Huge London hires Wayne Deakin as ECD tasked with 'using creativity to connect'
Huge London has hired Wayne Deakin as executive creative director (ECD) with the hope of driving growth and the client roster in Europe.
Huge London hires Wayne Deakin as ECD
Joining the IPG digital agency, Deakin will work with managing director Mark Manning who said he tapped the ECD veteran due to his "outstanding track record across digital, innovation and communication". In particular, Deakin's ability "to harness creativity to connect" was valued.
Deakin previous called an end to a two year stint with AKQA back in October. Before starting his new role at Huge London today (12 March), Deakin said he worked on a series of freelance projects.
Deakin said he is a long-time admirer of Huge which he dubbed a modern agency that "boldly creates products, services and experiences people love and puts consumers at the heart of everything it does". He added that Huge is a "hugely successful company that has grown steadily without making a big fuss of themselves".
Brands and clients are increasingly demanding the type of connected experience that Huge delivers as campaigns become increasingly digitised and mobile. He admitted this has changed the role of the ECD a lot in recent years. Deakin said: "The market changes at such a rapid pace that you have to educate yourself. If you are the person leading the charge you have to be aware that you are ahead of the curve. Some ECDs just sit there and wait for briefs to land on their table, waiting in their big offices and taking it easy.
"I am more interested in solving business problems with creativity."
He concluded that many of the issues plaguing the industry can be solved by an astute ECD: "You look at some of the comments coming out of the world‘s biggest brands about agencies being more connected, the ECD’s role is about solving business problems with creativity, whatever they are."
Huge was founded in Brooklyn in 1999, it launched in London in 2011, and now employs 1,500 people across 12 offices.
Before AKQA, Deakin previously he worked at Doner and Engine and before that he carved out his reputation as a creative director with the likes of Jam and Jung von Matt.