-scale immersive content for experiential projects and events. The company already has an impressive track record in producing immersive content for brands, including a live projection-mapping piece for producer and musician Labrinth’s performance at last year’s MTV Music Awards in Glasgow. Studio Output (London) will remain the lead agency within the group, becoming the heart of all conversations for clients across the group.
Design agency Studio Output is being integrated into a new design and branding company called “Output Group”
Ian Hambleton, MD at Output Group commented: “We currently offer a range of design and branding services but the launch of Output Group will allow both our service offering and the business to grow. It means we can scale up our fantastic team and offer an essential layer of strategic insight for all projects and clients within the group. Allez! seemed like the next natural progression for us. We’ve been increasingly doing big-budget immersive content work for high-profile brands like Sony Music, BBC and Penguin and it’s something we see as a real growth area in the industry. It also allows us to tap into the exceptional talent of creative collaborators, digital artists and interactive designers that make up our Glug events network. We’re really excited to launch this studio and expand our offering.”
