Today we’d like to introduce you to Devin Huey.
Hi Devin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story into advertising starts young. My great uncle, Alvin Eicoff, is arguably one of the most influential people in advertising. He is credited as the founder of direct response advertising also known as the infomercial. He pioneered the use of the “1-800” number and coined the term “or your money back.” He started his advertising agency in Chicago back in 1959 (which would later be bought by Ogilvy) where my dad, JD Huey, grew up in the mail room and in the media department.
So starting young, my family and I would take regular trips to Chicago to see Alvin and visit the agency. My dad was always involved in the advertising industry as well. He has over 45 years of experience running television stations and also owned his own advertising agency briefly in the early 2000s. So advertising is a generational thing and is in my blood. I brought my dad into the agency about 3 years ago and have had the pleasure of working with him and growing the business together.
Going into college I knew I wanted to be in advertising. Advertising to me is a lot more than just design or television commercials. Advertising is happiness. Advertising is the joy that people experience when they buy a new car or reward themselves with their favorite brand. Advertising is passion, joy, art, and expression, it allows the consumer to connect with a brand in a way they never knew possible.
So long story short, I went to the University of Alabama for Advertising and graphic design. When I graduated I got an internship with a local Advertising Agency here in Houston. I was an Art Director there for about 5 years. I picked up my first “client” which started as freelance but turned into a retainer and Hierarchy Advertising was born.
My wife has always been extremely supportive throughout the entire process and when I told her I wanted to quit my job and open my own agency she was all about it. Hierarchy is a full-service advertising agency based here in Houston Tx but we have clients all over the US and even in London England. When I started the agency the foundation was built off of amazing creative talent, brand services, and strategy. Since we have full media departments, public relations, website development, and all things digital.
That will be 5 years ago this June. Since we opened we have won over 40 American Advertising Awards along with a handful of best-in-shows. We are considered a smaller agency but we can stand pound for pound with any agency in the world. We have brought in the best talent there is in all aspects of the services we offer. Our objective is to take over. We believe we are bringing in a fresh and exciting advertising perspective that Houston hasn’t seen in a long time and the work we produce is a testament to that.
We got here today by working our asses off and believing that we can do things better. Advertising should be fun and exciting for our clients. Their message needs to be heard by the world and we are that beacon to make it happen. If I had to describe Hierarchy in 3 words it would be: Passionate, talented, hard-working
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
For the most part, things have been smooth but owning any business is not going to be perfect. The most challenging parts have been:
1. Growth and new business. A lot of businesses want the reputation of older agencies even if the product isn’t as good.
2. Rebuilding client trust. We have seen way too often new clients have PTSD from their previous “big” agency. Either treating them poorly, overcharging, or just doing bad work in general. We take a lot of pride in the relationships we build with our clients. We rarely use the word “clients” anymore because we consider them partners. At the end of the day for us, their success is our success.
3. Building a great culture. I would not say this has been a struggle. For us, a lot of the leadership has experienced a really bad agency culture. It has always been one of our main priorities to make sure the culture at Hierarchy is cultivated by the people and not forced. Make sure family comes first and that everyone is being heard.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Advertising will always be relevant in society. The introduction of Ai should make things interesting but the ability to think differently will never be able to be replicated by Ai. The advertising world will continue to trend and lean on digital mediums. Traditional will always have a place but the media world will become more creative on how to use it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hierarchyadvertising.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hierarchyadvertising/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hierarchyadvertising
