GENERAL IDEA Announces International Expansion, New Executive Appointments, and New Brand and Culture Service Offerings

The NYC-based Creative Agency is Doubling Down on Culture and Brand Strategy on the Heels of a Record $35M Year

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GENERAL IDEA, the brand agency at the ​​intersection of brand, talent, entertainment, and culture, today announced key milestones and expansion plans for the seven-year-old agency. Backed by $35 million in revenue from 2025 (the most successful year in its history), the agency will continue to serve the world’s leading fashion and luxury brands through a disciplined expansion on several fronts, including international expansion, strategic executive hires, and new service offerings.

“Marketing is reaching an inflection point, and brands are demanding more from their agency and creative partners. To meet these needs, GENERAL IDEA believes that it is mission-critical to strengthen our cultural and consultative expertise and expand our geographic presence,” said Tanner Graham, CEO and Co-Founder of GENERAL IDEA. “We’re incredibly proud of the body of work GENERAL IDEA has produced in its seven years – reaching $35M in revenue is no easy feat, especially in difficult economic climates. We’re proud to expand our leadership team as we brace ourselves for the next phase of growth.”

Edward Campbell will join the agency as President, a newly created role focused on growth, where he will lead the agency’s expansion beyond its fashion origins, tailoring its expertise to new categories and evolving their core services in strategy, talent & celebrity and experiential. With over 15 years of global experience across brand, luxury and culture, Campbell brings deep strategic rigor and cultural connection to GENERAL IDEA.

Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President and Global Luxury Strategy Lead at Dentsu. Prior to Dentsu, Campbell held strategic roles at AKQA, working across global Nike accounts; Warner Music Group, working across the record labels and artists; and Highsnobiety, where he established the cult publisher’s strategy practice, led the iconic ‘New Luxury’ research in partnership with Boston Consulting Group and drove cultural campaigns and strategic platforms for brands spanning Mercedes Benz, Gucci and Coach.

“It’s no secret that agency giants are struggling to match the speed at which the consumer moves. Clients need agile partners that have cultural IQ, taste and cultural credibility. What stood out to me about GENERAL IDEA, was not only its best in class creative worldbuilding, but the team’s inclination to consult past the creative, assuming a deeply strategic role,” said Campbell. “The studio’s ‘left and right brain’ approach combines a deep understanding of the cultural zeitgeist and intuition for business, product and celebrity. I’m thrilled to join GENERAL IDEA as President in this next phase of growth, to further build out the team, and connect with CMOs on how to build cultural relevancy.”

The New York City-founded agency is also announcing geographic expansion to Los Angeles and London. The Los Angeles office is led by Founder Ian Schatzberg, where he is leading a team through several pieces of business spanning beauty and culture, including a longstanding relationship with ROC Nation. The newly opened London office includes Fred Paginton, newly appointed as Executive Creative Director of EU+UK. Fred recently held ECD roles at Spring Studios and Dazed Media, where he focused on the intersection of creativity and culture. Stationing in London enables GENERAL IDEA to better service its European clientele, such as long-time client LVMH, while also expanding throughout the region.

“We’ve always been a quiet agency because our work speaks for itself and we believe our clients always come before our own brand. For this next phase, we want to share more of what we do with more people,” said Ian Schatzberg, Co-Founder of GENERAL IDEA. “We’ve chosen London and LA as our next two strategic hubs as they allow us to tap into key business hubs built around specific industries that are very style adjacent - be it California’s tech and entertainment or London’s proximity to European luxury.”

GENERAL IDEA’s executive appointments and global expansions come on the heels of yet more culture-defining campaigns driven by celebrity talent. The agency led work for Reebok and its Karol G partnership; Tommy Hilfiger’s spring campaign featuring Patrick Schwarzenegger and Lionel Richie and a viral campaign for Fendi’s featuring Katseye. To learn more, visit https://www.generalidea.agency/.

About GENERAL IDEA Group

GENERAL IDEA is a creative growth partner that supports businesses in building cultural relevance across brand, design, communications and strategy. The agency is headquartered in New York City with offices in LA and the UK. Founded by Ian Schatzberg and Co-founded by Semjon Doenhoff and Tanner Graham, GI is built to offer visionary founders and marketers a one-stop shop for creativity, innovation and growth.