{{Infobox company | name = | logo = Agency.com_interactive_communication_agency_logotype.png | industry = Advertising | successor = The Designory | founded = 1995 | founder = Chan Suh, Kyle Shannon | defunct = 2010 | area_served = Worldwide }}
'''Agency.com''' was an interactive marketing agency based in [[New York City]] with offices worldwide. The company was a part of [[Omnicom Group]] Inc.<ref>[http://www.hoovers.com/agency.com/--ID__58843--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml Agency.com - Company Overview - Hoover's<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.dasglobal.com/codetail.lasso?id=1307 DAS Global: Company Detail<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017100346/http://www.dasglobal.com/codetail.lasso?id=1307 |date=October 17, 2007 }}</ref> and had approximately 500 employees in eleven offices on three continents. Services included website design and development, interactive marketing, search marketing and [[rich media]] development.
==Timeline== Starting in 1994, Gabrielle Shannon began publishing ''Urban Desires'', one of the first and most popular early [[Online magazine|webzines]], in collaboration with Chan Suh and Kyle Shannon. The webzine was a production of Agency.com but motivated by pleasure rather than profit.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/1995/07/urban-desires/|title=Urban Desires|last=Williams|first=Mary Elizabeth|date=1995-07-01|magazine=WIRED|access-date=2017-03-30|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/iq-news-looking-fun-agencycom-rekindles-urban-desires-40472/|title=IQ News: Looking For Fun, Agency.Com Rekindles Urban Desires|last=Mand|first=Adrienne|date=1998-03-30|work=AdWeek|access-date=2017-03-30|language=en-US}}</ref>
On February 10, 1995, Agency.com was incorporated by Suh and (Kyle) Shannon to provide website development and interactive marketing services.<ref>[http://ipo.nasdaq.com/TextSection.asp?cikid=9766&fnid=2871&sec=cd IPO Filings<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929130105/http://ipo.nasdaq.com/TextSection.asp?cikid=9766&fnid=2871&sec=cd |date=September 29, 2007 }}</ref> Omnicom Group Inc. purchased a significant minority investment in 1996, providing capitalization for growth into the rapidly expanding market for interactive services. Online Magic, a [[UK]]-based interactive marketing firm established by ad agency [[DDB Worldwide]], was acquired in 1998 to provide Agency.com with its first international location.
In 1998, the company merged with Eagle River Interactive to form what was, at the time, the largest interactive marketing agency in the world.<ref>PR Newswire, August 3, 1998 http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-50216675.html</ref> Other acquisitions in 1998 included Spiral Media in New York and Interactive Solutions in [[Boston]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=9181 |title=Agency.Com-Eagle River Merger Creates a Giant - ClickZ<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2007-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926235531/http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=9181 |archive-date=2007-09-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1999 the company acquired {{Proper name|iTraffic}} to bolster its online marketing services offering. Digital Vision Communications was acquired in 1999 in order to give the company a full service presence in the [[Chicago]] market. Also in 1999, an office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands was open by acquiring Twinspark Interactive People BV.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/AGENCY.COM+Announces+Acquisition+of+Leading+Dutch+Interactive+Firm.-a055314492 |title=AGENCY.COM Announces Acquisition of Leading Dutch Interactive Firm. - Free Online Library |website=www.thefreelibrary.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305052721/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/AGENCY.COM+Announces+Acquisition+of+Leading+Dutch+Interactive+Firm.-a055314492 |archive-date=2016-03-05}} </ref>
In December of that year, the company went public, and was listed on the [[NASDAQ]] stock exchange as ACOM.<ref>[http://ipo.nasdaq.com/Fundamentals.asp?cikid=9766&fnid=2871&coname=AGENCY+COM+LTD&selected=ACOM&market=Nasdaq+National+Market Key Data<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929141214/http://ipo.nasdaq.com/Fundamentals.asp?cikid=9766&fnid=2871&coname=AGENCY+COM+LTD&selected=ACOM&market=Nasdaq+National+Market |date=September 29, 2007 }}</ref> Initiated in 2001 and completed in 2003, the company was taken private by an investment firm.<ref>[http://www.secinfo.com/dRqWm.4fNK9.htm SEC Info - Seneca Investments LLC, et al. - SC 13D/A - Agency Com Ltd - On 5/15/01<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> It was later sold to Omnicom.
In 2004, {{Proper name|iTraffic}} was absorbed into the Agency.com operating structure. That same year, the company also acquired Exile on Seventh and absorbed its Internet marketing operations into its [[San Francisco]] office.<ref>[http://www.internetadsales.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1873 ► Interactive Marketing Agency AGENCY.COM Acquires Exile on Seventh - Web Industry Trends - Online Advertising and Web Industry Trends • Internet Ad Sales<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927222530/http://www.internetadsales.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1873 |date=September 27, 2007 }}</ref>
In 2006, Agency.com expanded operations in Europe with the rebranding of Hypervision in Belgium and TEQUILA\Digital in Italy.<ref>[http://www.primarygroup.com/facts/press_release_archive.asp Agency.com Press Releases archive<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715112828/http://www.primarygroup.com/facts/press_release_archive.asp |date=2011-07-15 }}</ref>
In 2008, co-founder Chan Suh returned to the position of CEO at the fledgling agency.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/digital/e3i9045c05b7ca5c77a54f2999ce6635999|title = Adweek}}</ref> However, in late 2009 co-founder Chan Suh and EVP Ken Trush resigned from their positions with the company as a result of an impending merger with fellow Omnicom agency TBWA\Chiat\Day.
In 2010, Omnicom announced the dismantling of Agency.com in the United States, but the brand remained in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/agency/e3i2a62321a15dd65d823b8894630020818?imw=Y|title = Adweek}}</ref>
In 2011 most of the remaining Agency.com converged in The Designory. In Italy the agency was partly absorbed by TBWA\ and partly bought out by the management, and then merged in Draftfcb; in Belgium the brand remained under the umbrella of TBWA\.
==Controversy== A 2006 ad campaign by Agency.com involved an experimental "viral" pitch video for the [[Subway (restaurant)]] account uploaded onto [[YouTube]].com. The purpose of the pitch video upload appears to have been an attempt to show Agency.com's online innovation to Subway by including a "viral" component in the pitch by documenting the pitch process itself and uploading it for all the world to see, discuss, and pass around. The term, "When we roll, we roll big" was used by an Agency.com employee in the video. Industry commentary was generally negative.<ref>[http://www.adrants.com/2006/08/agencycom-has-hispter-orgasm-on-youtube.php Agency.com Has Hispter Orgasm On YouTube » Adrants<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://adweek.blogs.com/adfreak/2006/08/agencycom_think.html AdFreak: Agency.com posts Subway pitch video online<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://lbtoronto.typepad.com/lbto/2006/08/when_we_roll_we.html the fruits of imagination: "When we roll, we roll big"<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.crackunit.com/2006/08/01/agencycom-viral-pitch-video Agency.com ‘viral’ pitch video | iain tait | crackunit.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==See also== *[[OutRank by Rogers]] *[[Zeta Interactive]]
==References== {{reflist|2}} <!--Below citations should be cited inline or deleted--> * [http://www.adweek.com/aw/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=536596 Best Full-Service Agency: Agency.com], “ADWEEK”, 02-12-2001. Retrieved June 13, 2007. * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929141214/http://ipo.nasdaq.com/Fundamentals.asp?cikid=9766&fnid=2871&coname=AGENCY+COM+LTD&selected=ACOM&market=Nasdaq+National+Market Initial Public Offerings Key Data Nasdaq.com], “Nasdaq.com”, 12-08-1999. Retrieved June 13, 2007. * [http://www.secinfo.com/dRqWm.4fNK9.htm SEC Info – Seneca Investments LLC, et al. • SC 13D/A • Agency Com Ltd • On 5/15/01], “SECInfo.com”, 05-15-2001. Retrieved June 12, 2007. * [https://web.archive.org/web/20071020005833/http://www.effie.org/winners/showcase/2007/1739 2007 Effie Awards], “Effie Awards”, 06-07-2007. Retrieved June 13, 2007. * [http://www.brandrepublic.com/News/644379/Agencycom-Guardian-gold-Revolution-Awards/36DDD5F6995E7BE1585579C143CE600B/ Agency.com and The Guardian get gold at the Revolution Awards], “BrandRepublic”, 03-17-07. Retrieved June 12, 2007. ==External links== * [http://www.agency.com/ Official website]
{{Omnicom}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agency.Com}} [[Category:Digital marketing companies of the United States]]