Akwue arrives at the New York-based studio following a period of rapid expansion. DE-YAN, founded by CEO Dejan Jovanovic, recently secured the Experiential Agency of the Year title from Ad Age and became the first firm to earn Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) certification for experiential return on investment. His role involves steering the studio's growth alongside Jovanovic and Chief Creative Officer Jason Kreher, who joined the team last year from Wieden+Kennedy.
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Jonathan Akwue Named First President of Brand Studio DE-YAN
Jonathan Akwue, the former president of Translation and a veteran of Publicis Groupe, has joined global brand experience studio DE-YAN as its first president. The appointment marks a strategic push to scale the agency’s operations while maintaining its focus on high-craft, real-world marketing activations.
The studio’s methodology centers on what leadership calls "inverting the pyramid," prioritizing physical, immersive experiences as the foundation for broader marketing campaigns rather than treating events as secondary assets. This approach has gained traction with clients ranging from Google and Meta to Puma and Warner Music Group. By integrating strategy, creative technology, and production under one roof, the studio aims to provide a data-backed alternative to traditional agency structures. Akwue’s appointment is expected to bolster the firm’s ability to substantiate the financial impact of its work through proprietary measurement tools like the Experiential Revenue Impact Calculator (ERIC) and the Hyperion behavioral tracking platform.
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