Draftfcb Italy has announced it has hired well-known digital marketing experts Franco and Diego Ricchiuti and 18 of their colleagues to provide full-service digital strategies and solutions across all aspects of digital communications in Italy.
As a result of this move, Draftfcb Italy will now add Lufthansa, Sony Europe, Costa Cruises, Snai, Sony Ericsson, Sammontana, Star Alliance, Costa Edutainment, A2A, F.I.L.A., Carapelli, Metro Cash & Carry, and Gruppo Il Sole 24 Ore to its client roster.
This aggressive expansion of its digital capabilities is Draftfcb’s second significant digital move in Europe this year following the acquisition of Blue Barracuda in London that was announced in April. The added staff will help reinforce the agency’s commitment to best-in-class integrated solutions in Europe and around the world.
Before joining Draftfcb, the Ricchiuti brothers and several of their colleagues had worked together at Agency.com for eight years. With their hiring, Draftfcb Italy now employs more than 85 people spanning both Milan and Genova. The agency will continue to be led by Stefano Del Frate as CEO and managing director. Maria Lara De Murtas and the Ricchiuti brothers will serve as executive vice presidents, with Franco and Diego overseeing the digital offering. Cali Pioggia will continue as CFO.
Nicola Rovetta, creative director; Simone Simola, production and delivery director; and Camillo La Rovere as technology director are among the key specialists that are part of the expanded digital team.
The agency will work closely with Martin Talks, Draftfcb’s head of digital in Europe, to create the best possible synergies in production, knowledge sharing, and talent development to benefit the region.
Draftfcb’s capabilities in Italy will now span advertising, CRM, retail, digital strategy, campaign planning, online media planning and buying, web design and creation, content creation, application development, mobile, social media, conversion rate optimisation, managed services and digital training.
“Combining Draftfcb’s existing integrated offering and ability to understand customer needs with Diego and Franco’s ability to create innovative and agile solutions for everything digital, will ensure clients’ and consumers’ needs are met with even greater speed and agility,” said Paul Mead, Draftfcb Europe’s acting president. “The newly fortified agency is an asset to Europe and also to Draftfcb on a global scale.”
“The Ricchiuti brothers and their digital colleagues are an absolute match for Draftfcb. We’re looking forward to working closely together to produce some world-class digital solutions for our clients,” said Draftfcb Italy’s CEO and managing director Stefano Del Frate.
According to the Ricchiuti brothers, “Draftfcb is an ideal partner for our digital team. We collectively believe our expertise will fortify Draftfcb’s offering and drive even faster growth in Italy. As the world becomes increasingly digitalized our aim is to be at the forefront leading the charge.”