R/GA (R/GA Media Inc.)
Company typeSubsidiary of the Interpublic Group of Companies
IndustryAdvertising, Marketing
Founded1977
Headquarters,
United States
Number of locations
Three offices in two countries
Area served
World Wide
Key people
Bob Greenberg, Chairman/CEO/Global Chief Creative Officer
Number of employees
450[1]
Websitehttp://www.rga.com

40°45′22″N 73°59′37″W / 40.756059°N 73.993585°W / 40.756059; -73.993585

R/GA is a global advertising agency headquartered in New York—with additional offices in San Francisco and London. The agency is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG), one of four global advertising holding companies. R/GA creates advertising and marketing solutions based in technology and design.

Agency Model edit

R/GA operates under an advertising agency model that emphasizes cross-agency collaboration. Its agency model, which has been written about in publications such as Communication Arts and Adweek, is designed to be flexible in order to change with clients’ business needs.[2]

Current Clients edit

Ad Council, American Eagle Outfitters, Ameriprise Financial, Avaya, Barnes & Noble, Chanel, Goldman Sachs, Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, L’Oréal Paris, MasterCard, Nike, Nokia, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, Reuters, S.C. Johnson, Taco Bell, Verizon, Walmart, and Zain.

History edit

R/GA was founded in 1977, by two brothers, Richard and Robert Greenberg with $15,000 of capital.[3] Richard was the designer, while Robert was the producer and cameraman. It has restructured its business model every nine years—from a computer-assisted filmmaking company to a digital studio to an interactive advertising agency, and, presently, to an advertising agency with a digital focus.[1][4]

1977 – 1985: Computer Assisted Filmmaking Company edit

R/GA, originally known as R/Greenberg Associates, was founded as a design company that focused on motion graphics, live-action film, and video production. By incorporating computers into the filmmaking process, R/GA created the first integrated computer-assisted production process. The company became known for creating the opening title sequence for Superman in 1977.[4] R/GA’s commercial work also includes trailers, special effects, and promotions for feature films like, Alien,[1] Xanadu, Zelig, The World According to Garp, Altered States, Weird Science, Predator, Beverly Hills Cop, and Ghostbusters.[3]

1986 – 1994: Digital Studio edit

R/GA created a digital studio that combined three separate media—print, television commercials, and feature films—under one roof. During the period R/GA was doing this, its body of work spanned approximately 400 feature films, including The Untouchables, Seven, Braveheart, Silence of the Lambs, Home Alone, Goodfellas, Die Hard, and Dirty Dancing, and 4,000 television commercials, including Diet Coke and Reebok[5]. In 1986, R/GA won a technical Academy Award[6], and Richard Greenberg left the company to pursue other interests.[1]

1995 – 2003: Interactive Advertising Agency edit

In its third nine-year cycle, R/GA changed into an interactive advertising agency and secured IBM as a client. At the time, IBM was consolidating advertising agencies and selected R/GA to redesign the company’s five-million-page website into a user-centric experience.[7] The agency also developed websites for companies such as Levi’s[8] and Ellis Island Museum. In 2001, R/GA expanded its client roster by becoming the Interactive Agency of Record for Nike and Verizon in 2003.[9][10] The agency also started a retail practice and built location-based interactive displays for the flagship Original Levi’s Store in New York City in 1996.

2004 – Present: The Agency for the Digital Age edit

R/GA changed its agency model to account for the changing business needs of its clients in the digital age. The agency expanded globally, and built a more diverse offering including mobile, social, digital advertising, and brand development. R/GA also created digital marketing options for its clients and developed the Nike+ platform.[11] The agency expands its client roster to include Nokia (2004),[12] L’Oréal Paris (2006),[12], Walmart (2009)[13] MasterCard (2009),[14] Ameriprise Financial (2009),[15], and Taco Bell (2009).[16]

Notable Creative Work edit

Superman (1977) edit

Created the opening title sequence for Superman by visually enhancing each name so it appears to be flying into the screen. The Warner Bros. Studios sequence was set to Superman’s original film score, composed by John Williams. The visual imagery and special effects developed for this film launched R/GA (then known as R/Greenberg Associates) as a visual-effects company. R/GA also created the opening title sequence for Superman II.

Nike+ (2006) edit

Created an online brand platform that gives runners a tool to record, track, and share their running data. Nike+ connects runners to an online community and archives their training history to measure progress over time. In 2007, Nike+ won top honors at six separate shows, including Titanium and Cyber Grand Prix awards at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, Black Pencil at D&AD, GRANDY at The International ANDY Awards, Grand Clio at The Clio Awards, and Best of Show at One Show Interactive. In 2009, Adweek named Nike+ "Digital Campaign of the Decade”,[17] Campaign named it the "number one digital ad of the Noughties",[18] and Advertising Age named it one of the “Best Non-TV Campaigns of the Decade."[19]

Awards edit

R/GA has received numerous industry honors including Adweek’s Digital Agency of the Decade [20] and “Digital Agency of the Year” in 2009.[21] Adweek also named R/GA its Digital/Interactive Agency of the Year in 2008,[22] 2006,[23] 2004, 2002, and 2000.

Advertising Age chose R/GA as one of its “Agencies of the Decade” in 2009 and featured the agency on its “Digital A-List” in 2009, 2008 and 2007.[24] R/GA was also selected as OMMA's “Digital Agency of the Year” for 2009[25] and Creativity’s “Interactive Agency of the Year” for 2007.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d O'Brien, Timothy (12 February 2006). "Madison Avenue's 30-Second Spot Remover". New York Times. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  2. ^ http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/agency/e3i4e22c70790e72ba2410b55ae5f4f588c
  3. ^ a b Bennahum, David (November 1994). "Reel Virtual". Wired. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  4. ^ a b Walters, Helen (4 October 2006). "Doing Things the R/GA Way". Business Week. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  5. ^ "R/Greenberg Associates [us]". IMDB. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  6. ^ "Academy Awards Database". The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  7. ^ Owens, Jennifer (12 February 2001). "R/GA - profile of the ad agency". Brandweek. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  8. ^ Mack, Ann M. (15 May 2003). "R/GA Celebrates Levi's Sesquicentennial". Adweek. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  9. ^ http://www.howdesign.com/article/nikelab/
  10. ^ http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/4132813-1.html
  11. ^ Sacks, Danielle (1 October 2007). "Reinventing the Reel". Fast Company. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  12. ^ a b Hicks, Robin (11 March 2005). "Nokia win prompts R/GA to open in UK". Campaign. Retrieved 3 April 2010. Cite error: The named reference "campaign" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  13. ^ Morrissey, Brian (27 March 2009). "R/GA Takes Wal-Mart Digital Account". Adweek. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  14. ^ Morrissey, Brian (12 October 2009). "R/GA Wins MasterCard". Adweek. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  15. ^ Gianatasio, David (2 December 2009). "Ameriprise Names R/GA Lead Shop". Adweek. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  16. ^ Cohen, David (5 August 2009). "Taco Bell Turns to R/GA to Rewrap Its Website". mediabistro.com. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  17. ^ http://www.bestofthe2000s.com/digital-campaign-of-the-decade.html
  18. ^ http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/970510/Advertising-Noughties---Top-10-digital-ads/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH
  19. ^ http://adage.com/article?article_id=141011
  20. ^ http://www.bestofthe2000s.com/digital-agency-of-the-decade.html
  21. ^ http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/agency/e3i255b591c9128272492470c9606fb1b59
  22. ^ http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/agency/e3i4e22c70790e72ba2410b55ae5f4f588c
  23. ^ http://www.adweek.com/aw/images/pdfs/interactiveagency2007.pdf
  24. ^ http://adage.com/digitalalist09/article?article_id=135565
  25. ^ http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=119773

External Links edit