HelloFCB+ establishes creative technologist position, appoints Brendan Arries

To further augment its creative product and reduce the inherent divide between creativity and technology, HelloFCB+ has established a creative technologist position and appointed Brendan Arries to the role. As Creative Technologist at the Cape Town-based agency, Arries’ key task will be partnering with the creative and strategic teams to deliver digitally-led solutions and consumer experiences clients need to meet their brand and business objectives.

“For us, the creative technologist role was a key one in putting creativity at the heart of the entire consumer journey, building strong emotional connections between clients and their audiences at the right touchpoints. Simply put, the position bridges the gap between creative and code, working alongside creatives and strategists to create work that disrupts, engages and is truly effective,” said HelloFCB+ Executive Creative Director, Camilla Clerke. “Throughout his career, and time at HelloFCB+, Brendan has demonstrated an uncanny ability to facilitate the successful marriage of exceptional design and functional development. With his considerable experience as a front-end developer, awesome UX/CSS/JavaScript/HTML skills, and obvious passion for brands and strategy, he will certainly allow us as an agency to be more agile, remain at the forefront of technology, and create frictionless online interactions between our clients and their customers,” said Clerke.

Before joining HelloFCB+, Arries honed his skills at Lilo London, Gloo Digital Design and Ogilvy & Mather working on brands such as KFC, Direct Axis, Europcar, Virgin Active, Puma, Volkswagen, and Spur.

“To take advantage of new and existing technologies to create more meaningful experiences for our clients’ consumers, HelloFCB+ must continuously strengthen the unity between insightful design and innovative development. And I’m excited to part of the new team intent on doing just that,” said Arries. “I have great respect for what the leaders at Hellocomputer and FCB have built together. To me, they were giants in the creative and digital space. Today – through HelloFCB+ - they are forging a new way for technology and creativity to work together to create strong connections between clients and their audiences from the moment they first engage with a brand, all the way through to conversion and retention. I look forward to the journey,” he said.