AnalogFolk has opened its seventh office and first on the European continent, with the new operation to be headed by former MediaMonks managing director Kris Smith.
Smith, who was MediaMonks' European managing director until last year, has been setting up the offshoot since the start of 2019. AnalogFolk Amsterdam officially opens its doors for business today (10 October), with Smith as managing director. The shop will be staffed by five full-timers and the agency told ±±¾©Èü³µpk10 that it hopes headcount will double by the end of the year.
AnalogFolk said that the new venture comes on the back of "sustained growth" from clients looking for independent agencies and referenced its relationships with Johnnie Walker, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger and Danone. It will be working mainly with those clients at this juncture.
AnalogFolk employs 350 staff across its Hong Kong, London, New York, Portland, Shanghai and Sydney offices. It recently named former Publicis Worldwide boss Guy Wieynk as global chief executive after buying his consultancy. Wieynk said the Amsterdam office would allow AnalogFolk to better service clients.
He added: "The increased demand from clients for flexible, independent agencies that are free from holding company politics has been the driving force behind our growth and AnalogFolk Amsterdam allows us to capitalise on this even further.
"Having worked with Kris in San Francisco and across Europe, I’m thrilled he’ll be leading the office and I’m looking forward to working with him again as we grow our already impressive roster of clients."
Smith left MediaMonks in September 2018 and, according to his LinkedIn profile, joined AnalogFolk's then-embryonic Amsterdam office in January. The agency's first official public appearance in the city will be at marketing conference OnBrand later this month.
Smith said: "The mix of creative, data and digital capabilities that AnalogFolk brings to the market is exactly what businesses need.
"Our mission of using digital to make the analogue world better positions us as the perfect partner for progressive brands. Amsterdam is a world-class creative city, with a world-class talent pool. After months of hard work, it’s great to officially open and expand our regional footprint."
The agency has produced a launch reel to accompany the news:
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