Ad Agency R/GA Purchases AI Studio for its Initial Acquisition
In a strategic move to strengthen its AI capabilities and broaden client services, R/GA, the global creative agency, has acquired AI system design studio Addition. This acquisition marks R/GA’s first since becoming an independent, privately held company and is a key milestone in its long-term growth and innovation roadmap, backed by its $50 million Innovation Fund.
Founded in 2021 by Paul Aaron and Rick Barber, Addition has built a reputation for its AI solutions for top global brands such as Google, Amazon, NBCU, Unilever, Prudential, and The New York Times. The 12-person team and network of AI experts from Addition will join R/GA, maintaining their brand and independent market presence while enhancing R/GA’s AI capacity.
The acquisition allows R/GA to expand its ability to deliver personalized, adaptive, and highly effective AI-driven creative solutions. This aligns with R/GA’s broader push to integrate AI across its operations, including initiatives such as AI Search Optimization and global AI product teams, as well as experiments using generative AI in projects with clients like Google and Moncler.
With its newfound independence, R/GA is using its Innovation Fund to make strategic investments like this acquisition that support talent growth, product innovation, and partnerships. This positions R/GA as a leader in AI-infused creative services, backed by private equity backing from Truelink Capital.
Addition’s CEO, Paul Aaron, will report directly to R/GA’s global CEO, Robin Forbes, joining the executive leadership team to align AI innovation closely with R/GA’s creative culture and ambitions for the Intelligence Age. Nick Coronges, chief technology officer, and Melissa Jackson Parsey, chief strategy officer, will also work alongside Aaron and Barber.
R/GA and Addition already share clients, including Google, and the two companies have begun integrating their operations. Tiffany Rolfe, chair and global chief creative officer, will work alongside Aaron and Barber. Addition will continue to go to market with its independent offering while lending its capabilities to R/GA more broadly.
According to Forbes, more acquisitions may follow as R/GA continues to navigate the rapidly advancing AI landscape. The Innovation Fund is integral to R/GA's long-term strategy in this space, enabling the agency to lead in the rapidly evolving AI-powered creative landscape, offering clients new kinds of intelligent, adaptive, and innovative services that leverage deep AI design and development expertise integrated within a global creative agency.
- The acquisition of AI system design studio Addition, a firm renowned for its AI solutions for numerous top global brands, will bolster R/GA's AI capacity, enabling the global creative agency to deliver more personalized, adaptive, and effective AI-driven creative solutions.
- The $50 million Innovation Fund, an integral part of R/GA's long-term strategy, facilitates strategic investments like the acquisition of Addition, thereby positioning R/GA as a leader in AI-infused creative services, backed by private equity backing from Truelink Capital.
- The merger of R/GA and Addition will see the 12-person team from Addition joining R/GA, maintaining their brand and independent market presence, while simultaneously broadening the capital resources available for talent growth, product innovation, and partnerships.
