Jonathan Durden, ex co-founder of PHD, has joined augmented reality advertising agency 3RockAR as non-executive partner.
Bringing his expertise and connections in the UK ad market, Durden will work on connecting 3RockAR with agencies and new clients, starting with the shop's UK presence.
A self-proclaimed "everything reality partner", 3RockAR’s mission is to give brands innovative methods of communication, including the use of 3D billboards, immersive digital out of home, and “magic mirror” experiences where viewers see themselves in an AR ad.
Durden has joined the agency as he believes its technology has the power to "cut through the white noise" and deliver memorable experiences.
Referencing decreasing attention spans in society, and the way 3RockAR combats this, he said: “More than ever, brands need new methods to cut through. This is not a moment, it’s a movement."
Since leaving PHD in 2007, Durden has been working as an advisor and consultant for businesses both in and outside of the media industry.
Most recently he was strategic advisor at Digital Cinema Media, chairman at Connexi Partnership and board member at mobile app start-up Hold.
Speaking on Durden’s appointment, 3RockAR co-founder Ian Brooks said: “Finding out Jonathan’s interest in meeting us was exciting to say the least.
"We shared our vision, outlined our future plans, and to witness his enthusiastic agreement, followed by his desire to become a part of it, served as the ultimate validation for the decade-long journey we’ve been on.
"Within 24 hours Jonathan had agreed to join our board of directors and we look forward to working closely with him in several aspects of the business."
3RockAR was founded in 2013 and has offices in London, South Africa and New York.
It operates globally, having run campaigns in the UK, US, Mexico and the UAE for clients including DFS, Sky, Sony, Coca-Cola and the BBC.
Past UK projects have included Direct Line’s “Emergency plumber” campaign, and an AR magic mirror campaign for Yakult which ran at London's Waterloo station.
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