Speaking at the Google Think 2013 Summit yesterday, Torrence Boone, MD of agency business development for Google US, outlined the tech-inspired approaches advertising agencies are putting into practice, with a new concept called “agile creativity”.
Agile creativity describes how ad agencies can borrow principles from Silicon Valley, and begin “working at the pace of digital”.
“Advertising as an industry is becoming much more about technology,” said Boone. “Speed and agility are the two key differentiators for success; they are the core sources of leverage and competitive advantage.”
The first key element of agility is what Boone calls “Collaboration 2.0”. “The way people work together is changing and agencies need to reimagine the way teams are structured and operate,” said Boone.
Using the example of Googleplex, Boone explained there is at least double the number of Googlers working in a single space than one would see in any other workspace. “It is a deliberately tightly knit workspace. For the rapid and dynamic exchange of ideas, co-location is critical.” According to Boone, co-location can be physical or virtual.
Boone also advises advertisers to develop “T-shaped talent” - that is people who are highly skilled in a specific area, but also highly collaborative. Agencies are also advised to expand the core team's skill set by including developers, digital experts and specialists based on a project's needs.
The second core aspect of agile creativity is the concept of the “minimum viable brief” (MVB) - which is lifted from the concept of the 'minimum viable product' within the tech industry.
“It's essentially about building and testing a skeletal manifestation of what you're trying to get to market,” said Boone.
“So if we take this concept and apply it to the briefing process in advertising agencies, you get the creatives cranking on concepts as quickly as possible.”
Boone noted that ideas should be constantly tested and evolved throughout the creative process, drawing on real-time insights from online.
“The MVB covers as much as it needs to for creatives to get cooking, and can be built in a day.”
The third concept outlined by Boone is what he calls “hackathon mode”. “This is the equivalent of a jam session for software developers.”
Boone said the idea of the compressed timeline should be applied to the creative and marketing process in general to foster creativity. “Embrace the need for speed. Just because you have more time does not mean the result will be better - it often isn't.”
Boone advised agencies to put the concept to work by scheduling half-day workshops that couple speedy idea generation with real-time testing of market potential.
Following from this, the fourth principle of agility is that of “campaign prototyping” - something that has been heavily embraced by Silicon Valley with agile software development. This is where a product evolves constantly as a result of quick responses to feedback.
While prototyping is usually for product development, it can be applied to marketing campaigns too.
“It's the culmination of the previous principles. It's about being fast, getting things to market, iterating and not being afraid of failure,” said Boone.
“Agencies can collapse the creative process: rapidly building out executions in tangible form, testing them and optimising early and often to get to the best version.”
According to Boone, creatives are increasingly using YouTube as a testing platform for campaigns. “The platform actually provides tools that allow you to evaluate when viewers are dropping off, and at what points engagement is the highest. Allowing for prototyping in real-time.”
The final principle of agility outlined by Boone is that of “client testing” - which mirrors the concept of beta testing from within the tech industry.
“Agencies can beta test agility by openly partnering with certain clients on pilot projects, working together to evolve to a better process.”
Boone advised that the objective or execution of campaigns should be jointly interrogated before beginning the project. “Failure, flexibility and evolution are necessities.”
Illustrating these principles, Boone used the example of the Google Glass project. Boone noted that the project has undergone many iterations, beginning with a laptop in a backpack with a screen projected in front of the user, right to its current form of wearable glasses.
Speaking of the conceptual video for Google Glass released by Google on YouTube earlier this year, Boone said it's important to “grab the intellectual space around what you want to do”.
“It's about putting a beacon out there of what's possible,” said Boone, adding that it was important to get the idea out into the public space because in order for the product to be fully realised, the input of consumers and developers is vital.
More information on the concept of “creative agility” and the seven tips can be found here.
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