HUGE (digital agency)
Encyclopedia
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 New York
, Los Angeles
, London
, Stockholm
, and Rio de Janeiro
. Since 2008, HUGE has been a member the Interpublic Group of Companies
.
headquarters.
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.
’s interactive department, and originally operated out of an apartment in Brooklyn. The agency’s first client was IKEA who hired HUGE to redesign its websites.
In 2006, the company opened an office in Sweden and in 2007 the agency expanded into bigger premises in DUMBO and opened an office in Los Angeles.
HUGE was acquired by the Interpublic Group in 2008 and was named the fastest-growing company across all marketing disciplines by Ad Age.
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.
In 2010, Aaron Shapiro was named CEO. Shapiro joined the company in 2005 as its 10th employee. Other agency executives include Gene Liebel, Chief Strategy Officer; Joe Stewart, Executive Creative Director; Shirley Au, Managing Partner; Michal Pasternak, User Experience Lead; Patricia Korth-McDonell, Client Services Director; and Felipe Memoria, Product Design.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, and Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. Since 2008, HUGE has been a member the Interpublic Group of Companies
Interpublic Group of Companies
The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. is one of the "big four" global advertising holding companies . Headquartered in New York City, it has 41,000 employees and reported full−year revenues of US$6.5 billion for 2010...
.
Structure
HUGE employs around 300 people. Most employees work in the company’s DUMBODumbo
Dumbo is a 1941 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released on October 23, 1941, by RKO Radio Pictures.The fourth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, Dumbo is based upon the storyline written by Helen Aberson and illustrated by Harold Pearl for the prototype of a...
headquarters.
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.
History
HUGE was founded in 1999 by former colleagues from advertising agency DeutschDeutsch Inc.
Deutsch Inc. is a notable American advertising agency.Founded in 1969 as David Deutsch Associates, Inc., in 1989 the founder's son Donny Deutsch took over the agency and led it through a period of growth and creative accolades, including:...
’s interactive department, and originally operated out of an apartment in Brooklyn. The agency’s first client was IKEA who hired HUGE to redesign its websites.
In 2006, the company opened an office in Sweden and in 2007 the agency expanded into bigger premises in DUMBO and opened an office in Los Angeles.
HUGE was acquired by the Interpublic Group in 2008 and was named the fastest-growing company across all marketing disciplines by Ad Age.
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.
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 Gene Liebel, Chief Strategy Officer; Joe Stewart, Executive Creative Director; Shirley Au, Managing Partner; Michal Pasternak, User Experience Lead; Patricia Korth-McDonell, Client Services Director; and Felipe Memoria, Product Design.