Dean Friedman, co-founder, owner, and CEO of the Real Integrated advertising agency in Troy, has sold the business to his senior partners, COO Crystal Ceo and Chief Creative Officer John Ozdych.

The firm’s new owners each have more than 20 years of experience with Real Integrated, having led its progression in the digital and metric-centric areas, while overseeing social trends reshaping business today.

For the past 20 years Ceo and Ozdych have worked at Real Integrated representing businesses and organizations of all types to develop authentic brands and messaging activated by data-driven media planning.

“This is Advertising Generation 2.0,” Friedman says. “John began with Real Integrated early in his career and Crystal joined soon after. They are outstanding, accomplished individuals who are great with clients and have a solid grasp of the future of our business. John and Crystal are redefining marketing and brand messaging in today’s complex media world.”

Friedman, with nearly six-decades in advertising, including as an executive at W.B. Doner in Southfield, co-founded Real Integrated in 1992 as Robert Solomon & Associates, and became its sole owner in 2001. He will remain as a consultant to the firm.

“This is an exciting day for John and myself,” Ceo says. “Personally, I learned from Dean’s persistence and perfectionism in terms of client service, making sure that our clients are taken care of to the nth degree and that we exceed their expectations. Creativity and great storytelling must always be supported by unparalleled client service.”

Real Integrated has worked with MGM Grand Detroit, Odawa Casinos, other casinos across the country, The Henry Ford, Eastern Michigan University, Rehmann, and Detroit Manufacturing Systems, among others.

“Successful marketing partnerships require creativity, excellence in execution, and most important — trust,” says Walter Kraft, vice president for communications at Eastern Michigan University. “John, Crystal, and the RI team bring great energy, enthusiasm, and experience. They are partners in every sense of the word and we couldn’t be more pleased to consider them part of our team.”

Patricia Mooradian, president and CEO of The Henry Ford in Dearborn, says: “We have had the distinct pleasure of working with Dean, John, and Crystal for more than 20 years. Real Integrated’s vision and creative thinking have been invaluable to us as we have worked together to increase the national awareness and impact of this institution.”

Helping companies define and activate their brands’ ambition is the driving force of RI culture, according to company executives.

“Through Crystal and John’s leadership, Real Integrated has been true partners in executing our brand transformation,” says Matt Langton, executive vice president at Detroit Manufacturing Systems in Detroit. “Their in-depth learning of our business and then applying cutting edge digital technology has been very successful in repositioning our company, opening new business channels.”