Opened in Barcelona as Rilova, Casadevall, Pedreno, 1979; bought by Saatchi & Saatchi, becoming RCP/Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising, 1986; Luis Casadevall and Salvador Pedreno resigned from RCP/Saatchi & Saatchi, 1989; Casadevall Pedreno & PRG (Piera, Roda, Garc?a) founded as new agency, 1991; majority share bought by French Publicis Group and name changed to Publicis Casadevall Pedreno & PRG, 1998.
Rilova, Casadevall, Pedreno was founded in 1979 by creative talents Ernesto Rilova and Luis Casadevall and marketing executive Salvador Pedreno.
In its first five years, RCP won clients and fame rapidly. The period started with two billboard campaigns, for Rives Gin and for the sales department of Caixa de Barcelona (Savings Bank of Barcelona), the latter breaking established molds and marking the beginning of RCP's notoriety.
First TV work
One of the agency's main contributions was starting TV advertising in Spain. An important example was a spot called "Viva Espa?a," on behalf of the Association of Blood Donors of the Hospital Cl?nico of Barcelona. In 1981, the spot won RCP its first Gold Lion at the Cannes International Advertising Festival. Two years later, the agency its second Gold Lion, for a campaign for Ambipur, an air freshener from Cruz Verde.
In the mid-1980s, Mr. Rilova left the agency because of disagreements among the partners. In 1986, Saatchi & Saatchi, attracted by the shop's work, bought RCP. But in 1989, misunderstandings prompted Messrs. Casadevall and Pedreno to leave.
The two went on to create Casadevall Pedreno & SPR, with new partners Toni Segarra, Jose Maria Piera and Ramon Roda. In spring 1991, the shop evolved into Casadevall Pedreno & PRG with the departure of Toni Segarra and the arrival of Xavier Garcia. Seven years later, Mr. Piera left to found El Sindicato.
In 1991, the new agency won the accounts of Galerias, a Spanish department store chain, and Sara Lee/Cruz Verde-Legrain, becoming the lead agency worldwide for its Sanex brand of toiletries. In 1992, El Corte Ingles, the largest department store chain in Spain, moved its account to the agency. In addition, Casadevall Pedreno & PRG worked for Macy's, a U.S. department store chain.
In 1992, the agency won the Grand Prix at Cannes for "Nuns," an irreverent spot for Talens glue. Because Talens was a product for industrial use and not known by the general public, controversy surrounded this award. In 1993, Advertising Age named the agency its International Agency of the Year.
Coca-Cola account
That same year, the shop became the first Spanish agency to handle an international account for Coca-Cola Co., specifically the European account of the soft drink Aquarius. By 1995, it was representing other multinational companies, including Swatch and Benckiser, a marketer of household products.
In July 1998, the French Publicis Groupe bought a majority share of Casadevall Pedreno & PRG, and the agency changed its name to Publicis Casadevall Pedreno & PRG. That year, the agency's clients included Coca-Cola Spain (Aquarius), the Spanish Red Cross, Douwe Egberts, El Corte Ingles, Sociedad Nestle A.E.P.A. and San Miguel F?bricas de Cervezas y Malta.
