HUGE (digital agency)
 | |
| Industry | Digital Strategy, Marketing, Design |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
Aaron Shapiro (CEO) |
Number of employees | 1400 |
| Parent | Interpublic Group of Companies |
| Website | hugeinc.com |
Huge is a digital agency providing strategy, marketing, design, and technology services to Fortune 100 companies. The company was founded in 1999 and was named the fastest growing marketing agency in 2009 by Advertising Age. Huge currently has offices in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Portland, Washington, D.C., São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Atlanta, Toronto, Bogota, Medellin, Singapore, Oakland, London, and Detroit.[1] Since 2008, Huge has been a member the Interpublic Group of Companies.[2][3]
Structure
Huge employs around 1400 people.[4] Most employees work in the company’s DUMBO headquarters.[5]
Staff work across seven main disciplines, including strategy, analytics, research, visual, and interactive design, technology, interactive marketing, and social engagement. The company also operates an audience monetization division. Huge's designers are evenly divided between graphic designers and interaction designers who collaborate with each other while also working with others in the company from other disciplines.[6][7]
History
Huge was founded in 1999 by David Skokna and Sasha Kirovski, childhood friends and former colleagues from advertising agency Deutsch’s interactive department, and originally operated out of an apartment in Brooklyn. After a couple years David and Sasha brought on Gene Liebel as a partner and then Aaron Shapiro as an employee then partner. In October 2010 Skokna and Kirovski departed Huge and Aaron Shapiro took on the role of CEO.
The agency’s first client was IKEA who hired Huge to redesign its websites.[7]
In 2006, the company opened an office in Sweden[8] and, in 2007, the agency expanded into bigger premises in DUMBO and opened an office in Los Angeles.[9][10]
Huge was acquired by the Interpublic Group in 2008[11] and was named the fastest-growing company across all marketing disciplines by Ad Age.[12]
In 2010, Interpublic Group announced an investment estimated to be between $8 million and $10 million to accelerate global expansion for Huge with new offices in Brazil, China, Singapore, and Japan.[7]
In October 2015, Huge was named 2015 iMedia Agency Award finalist for Agency of the Year.[13]
Management
Huge is owned by the Interpublic Group, which bought a 51% stake in the firm. Company partners own the remainder of the agency.
In 2010, Aaron Shapiro was named CEO. Shapiro joined the company in 2005 as its 10th employee. Other agency executives include Shirley Au, COO and Raj Singhal, CFO.[7]
References
- ↑ "About Huge.". HUGEINC. Retrieved 2016-10-24.
- ↑ "Huge Promotes Stewart To ECD, Chow To CD". MediaPost. 30 July 2010.
- ↑ "Art Nouveau 2.0". OMMA Magazine. 1 November 2010.
- ↑ Novellino, Teresa. "How a mid-size company like Huge still feels like a startup". Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ↑ "A tour of New York's startup 'Silicon Beach'". Fortune, November 2010. 6 December 2010.
- ↑ "Mattel Designs Web Properties With Advertisers In Mind". Susan Kuchinskas, ClickZ. 22 November 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 Warren Berger (November 2010). "HUGE". Communications Arts: 38–47.
- ↑ Huge Inc PT. 2006
- ↑ Huge Inc. 2007 Archived July 12, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Huge Inc. 2007 Archived February 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Interpublic Group 2008
- ↑ Ad Age 2008 Archived December 31, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Finalists announced for the 2015 iMedia Agency Awards". MarketWatch. Retrieved 2015-10-28.