London – 22 April 2020: SmartFrame Technologies, a world leader in image streaming and protection, has announced a new strategic partnership with Zurich-based creative brand agency Zelebrand International. 

The partnership will allow brands across various industries to change the way in which they use images to interact with customers, in turn enhancing their customers’ digital experiences.

SmartFrame’s technology not only allows content owners to encrypt and securely publish their images, but it optimizes image and product presentation, supporting the delivery of ultra-high-quality images without compromising page load times.

“At a time when brands are becoming ever-more reliant on digital as a means of engaging and interacting with their customers, a collaboration between experts in transforming and designing the digital customer experience and a technology provider that can enhance the quality and control of image content in an unprecedented way is a natural conclusion,” said Petar Dakovic, co-founder of Zelebrand International.

Ralf Kostgeld, Zelebrand International’s co-founder, added: “Digital customer engagement is a constant challenge for brands, but COVID-19 has exacerbated that challenge and accelerated the need for digital transformation. Companies are having to act fast to adapt to the changes in traffic and customer engagement, as well as new threats.”

Zelebrand International, a Zurich-based creative and business incubator, was founded by Ralf Kostgeld, former Head of Brand Creation at IWC, and Petar Dakovic, formerly Managing Director at Saatchi & Saatchi. The pair’s experience is rooted in working with some of the most notable global brand names across the luxury, fashion, health, and banking industries. In 2019, they combined their expertise to form an independent enterprise that functions as both a creative and business incubator, focusing on understanding today’s complex needs and challenges, and creating holistic brand experiences.

Rob Sewell, CEO of SmartFrame Technologies Ltd, explains the synergy: “SmartFrame makes it easy for brands to protect their image content online and prevent counterfeit suppliers from using them to sell their illicit goods, as well as greatly enhancing the quality of the images they display. The ability to do so is especially pertinent today, given that digital is often the sole means of customer interaction. Zelebrand’s understanding of how to create and transform a brand’s digital experience, and how SmartFrame’s technology best fits within that experience, will ensure customers can obtain maximum value from these digital channels and our technology.”

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About Zelebrand International GmbH

Zelebrand International was founded by internationally acclaimed Creative Director Ralf Kostgeld and Petar Dakovic, previously Managing Director at Saatchi & Saatchi and CEO at Detail AG. The pair have a history of working with some of the world’s most prestigious brands and organizations, including UBS, Sony, British Airways, The Coca-Cola Company, the UN, and Amnesty International.

About SmartFrame Technologies

Founded in 2015, SmartFrame Technologies is a London-based software provider whose aim is to redefine the digital image standard for the benefit of photographers, visual artists, and organizations. Through its SmartFrame platform, the company has a global footprint of clients and partners using its technology to protect, track, control, present, and monetize their content.