DIGITAS PERSPECTIVE

Why Marketers Need to Think Like Developers

Lets be clear about one thing: Any kind of digital marketing execution from an online banner to a mobile app to a Facebook page to a transactional, e-commerce website is software development. Period. These executions all require coding, which needs quality assurance, and all are launched in some way, which necessitates moving files and post-live testing. So, congratulations: Whether you know it or not, youre all software developers. But heres the rub: youre also marketers. And marketing timelines and software-development timelines simply do not mix. Traditional software-development processes typically involve long, rigorous release cycles, while marketing timelines are typically crunched, requiring last-minute changes and immovable launch dates (like going to the gym: if it doesnt hurt, youre doing it wrong). This is not to say that either process is right each has its pros and cons. But when these two paradigms collide, as they do every day in the digital marketing space, sparks will fly. The traditional software process is often called waterfall due to the multiple over-the-wall hand-offs between disciplines throughout the process (i.e., marketing to strategy to planning to visual to copy to tech to QA to launch). Of course, by the time youve gotten from point A to point Z, months have gone by and the strategy has changed multiple times, leading to last-minute revisions, endless tweaks, and a launch that has likely caused sleepless nights all around. Much has been made of the agile development methodology, which, simply put, favors short and iterative release cycles (called sprints). Each sprint comes with a specific, demonstrable development goal. Using agile can definitely decrease the likelihood of launch debacles, but it should not be mistaken for a cure-all. Agile requires its own level of rigor in some respects, even more so than waterfall. It should not be seen as a shortcut, by any stretch of the imagination (you cant cut corners until you know where the corners are). Above all, agile development requires that every discipline client and agency alike buys into the process and lives it. Saying youre agile and being agile are two different things. The key to agile is to embrace it. Dont just talk about agile; do it. Iterate constantly. Launch, then relaunch. Dont fear being in beta; love it. Gmail was in beta for a year before officially launching. Facebook releases 60 new updates each day: its platform is happily in continual beta or in some cases, alpha. Regardless of the development methodology you choose, you need to embrace a fundamental principle of software development: What youre creating is alive. Digital marketing isnt a print ad or a TV spot that you can proof and put out in the market once and for all. It is a living, evolving thing. And like any living thing, it will have flaws. And thats OK. Software bugs are like opinions: everyones got em.

March 2012

DIGITAS PERSPECTIVE
Too often, I still see big launch dates with a launch and walk away approach. Or a launch date with a single maintenance release a week later as a concession to iteration. As soon as youve chosen a launch date, you should choose a soft launch date and maybe several in between. Youre creating something here, building something that can live on, take shape as your audience interacts with it. Start by blue-skying it: whats your ideal end state? Next, determine what you absolutely need to achieve to get started and begin building. Dont wait. Get into the medium as soon as possible. Get reactions from your customers and keep building. Love beta because were all beta. Its not about a finished product; its about providing a continually engaging experience. You dont get to the Super Bowl without winning games along the way. Like software development and life marketing success is not a destination; its a journey.

Contact For More Information Joe Lozito, SVP, Technology, Digitas joe.lozito@digitas.com This piece originally appeared in Digiday

March 2012