Play Nice in the Creative Sandbox

Software development often occurs inside a sandbox, defined as a confined virtual environment in which one or several developers can freely and safely experiment with untested code and new technologies. Just like children making castles inside a playground sandbox, software developers are able to build, tear down, and start all over again, without worrying about harming existing stable tools and platforms.

Many of the teams at Google have applied the sandbox mentality to advertising experimentation, encouraging agencies, marketers, and ourselves to think beyond what's expected. While this can sometimes be a daunting task, we've found that regularly communicating new technologies and platforms to our partners, with the goal of inviting experimentation, can produce wondrous results. We've just released a video version of Creative Canvas, our annual compilation of the best, most innovative awesomeness in marketing. The video celebrates exciting work created by a broad spectrum of agencies and clients, utilizing the YouTube API, Google Maps, Google Moderator, and much more. Many of these campaigns are the result of a fervent and enduring commitment to experimentation and risk-taking.

You can't build a castle if you're not willing to roll up your sleeves. So get in there, just play nice.

Posted by Janine Gianfredi, Agency Marketing Manager