R/GA Forms New Business Unit to Focus on Mobile and Emerging Media/Applications (MEMA)

R/GA, the agency for the digital age, announced today the formation of MEMA (Mobile and Emerging Media/Applications), a new capability they are offering to meet the growing demand for mobile marketing strategies, design, and nontraditional advertising campaigns. R/GA has been innovating in these areas for the past several years – MEMA was created to ensure this expertise develops into a rich offering that can be integrated into comprehensive campaigns. Richard Ting, 33, VP, executive creative director of the group, will oversee the multidisciplinary team consisting of MEMA strategists, designers, technologists, and quality assurance (QA) specialists. Ting joined R/GA in 2001 to the agency’s Nike team and will continue his creative leadership role on the account, focusing on creating nontraditional, multichannel user experiences across the web, mobile, and physical spaces for the brand. Additionally, Ting is charged with integrating MEMA experts into the agency structure as part of the client-centric team model implemented at R/GA. He will foster collaboration, ensuring that the teams deliver brand transformative experiences across channels. In addition, he will be responsible for building out MEMA’s capabilities and resources, forming relationships with key strategic partners and establishing R/GA’s thought leadership through its trademarked FutureVision process. "We felt the time was right to formalize our capabilities in this area and make sure we have the right resources in place to serve our clients,” said Bob Greenberg, chairman and chief executive officer at R/GA. "We've always been fortunate to work with highly innovative companies that allow us to explore and experiment in this area. The formation of MEMA under Richard’s leadership will allow us to push the creative envelope even further on behalf of our clients.” A major initiative currently underway at R/GA is the opening of the MEMA Lab, an environment where creative and technology teams can prototype, develop, and test their creative inventions. The MEMA Lab will also serve as an educational resource for the agency, housing the latest mobile gadgets, gaming platforms, and signage systems. Strategic New Hires R/GA announced two new hires to the group. Webster Lewin, 45, was brought on as director of mobile marketing and will focus on developing MEMA’s mobile marketing capabilities. Lewin is a well-regarded thought leader in the mobile marketing industry; he is widely published and speaks on mobile marketing topics around the world. He has more than 15 years experience working in interactive media and joined R/GA from WPP’s VML. He was the lead on the agency’s mobile marketing services and developed successful strategies for Microsoft, MSN, Burger King, Colgate-Palmolive, and AMC Theatres. Additionally, he serves as cochairman of the Mobile Marketing Association’s Mobile Marketing Strategies and Best Practices Committee. By establishing guidelines and publishing best practices, this committee helps members improve their campaign success rates, including financial performance, through learning and innovation. Also joining the team will be Claudia Bernett, 34, as a leading interaction designer to the group, focused on creating customer-centric user experiences across mobile devices and emerging media. Bernett, who has been working with these platforms for six years, joined R/GA from frog design, where she helped launch MTV’s URGE digital music service, MTV’s first initiative in the digital music space. Her work centered on ways for MTV to create community around sharing music and the MTV brand. Prior to frog, Bernett was at Vettro Corporation where she designed and developed enterprise mobile applications for clients such as Hitachi Data Systems and Lockheed Martin. She also worked in interactive television while at Funny Garbage and developed a series of groundbreaking interactive television applications for Cablevision and the Metro Channel. About R/GA R/GA (www.rga.com), the agency for the digital age, serves Fortune 500 companies and world-class marketers such as Avaya, L’Oréal Paris, Nestlé Purina PetCare, Nokia, Subaru, and Verizon. R/GA builds brands by transforming the way people interact with them, creating engaging, user-centric experiences that have the power to change customers’ perceptions. Founded in 1977, R/GA has received the top creative awards for film, broadcast, and interactive. R/GA is part of The Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG), one of the world's largest advertising and marketing services organizations.