Brand Experience And Innovation company Akcelo launches in North America With Opening Of Canada Office; Secures Three Foundation Clients

Marketing, advertising and communications executive Jason Carnew appointed to lead the business

Fast-growing brand experience and innovation company Akcelo has opened its North American doors, launching in Canada with TikTok, the Tribeca Film Festival and a multinational e-commerce retailer as foundation clients.

Akcelo was created to imagine powerful brand experiences that people love, by fusing creativity with experience design to solve business problems and generate white-space opportunities for some of the world's most famous brands and businesses.

Since launching, Akcelo created TikTok’s first ever brand campaign ‘It starts on TikTok’ in Canada and is currently working with the Tribeca Film Festival in the U.S. and a global e-commerce retailer yet to be announced.

Based in Vancouver, Akcelo is being led by Canadian senior marketing executive Jason Carnew.

Carnew has held senior roles across creative, digital and earned media agencies including Saatchi & Saatchi, Y&R and Havas Worldwide. He has worked with premier brands including Procter & Gamble, Diageo, Airbnb, Facebook, Instagram, HBO and Lenovo. His work has been recognised globally, including a D&AD Black Pencil and a Cannes Lion for Good award for Project Revoice on behalf of the ALS Association. After working in Australia for nine years, he recently returned home to Canada.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to partner with Akcelo and launch the first office outside of Australia,” said Carnew. “Besides being the smartest and bravest team I’ve ever met in the industry, they have built a model that delivers unique branded experiences that drive true affinity and memorability for customers. I’m looking forward to building the team and our brand in Canada.”

With a focus on identifying the best talent, Akcelo will continue to scale up its team over the coming months to expand on their growing local Canadian team, while working alongside the Australian office.

Launched last year by the former Australia and New Zealand CEO of VMLY&R, Aden Hepburn, Akcleo, which has a team of 70 plus, has enjoyed rapid growth as marketers recognise the need to inject brand and creativity into customer experiences in order to unlock growth for the future.

Akcelo works with a host of leading global brands including Heineken, Guinness, TikTok, Netflix and LEGO to deliver transformational brand experiences.

Hepburn said. “With client interest building in Akcelo’s model, it is a huge privilege to be able to open our doors in Canada, partner with fantastic brands, brilliant people and ultimately have Jason lead the team. He is an outstanding leader who truly understands how to bring experience, emotion, creativity and technology together to create brand experiences.”