Jung von Matt has launched a new offering in London, NERD, its agency specialising in connecting brands authentically with fandom communities, nerds and geek culture. Jung von Matt London opened its doors last year and its clients include Vauxhall and Wayfair. 

NERD is well-established within the JvM network in Germany and Asia, with notable partnerships such as Mini x Pokemon concept cars, Super Mario Haribos, global gaming campaigns for Mercedes-Benz and BMW, and ’90s nostalgia fashion drops with Bugs Bunny and the Space Jam crew. NERD also provides special tech capabilities for Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft, collaborating with major brands like BMW, Pringles, and Nivea for immersive experiences. NERD was first founded by Toan Nguyen, a partner at JvM group.

The London branch will be led by Calvin Innes, who will become general manager and creative director of JvM NERD London. Innes two decades of marketing experience, include posts at Sony, Cadbury’s, Barclays, and adidas as a creative and strategist. He also ran his own creative agency, DA Creative Studio, for almost ten years, gaining a loyal following of both mainstream and nerd fans worldwide, with over 12,000 followers on LinkedIn.

Innes will work closely with NERD HQ in Hamburg and JvM London founding managing director, Rob Conibear, and executive creative directors, Charlie Hurst and Marcos Gemal, who have put the JvM group on the London map. This move demonstrates JvM’s intent to become a key player in the UK market, with a diverse offering focused on cultural relevance from the JvM London office in Shoreditch. The newly expanded UK offering will make partnerships and community activations a core focus of JvM.

Toan Nguyen stated, “Nerd culture and fandoms have become the new pop culture of the next generation. Brands need to focus on communities now because the old way of marketing is dead. There is no mainstream anymore. The nerds and geeks who spent hours playing video games and reading comics have now grown up and are running the world.”

Calvin Innes added, “Brands that embrace this movement can step into a whole universe of possibilities, engaging their audiences through gamification and special products, creating fiercely loyal fandoms, and exploring unique and unexpected partnerships.”

Rob Conibear commented, “We’re building a UK agency fit for modern marketing from the outset. The team at NERD has cracked brand collaborations, community-centric creativity and cultural relevance. To be credible in the modern media landscape, that has to be part of our core offering.”