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R/GA
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryInnovation, Transformation, Advertising
Founded1977 (1977)
Headquarters
New York City
,
United States
Key people
Bob Greenberg, Founder + Executive Chairman; Tiffany Rolfe, Global Chair + Global Chief Creative Officer; Robin Forbes, Global CEO
Number of employees
2000+[1]
ParentInterpublic Group of Companies
Websitewww.rga.com

R/GA is an innovation consultancy, and digital design and advertising agency, headquartered in New York City, with global offices in Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, London, Berlin, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Singapore, Shanghai, Sydney and Tokyo. The company has received a number of industry honors for its creative and media work, including Adweek's Digital Agency of the Decade in 2009[2] and Campaign Magazine's Digital Innovation Agency of the Decade in 2019.[3] R/GA is a subsidiary of Interpublic Group of Companies.[4]

History

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R/GA, formerly R/Greenberg Associates, was founded in 1977, by two brothers, Richard and Robert Greenberg with $15,000 of capital.[5] Richard was the designer, while Robert was the producer and cameraman. It has restructured its business model every nine years due to the CEO's belief in numerology.[6] Over 40 years, the company has evolved from a computer-assisted film-making studio to a digital design and consulting company, as part of a major advertising network.[7][8][9][10]

1977–1985: computer-assisted film making

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R/GA was founded as a design company that focused on motion graphics, live-action film, and video production. By incorporating computers into the film-making process, R/GA created the first integrated computer-assisted production process. The company became known for creating the opening title sequence for Superman in 1978.[8] R/GA's commercial work also includes trailers, special effects, and promotions for feature films like, Alien,[7] and Ghostbusters.[5]

1986–1994: digital studio

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R/GA created a digital studio that combined three separate media—print, television commercials, and feature films. During the period R/GA was doing this, its body of work spanned approximately 400 feature films[11] and 4,000 television commercials.[12] In 1986, R/GA won a technical Academy Award,[13] and Richard Greenberg left the company to pursue other interests.[7] In 1993, R/GA Interactive was founded as part of R/GA Digital Studios.[14] Its purpose was to extend R/GA's scope to include interactive content, such as video games.[14][15][16]

1995–2004: interactive advertising agency

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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.[17] In 2001, R/GA became the Interactive Agency of Record for Nike.[18]

2004–2011: digital media and products

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R/GA changed its agency model to account for client's increasing demand for digital media. The agency expanded globally, and built a more diverse offering including mobile, social, digital advertising, and brand development. R/GA developed the Nike+ platform.[19]

2011 onwards: digital transformation

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In 2011, the New York Times reported the company would begin to offer clients event marketing and data visualization services[20] followed by the additions of consulting and product innovation in 2012.[9][21] R/GA has a venture studio that develops digital products and services with start-ups; this is based on various themes from healthcare to retail.[22][23]

Notable creative work

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Superman (1978)

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R/GA created the opening title sequence for Superman by visually enhancing each name so it appears to be flying into the screen. The visual imagery and special effects developed for this film launched R/GA (then known as R/Greenberg Associates) as a visual-effects company.[5][24]

Nike+ (2006)

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R/GA created an online brand platform that gives runners a tool to record, track, and share their running data. In 2007, Nike+ won a number of awards including Titanium and Cyber Grand Prix awards at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. In 2009, Adweek named Nike+ Digital Campaign of the Decade,[25][26][27]

Beats By Dre (2012-14)

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R/GA partnered with Beats by Dre to create their music platform and advertising; key campaigns coincided with the 2012 Olympics and 2014 World Cup. The creative work won a number of awards[28] and the brand was sold to Apple Inc. for a reported $3 billion; after the sale, Beats Music became Apple Music.[29]

References

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  1. ^ Ghigliotty, Damian (7 December 2011). "R/GA Poaches Frog Design for Head of San Francisco Office". Fins (Wall Street Journal). Archived from the original on 14 January 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  2. ^ "Digital Agency of the Decade R/GA". Adweek. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
  3. ^ "R/GA Digital Innovation Agency of the Decade". Campaign Magazine.
  4. ^ The New York Times (31 March 2002). "Advertising's Big Four: It's Their World Now". The New York Times.
  5. ^ a b c Bennahum, David (November 1994). "Reel Virtual". Wired. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  6. ^ Kate Bulkley (9 October 2012). "Iconoclastic R/GA chief Bob Greenberg looks to re-invent company, again". The Guardian.
  7. ^ a b c O'Brien, Timothy (12 February 2006). "Madison Avenue's 30-Second Spot Remover". New York Times. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  8. ^ a b Walters, Helen (4 October 2006). "Doing Things the R/GA Way". Business Week. Archived from the original on 29 March 2007. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  9. ^ a b Stuart Elliot (16 July 2012). "R/GA Plans to Create a New Agency Model". New York Times. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  10. ^ Timke, Edward; O'Barr, William M.; Greenberg, Bob (30 March 2017). "Interview with Bob Greenberg". Advertising & Society Quarterly. 18 (1). doi:10.1353/asr.2017.0009. ISSN 2475-1790. S2CID 184700606.
  11. ^ Radatz, Ben (10 July 2012). "Se7en (1995)". Art of the Title. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  12. ^ "R/Greenberg Associates (us)". IMDB. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  13. ^ "Academy Awards Database". The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  14. ^ a b "R/GA Interactive". R/GA. Archived from the original on 4 January 1997. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  15. ^ "Gearheads". R/GA. 1996. Archived from the original on 4 January 1997. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  16. ^ "R/GA Digital Studios". GameSpy. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  17. ^ Owens, Jennifer (12 February 2001). "R/GA - profile of the ad agency". Brandweek. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  18. ^ Kaufman, Gil (22 January 2008). "Great Design: Nikelab.com". F+W Media, Inc. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
  19. ^ Sacks, Danielle (1 October 2007). "Reinventing the Reel". Fast Company. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  20. ^ Stuart Elliot (8 May 2011). "To Grow, an Agency Breaks Down Walls". New York Times. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  21. ^ Emily Steel (10 September 2012). "Too big to scale creative heights". Financial Times. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  22. ^ "R/GA IOT Venture Studio". Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  23. ^ "R/GA Ventures". Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  24. ^ Judith Shulevitz (28 July 1991). "Sometimes Titles Are the Whole Story". New York Times. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  25. ^ "Digital Campaign of the Decade Nike Plus". Adweek. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
  26. ^ "Advertising in the Noughties - Top 10 digital ads". Haymarket. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
  27. ^ Diaz, Ann-Christine (14 December 2009). "Book of Tens: Best Non-TV Campaigns of the Decade". Advertising Age. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
  28. ^ "R/GA Creative Partnership with Beats". Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  29. ^ "Beats Sale to Apple $3bn". 29 May 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
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