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Droga5 gains Tokyo office as it expands into Japan, Brazil and China

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By Sam Bradley, Senior Reporter

May 19, 2021 | 4 min read

Droga5 has announced a major expansion into Japan, with the opening of a Tokyo office.

photo of pedestrians at shibuya crossing

Droga5 is expanding into Japan, Brazil and China, beginning with a new Tokyo office

Further footholds in Brazil and China are set to follow in the next 12 months, the Accenture Interactive-owned agency said.

Why Japan?

  • “Japan has long been a source of inspiration for anyone creative. It’s home to so many brands and visionaries known for their innovation, ingenuity and integrity. It’s a natural place for us to open our next gen office. We are grateful and excited for this future,” said David Droga, founder and creative chairman of Droga5.

  • Droga5 pointed to Japan as a a principal growth market within Asia Pacific. Flaviano Faleiro, president of growth markets at Accenture Interactive, told The Drum: “In Japan, Accenture Interactive has built thriving digital agencies and Droga5 naturally fits into what clients in Japan are asking for and where the market is going in terms of creativity and brand-thinking capabilities. There is great interest currently. This need and market reality makes this the right time to open this office.“

  • Accenture Interactive’s expansion into its backyard may trouble Dentsu, which draws a significant portion of its business from Japan.

  • The holding company recently recorded a 2.1% organic revenue decline in the first quarter of 2021, even as rivals returned to growth.

Who will lead the new outpost?

  • Droga5’s Tokyo shop will be led by both local talent and agency veterans. Masaya Asai will serve as chief creative officer.

  • Asai said: ”Droga5 is expanding its global presence and global client base, and it’s exciting that it’s starting with Japan. The structure of our leadership team at Droga5 Tokyo allows us to be more locally and culturally fluent, so our work will have maximum impact. We’re also entering the market standing on the shoulders of a robust and talented workforce at Accenture Interactive Japan that is already helping hundreds of clients grow their businesses by leveraging data, technology and innovation.”

  • Chris Burgess, most recently business lead for Chase and Allstate, will be the agency’s general manager and Dan Ng, formerly strategy lead on Droga5’s Mailchimp and Facebook accounts, has been named head of strategy.

Anything else?

  • The agency also announced further expansions into Brazil and China within the next 12 months.

  • New footholds in those markets – among the fastest-growing consumer markets in the world – will be of interest to Droga5’s luxury goods clients, which include LVMH and Maserati.

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