INNOCEAN Worldwide brings more creative power to Europe

A little less than three years after joining INNOCEAN as Global Chief Creative Officer, the multi-awarded and former DDB London Creative Chief Jeremy Craigen appoints Gabriel Mattar and Ricardo Wolff to lead INNOCEAN European operation. In order to support the new creative leadership team, INNOCEAN brought alongside Mattar and Wolff a tight-knit international group of people responsible for winning more than 1,200 awards in the last 15 years, including Cannes and Effie’s Grand Prix.

Mattar and Wolff come from DDB Berlin and join as European CCO and ECD respectively. Wolff is responsible for the Berlin operation while Mattar overlooks INNOCEAN business in all European markets – the agency is already present in Madrid, Milan, Paris, London, Istanbul, Frankfurt and Moscow. The duo, based in the new office in Berlin Hackescher Market, will serve Hyundai and Kia and claims to be the only agency located in the city for reasons other than a German client or German founder.

“We are in Berlin because of its spirit and ability to reinvent itself. This spirit is the North Star of our company and the same spirit I found on Gabriel and Ricardo. As Brazilians they manage to rise high up in a very competitive market like the German one. It won’t be easy to beat the European car brands and agencies in their own field, but we will definitely put up a good fight.”
– said Jeremy Craigen, Global Chief Creative Officer

“Joining INNOCEAN felt like a natural step. It offered us the chance to be part of an independent and ambitious group, which is eager to build something new and trust us to do so. A group of international people that won’t rest until we reach excellence. And judging by the first two projects in the pipeline, I’m confident we’re on the right path.”
– said Gabriel Mattar, European Chief Creative Officer

“An agency is all about its people and clients. We are lucky enough to have ambitious clients ready to push groundbreaking work. And they can count on us as the people to produce such work.”
– said Ricardo Wolff, Executive Creative Director

Indeed, the new team on board has worked on successful campaigns for brands such as Volkswagen, Fiat, Jeep, Smart, Mercedes, Audi, Volvo, Honda, Mitsubishi and Chevrolet in major markets like Europe, Asia, North and South America.

“Such expertise comes in handy when creating original campaigns, as we have a holistic view of the market.” – he added.

And even though Hyundai and Kia are the starting clients, the agency plans to soon have more brands joining their shops, expanding its knowledge and creative power outside the automotive segment.

“Winning new business in Europe is very important and INNOCEAN has a clear advantage for new clients: our unique relationship with the Hyundai Motor Group. Such relationship allows us to understand and contribute to one of the world’s largest companies as a trusted holistic communications consultant, and not only for campaigns like most agencies. This learning experience is unique in the agency world as we are at the same time an Agency, Media and a Consultancy Team. And with Hyundai and Kia growing year after year in the European market, it seems we are having a successful model. This model is unique and can be tailored to any client. In fact, it’s already happening in North America and Asia Pacific where the agency serves successfully many more brands than Hyundai and Kia. It’s just a matter of time until we will do the same here.”
– said Gabriel Mattar, European Chief Creative Officer