BANGKOK: Swedish advertising veterans Ron Spaulding and Thorleif
Hawi are back in the brand building business after a brief hiatus, with
a new agency Spaulding & Co, but without the burden of shareholders or
investing partners.
The two Swedes found local fame when their award-winning firm Spaulding
& Hawi was acquired by DDB in 1997, just four years after it was
founded.
Back in 1998, at the helm of Spaulding & Hawi DDB, they signed on
Ethiopian Airlines, Thailand's first global account.
The DDB marriage came to a "happy divorce" when both executives retired
last year.
"We decided to retire. Then we decided to start all over again," said
Spaulding. The agency was launched with just 15 staff and, according to
the pair, is already in the black.
Besides Ethiopian Airlines - which they took with DDB's blessing - the
agency has signed several new deals, including Scandinavian Airlines'
regional account.
The pair claimed that the agility of the small agency enabled the team,
with Spaulding as art director and Hawi as copywriter, to offer quicker
turnarounds at competitive rates, while still concentrating on creative
quality.
"We wanted a different situation, we wanted to be able to work with
clients who like the way we are, who choose what we are and what we
stand for," said Spaulding.
