INVNT Acquires Folk Hero, A Brand Strategy Firm Dedicated to The Art and Science of Brand Storytelling
Agency heightens commitment to brand storytelling across channels, platforms and audiences.
NEW YORK, NY, Feb. 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- INVNT, the global live brand storytelling agency™ today announces the acquisition of Folk Hero, a brand strategy firm that works with leading global companies, from fashion and lifestyle groups such as Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH), to Calzedonia Group, and direct-to-consumer clients like Purple Mattress, as well as organizations in the banking and financial services sector.
Folk Hero specializes in bringing story strategies to the executive level, creating master brand narratives that act as brands’ operating and organizing principles. The firm helps its clients develop unusually compelling brand narratives, architecture, identity and tone-of-voice, all underpinned by a robust research methodology and deep understanding of contemporary consumer behaviors.
The move sees INVNT provide these brand strategy services to both new and existing clients, as complementary to or independent from the agency’s existing live brand storytelling offering, and that of its fast-growing branded content studio, HEVĒ.
Folk Hero was established by award-winning brand strategist Rob Klingensmith, who has spent more than 20 years crafting brand stories for fashion, lifestyle and tech brands. He has held roles at Omnicom-owned advertising agencies Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and TBWA in San Francisco, as well as Marcel Worldwide in Paris, where he led a global brand strategy team.
As CEO, Klingensmith will lead and grow Folk Hero’s offering as a part of the INVNT and HEVĒ family.
Klingensmith said: "A folk hero is a story so good it has to be told—it’s a memorable, elemental narrative that far from fleeting, lingers in a person’s memory long after their first encounter, and demands to be shared. Developing these stories is what drives me, and I am thrilled to be joining an agency that shares this passion for brand storytelling in all forms."
Klingensmith will work out of INVNT’s New York headquarters, reporting to Chief Creative Officer, Paul Blurton, who explained: "Folk Hero is the ideal complement to the live and digital brand storytelling capabilities provided by INVNT and HEVĒ.
"Working as we do across numerous industries and clients, it’s always so refreshing to meet companies that have devoted time and effort to creating their own master brand narrative. It becomes the wellspring for every other creative expression of that brand. This is what Folk Hero does so effectively, and it’s why this acquisition makes so much sense."
Kristina McCoobery, COO at INVNT added: "INVNT’s acquisition of Folk Hero ladders up to our overarching vision to be the best brand storytellers in the world. We recognize that to achieve our vision, we must evolve our offering to meet our clients at whatever stage of the storytelling cycle they need us. At a time when many of the old rules of marketing are changing, we believe that the brands with the best stories, told well, will win. And when our clients win, we win."
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About INVNT
Founded in 2008 by Scott Cullather and Kristina McCoobery, INVNT is the global live brand storytelling agency™. The company's ‘challenge everything’ positioning statement helps clients including General Motors, Grant Thornton, Merck, PepsiCo, Samsung and Subway – share their stories – live – with every audience that matters. ‘The tribe’ is INVNT's diverse, talented and creative team behind the stories and brand experiences that people just can't stop talking about. INVNT's offices are strategically located in New York, where INVNT’s story studio, HEVĒ is also based, London, Sydney, Detroit, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Stockholm and Singapore. For more information visit www.invnt.com
About Folk Hero
Folk Hero is a modern brand studio founded on the premise that in a hyper competitive marketplace, the best narrative wins. Located at the intersection of art, fashion and culture, the award-winning agency specializes in all aspects of brand strategy, including narrative development, architecture, identity and tone-of-voice. Head to www.folkhero.com
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Brea Carter INVNT +1 09176336171 bcarter@invnt.com
