Fallon advances into Japan

Phil Rubel who unexpectedly left McCann Erickson in June, after a one-year stint as Chief Operating Officer of their Tokyo agency, is joining Gram Advertising in Tokyo as Managing Director.

Gram is the Japan associates of Fallon Worldwide. The two have been working together for the past 18 months on clients such as Citibank, Diners Club, and Timberland.

Two former Dentsu Young & Rubicam veterans, Mr. Mitsuru Kubota and Mr. Tamio Koshino formed the agency three years ago and are the agency's managing partners. Clients include Sony, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Callaway Golf. The agency specializes in fee-based creative work. Rubel's role will be to help manage relationships with Fallon's clients in Japan.

"We're thrilled to have Phil join our partners in Tokyo. Phil's expertise in building companies and brands is a great compliment to Kubota-san and Koshino-san's vision for a new type of agency in Japan,said John Gerzema, Managing Partner, Fallon Worldwide in New York.

According to industry sources, Fallon are negotiating the purchase of equity in Gram which could lead the agency to be re-branded with the Fallon name and integrated more closely into the Fallon network which currently includes Hong Kong and Singapore in Asia. Fallon's network concept is to develop a small number of centers of creative excellencein key cities worldwide.

by David Kilburn

see also Phil Rubel: Fascinated with Japan

Published in Media July 2003