R/GA Announces Significant Additions Due to Company Growth; Leading Interactive Advertising Agency Expands New York Headquarters and Hires Two Key Executives

Business Wire, May 11, 2005

NEW YORK -- R/GA, the New York-based interactive advertising agency, today announced significant company growth due to new business and extended client relationships. Over the past year, R/GA has gained interactive duties for clients such as Circuit City, Intel, Lowe's, Subaru and Target, in addition to expanded client engagements.

As a result, R/GA is expanding its New York presence to include two floors, 7,000 square feet, at 333 West 39th Street. This office, located across the street from R/GA headquarters, will house up to 70 team members.

Overall, R/GA's staff has increased by more than 30 percent over the past year. Two new executive positions have been created to support the growth, including Executive Creative Director Kip Voytek, 40, to lead the Interaction Design (ID) department, and Director of Integrated Contact Planning Ken O'Donnell, 43, to lead media-neutral contact planning for the Strategy, Planning & Integration department.

O'Donnell's responsibility is to develop integrated contact plans that include media planning for R/GA clients. He will collaborate closely with account and creative teams to develop universal plans that span the customer engagement cycle, from awareness to acquisition and relationship marketing. This unique planning practice unites traditional account planning, media planning and CRM/contact planning. O'Donnell's expertise lies in developing robust interactive marketing programs that are augmented by metrics and accountability.

O'Donnell comes to R/GA with 15 years of diverse experience in integrated communications planning. Most recently, he was Director of Interactive Media at EuroRSCG, where he focused on innovative, interactive-based media plans for clients such as Volvo, New Balance and Stouffers/Lean Cuisine. Before joining EuroRSCG, O'Donnell was the GM/Director of Interactive Media at Bates 141 for clients such as MapQuest and Warner-Lambert. O'Donnell is an early Internet media pioneer, creating many breakthrough and award-winning campaigns, including the first all-Internet campaign for Volvo in 2001.

O'Donnell will report to Anne Benvenuto, who oversees R/GA's Strategy, Planning & Integration department. She said, "As clients look to agencies to provide media-neutral communications planning, the model we are implementing at R/GA will ensure that all relevant channels, creative and marketing objectives are aligned to deliver accountable and successful campaigns. Ken's integrated communications planning background, coupled with his creative media planning prowess, will be crucial to this new model of holistic universal planning."

Voytek, a former R/GA veteran, returns to the company from Digitas, where he oversaw the development of its Interaction Design group and worked on strategic online initiatives for clients such as AOL, Microsoft and Safeway. He will be responsible for running the daily managerial responsibilities of the Interaction Design department.

Voytek first came to R/GA in 1999, where he was an Executive Producer on Nike and excelled on pioneer ID projects that included the original global standards for ibm.com and breakthrough e-commerce applications for BedBathandBeyond.com. Over his career, he has won dozens of awards from some of the most prestigious competitions, including the One Show Interactive and Cyberlions. Voytek began his career as a game designer and writer at Engineering Animation, Inc. (EAI) and Byron Preiss Multimedia, developing games, characters and scripts for licensed and original properties.

R/GA

R/GA (www.rga.com) is the New York-based interactive advertising agency that serves as the lead digital partner for Fortune 500 companies and world-class brands. R/GA focuses on creating optimized, user-centric experiences that sell products, engage customers and build brands across channels, from the Web to broadband/enhanced television and wireless devices.

Named Interactive Agency of the Year 2003 by Adweek, R/GA is a creative powerhouse with a strong expertise in innovative technology, including the software development of the 23-story Reuters sign in Times Square. Clients include Avaya, Bank of America, Bed Bath & Beyond, Circuit City, Levi Strauss, Lowe's, Purina, Reuters, Subaru, Target and Verizon.

Founded in 1977, R/GA is the world's most award-winning interactive agency and 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.