Brazilian Agency DOJO Promotes International Expansion and Launches Operations in London

Oct. 31, 2024

Brazilian agency DOJO, founded by partners Rodrigo Toledo and Thiago Baron, takes an important step in its corporate history by announcing the launch of an office in London: DOJO UK. The agency’s international expansion aims to explore opportunities in a strategic market and promote the blending of perspectives from two of the world’s leading centers of creativity, Brazil and the UK, integrating opportunities in terms of business, media expertise, and topics such as Artificial Intelligence (AI).

DOJO UK will be led by Managing Director Rafael Freitas. He has been in London for 14 years, working on regional (EMEA) and global accounts for clients like Shell, Johnson & Johnson, Canon, Air Canada, Sage, and Vodafone. He has worked at agencies such as Wunderman Thompson, VML, and launched the content studio at the former JWT London. In Brazil, Freitas began his career at Ogilvy São Paulo and has also worked at Lowe, JWT, and F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, serving clients like Unilever, P&G, J&J, Cadbury, Diageo, Bayer, and Unimed.

Freitas said:

"I’ve been fortunate to work and learn a lot from Rodrigo Toledo at various stages of my career in Brazil, and it’s a great pleasure to work alongside him and Baron in the international expansion of such an incredible agency as DOJO. We have the chance to bring a differentiated communication service offering to the UK and to blend the best of these two major communication hubs, giving us the strength to operate with both a local perspective and a global reach."

 

One of the central aspects of DOJO’s model that facilitates entry into international markets is its "social first" essence, which finds traction in other markets through global clients.

Rodrigo Toledo said:

"DOJO is an advertising agency created for the hyperconnected era—and the launch of DOJO UK follows the same logic. We understand that today, every brand is a social brand, which is why we place social intelligence at the core of everything we do. We’ve been a 'Social First' agency since our inception. We leverage the power of digital dynamics to shape perceptions, influence behaviors, and build brands and businesses across all channels."

 

The model of DOJO UK, like that of the Brazilian office, aims to integrate brand messaging with the forefront of digital culture through actions that spread messages while capturing the essence of current conversations. "This approach is more advanced in the UK, but it is also developing well in Brazil and generates a much more authentic connection with the audience," says Toledo.