Sweden has long been a talent-hunting ground for Fallon, but last summer, the firm brought home some especially valuable finds. The brothers Sjönell bring serious talent, major-client experience, and Web-savvy ideas to the famed Minneapolis ad agency at a time when the right mix of traditional and interactive expertise is crucial.
“The whole advertising industry is reinventing itself,” says Calle (on the right). He left Starring, a Swedish interactive marketing agency that he cofounded in 1996, to join Fallon. “The only thing everyone agrees on is that if you use only traditional ads in print, it’s not going to work. Fallon has a good integration plan—merging the right pieces together. They work in a different way. Their BMW work was revolutionary before anyone else was touching interactive.”
Younger brother Pelle was creative director and CEO of Swedish ad agency King. “Fallon was basically like our phone call” to the major leagues, he says. “In our industry, there are very few true icons. For us, it’s Fallon.”
A couple of other things you should know about the Sjönells: Calle has a bike company in Sweden and is hoping to bring some of his designs to the United States; and Pelle was a star quarterback in Sweden—yes, we mean American-style football.
