YML.
The agency of tomorrow
Brands are at a crossroads. Evolve—become digital, mobile-first, customer-centric, and thrive. Or don’t—and die. To service this changing need, it is logical that agencies must adapt too.
So, what does the agency of tomorrow look like?
I first discovered YML (Y-Media Labs) about a year ago. After meeting Ashish Toshniwal, their CEO, at his Redwood Shores office, I was instantly taken by his story. CEO by day, angel investor off-the-clock, we met to discuss a side-project my wife and I have launched—an AI sommelier, called Monty. Even though he doesn’t drink wine, he was kind enough to meet, provide some sage advice, and offer to help any way he can. He was very decent. He explained that although running YML is a full-time job, he regularly meets startups—sometimes to invest, but mostly to stay on the pulse of what’s new. When pressed about YML, his first words were “We are not an agency.” So what are you? I asked. “Well,” he said, “we’re trying to be something…less traditional. We’re more like a brand innovation labs.”
You see, Ashish and Sumit Mehra founded YML in the heyday of the App Store, with a mission to make the best, world-class mobile applications. They have done this, and boomed. Now, 6 years old, YML is one of the top mobile design and development studios on the planet—with over 250 employees and offices around the world. They have amazing clients too—including Apple, PayPal, Staples, Home Depot, and more. But they don’t just start and end at the app store. Instead, YML approaches mobile not as a channel, but more like a philosophy. Users want connectivity on-the-go—they expect seamless brand experiences that provide value at every touchpoint—the mobile web, the IOT, wearables, connected spaces, and, of course, apps too. It’s a new form of 360 degree thinking. Not the matching luggage of 360 degree marketing. But, instead, a 360 degree view of the mobile customer. And, it’s this focus on the mobile lifestyle, technology and innovation that has enabled YML, and the brands they serve, to create new, meaningful connections with their customers.
This is the agency of tomorrow: Digital, mobile-first, user-centric, product-oriented, and deeply rooted in technology.
But let’s not diminish the role of creativity and imagination. It is my belief that big ideas can change the world…and technology enables them. Let’s face it: Gone are the days of the brand anthem video. We’re beyond the era of communication. Today is the age of the customer. And tomorrow’s agencies will help brands turn their purpose into products that serve and delight their customers will succeed. Big, transformational thinking is the currency of any agency worth a dam. And, as a creative leader working in Silicon Valley, it’s my job to stimulate these kinds of ideas. But that’s not all. Today, more than ever, technology defines brands — this is obvious for the high-tech Googles and Facebooks of the world—but even brands that aren’t thought of as technology brands are increasingly represented by their software—take Nike+, or the Starbucks app, for example. How a brand’s technology looks, feels, serves and ultimately delights its users is a big part of what sets it apart. This is what creativity does best. It touches people. It breathes life and soul into a brand—through its products, through its communication and, now more than ever, through its technology. I sometimes joke and say that creative is like the Wizard of Oz: It give the Tin Man his heart. Without it, technology clanks around—unfeeling. Yes it’s functional, but it cannot connect with those its supposed to serve. This is the part I most enjoy the most: Helping technology to do more than just work. But, instead, helping it connect in human, organic, emotive ways.
For some years I have witnessed this shift in the industry. But few brands, and fewer agencies are ready for this change. So, finding YML—a non-agency agency so aligned with my vision—is tremendously exciting. And now, after nearly a year forming a relationship based on shared values, YML has wooed me with a mix of vision, ambition and genuine human kindness, honoring me with an offer to join the team as their Chief Creative Officer.
Recognizing it’s a time for growth, they have stepped on the gas: They have moved into a beautiful new office, they have won some stellar new business, and they’ve made some key new hires—myself included. YML is perfectly positioned to take advantage of an era of hyper-change and I am beyond excited to join the team.
There’s work to do.
And it’s going to be fun.
