Creativity accelerates acceleration.
A few weeks ago, I spent six days in Amsterdam participating in a social entrepreneurship bootcamp through What Design Can Do, an organization that addresses world problems through design. The experience could fill a thousand Medium posts (and will, eventually) but I left knowing one thing: for a new idea to take hold in the world, it needs to be communicated well.
I saw this concept come to life state-side when I heard Dylan Boyd speak about R/GA Ventures: the startup acceleration program backed by advertising powerhouse R/GA.
R/GA Ventures offers technology startups mentoring, connections to a portfolio of partners and venture capital as they establish their brand and product. Its star has risen fast: it received a Gold tier ranking in the 2017 Seed Accelerator Ranking Project.
Boyd, who helped launch the program just a few years ago, is quick to point out that Ventures is more than just “another accelerator.” It offers a focus on consumer connection and effective brand communication that other programs can’t. He sees it as an extension of R/GA’s core mission: to help clients grow their business by any means relevant.
R/GA began as a digital film company in 1977. The agency has remained successful by continuously evolving with changing times and technologies, all while staying “connected by design.”
Today, rising tech startups and a fractured media landscape challenge the definition of a “digital agency” like R/GA. The agency’s answer?
Bring those disruptive forces in and give them something they can’t find anywhere else.
“This isn’t a side project,” Boyd reminded us. R/GA Ventures garnered 1/3 of the agency’s total media mentions in the last year alone. It’s a testament to the power of agency innovation and strategically communicated entrepreneurship.
It’s no secret that the advertising industry is changing. What’s less apparent is where the industry’s skills are needed: in the dynamic, volatile world of start-ups. For a new idea to take hold in the world, it needs to be communicated well. Creativity accelerates acceleration. The best new ventures might just be “connected by design.”
