Boston University’s latest installment of the Doers Makers Innovators lecture series (#BUDMI) featured Ben Malbon (@malbonnington) of Google’s Creative Lab. I was very fortunate to attend and have an opportunity to meet Ben. He brought along the really awesomeGoogle Glass, but also some of the most influential insight in the marketing and advertising industry.
I thought there were two major takeaways from Ben’s presentation. Although Ben made many interesting and important points, there were two that really stood out to me and could easily be implemented by every company and brand.
1. Bigger is not always better
Ben discussed what he called the “7, 10, 4 principle.” If you’re working in a group of seven people, you’ll accomplish the work of seven people. If you’re working in a group of 10, you’ll accomplish the work of seven people. And if you’re working in a group of four, you’ll accomplish the work of seven people. So why not work in small groups of four all the time?
To quote Ben, “Never have a team that it’d take more than two pizzas to feed.”
If companies work in smaller groups, they will be able to work on more and more projects, and ultimately, generate more ideas and technologies. It just seems more productive to work this way. Why have 20 people work on one project, when you can split them up and have five different projects running simultaneously? There always will be slackers and overachievers, but if the company is properly managed, the work will get done no matter what.
2. Make demos and documentaries, not ads
Ben explained that we are no longer in the business of creating ads. Now, it is all about creating engagement and experiences. Creative Lab truly exemplifies this when marketing the Google products. They don’t simply push messages or tell you what a product does. They create experiences that captivate the consumer. They show exactly how a product works and use real life situations to show the consumer what it would be like if they were using the product at that exact moment.
I thought there were two major takeaways from Ben’s presentation. Although Ben made many interesting and important points, there were two that really stood out to me and could easily be implemented by every company and brand.
1. Bigger is not always better
Ben discussed what he called the “7, 10, 4 principle.” If you’re working in a group of seven people, you’ll accomplish the work of seven people. If you’re working in a group of 10, you’ll accomplish the work of seven people. And if you’re working in a group of four, you’ll accomplish the work of seven people. So why not work in small groups of four all the time?
To quote Ben, “Never have a team that it’d take more than two pizzas to feed.”
If companies work in smaller groups, they will be able to work on more and more projects, and ultimately, generate more ideas and technologies. It just seems more productive to work this way. Why have 20 people work on one project, when you can split them up and have five different projects running simultaneously? There always will be slackers and overachievers, but if the company is properly managed, the work will get done no matter what.
2. Make demos and documentaries, not ads
Ben explained that we are no longer in the business of creating ads. Now, it is all about creating engagement and experiences. Creative Lab truly exemplifies this when marketing the Google products. They don’t simply push messages or tell you what a product does. They create experiences that captivate the consumer. They show exactly how a product works and use real life situations to show the consumer what it would be like if they were using the product at that exact moment.
This marketing style is successful because it speaks to people on an emotional level and gets the consumer engaged. It makes Google’s products more desirable because it paints an interesting picture of the specific technology and people are excited to partake in the experience.
Who can learn from Google?
Honestly, I think each and every brand, company, person, etc. can learn from Google. The success that the company has had in such a short period of time is a testament to their quality of work. And this can be said for the technology and innovation, as well as their marketing because without involving consumers, it is doubtful that the company would have taken off like this.
One brand in particular that I think would definitely benefit from Google’s methods is LG. They have created a series of everyday appliances with Google-like technologies known as the LG Smart. The line includes a smart refrigerator, washing machine, dryer, oven, and robot vacuum. All can perform self-diagnosis of problems and can synch to your smart phone to provide you with important information.
However, these products are poorly advertised. With an emotional campaign that shows consumers exactly how these machines work and how they can simplify life, I think people would really get excited about these products. As society and technology advances these kinds of products are eventually going be commonplace within every household. But until then, I think LG would really benefit from a Google-esque campaign that can generate buzz amongst consumers and make them go out and make purchases.
Who can learn from Google?
Honestly, I think each and every brand, company, person, etc. can learn from Google. The success that the company has had in such a short period of time is a testament to their quality of work. And this can be said for the technology and innovation, as well as their marketing because without involving consumers, it is doubtful that the company would have taken off like this.
One brand in particular that I think would definitely benefit from Google’s methods is LG. They have created a series of everyday appliances with Google-like technologies known as the LG Smart. The line includes a smart refrigerator, washing machine, dryer, oven, and robot vacuum. All can perform self-diagnosis of problems and can synch to your smart phone to provide you with important information.
However, these products are poorly advertised. With an emotional campaign that shows consumers exactly how these machines work and how they can simplify life, I think people would really get excited about these products. As society and technology advances these kinds of products are eventually going be commonplace within every household. But until then, I think LG would really benefit from a Google-esque campaign that can generate buzz amongst consumers and make them go out and make purchases.
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