In late 2019, New York agency Fig was about to start a new chapter with a 15-year lease on a new office on New York’s Spring Street, just across the way from restaurant Balthazar, where founding partners Mark Figliulo and Judith Carr-Rodriguez had sealed the deal to open shop. Then the pandemic hit, and evolution plans (at least physical ones) were put on hold. The agency, however, carried onward and upward. Its 2020 projected revenue rose to $24 million from $23.5 million the previous year. And the work continued to shine.

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In April of last year, though production stalled across the industry, Fig created its first big push for real estate platform Zillow. While home buying had slowed during one of the market’s busiest times of the year, the spot worked to bolster Zillow’s relationship with consumers by emphasizing the role of the home at the most trying of times. Set to Bob Dyan’s “Shelter from the Storm,” the “Real Value of Home” ad captured a family from afar, through glowing windows, going about their lives while presumably under lockdown. The spot was as effective as it was beautiful. It led to a 16% increase in traffic on the platform compared to the brand’s previous TV spot. As the year drew on, the agency went on to create another delightful ad that took viewers down an “impossible street” featuring a wild variety of homes—from beach bungalows to brownstones, that they could consider in their search for a new abode.

And for consumers wanting to make the most of their living spaces, there was the agency’s work for Benjamin Moore. Fig initially came out with a new brand campaign directed by acclaimed filmmaker Errol Morris that depicted painters and contractors as homeowners’ heroes, but as COVID took its toll, the agency reworked the original campaign to feature a more relevant pandemic recovery message aimed at keeping “hard workers working.” The push had impressive results, and according to the agency, it helped Benjamin Moore beat its annual sales targets by October 2020, a first-time feat for the brand. 

As agency of record for Waze, Fig created the brand’s new creative platform “Waze Knows.” In addition to significant organic growth with existing clients, the shop also became AOR for premium pet food brand Stella & Chew’s and CPG brand Simple Mills. 

See all of Ad Age's A-List and Creativity 2021 winners here.