Ideasicle X Beta Report #3: GYK Antler

As you may know, we are building a SaaS platform designed specifically for advertising agencies to generate ideas virtually with freelance teams of four. It's been ten years in development and we are in beta right now. The latest beta was with integrated marketing company, GYK Antler (based in Boston, MA, and Manchester, NH), and here's how it went as told by GYK's Ginger Ludwig, Head of Marketing/Communications and the project organizer for this beta test.

On a scale from 1-10 (10 being best) how likely is it you would recommend Ideasicle X to a friend or colleague?

I’d say 10 – with the caveat that having an existing relationship with some/all of your freelancers will establish a good foundation for a successful program.

What makes you feel this way?

We used a combination of two freelancers already in the Ideasicle X platform and two outside freelancers that we invited to participate in our program. This proved to be a nice balance as we received ideas from a variety of freelancers with varying degrees of familiarity with our company or the executives leading the charge behind this program. There’s always a bit more risk in using freelancers you’ve never worked with before – even if they are highly accomplished with serious creds – so we just found a balance that would be right for us between trusted existing relationships and fresh new talent.

Now that you have some experience with the platform, what kinds of idea projects do you think would make the most sense for Ideasicle X?

Without a doubt, the platform seems like it would be a great way to drum up ideas for existing clients and quick-turn projects. Whether you’re looking to complement your existing creative/strategy team with freelance talent that will look at a specific quick-turn project brief in an entirely new way, or develop some new proactive thinking to bring to a client to organically grow a relationship, the opportunities seem endless to spark inspiration for both your internal team and a client.

Did anything surprise you about your Ideasicle X experience?

The most surprising thing for me was just how quickly the ideas started streaming in! I suppose given the setup of the platform and the more informal nature of posting ideas or even kernels of an idea as thought starters allows people to really just spitball and build. It removes some of the pomp and circumstance of having a big cross-functional team together for a “brainstorm.” There’s no one lead, one person in charge, that has to get the ball rolling or that people look to, to set the tone for an ideation session. It’s more of an all-hands-on-deck, “let’s do this!” situation in Ideasicle X where people enthusiastically pop in and out when they can throughout the duration of your project. Whether it’s hour 1 or hour 100 of the program, you’re getting great ideas from everywhere.

What was your favorite thing about Ideasicle X?

We received nearly 40 different ideas or thought starters to go through, in only one week’s time – and that doesn’t even include all of the additional nuggets in the Builds & Riffs sections within each original idea! It is so gratifying to hear outside perspectives on the strengths, quirks, unique qualities and “wow” factors your brand holds but perhaps has not yet fully tapped into from a marketing perspective.

Status:

• Next beta test starts in one week.
• Learn more about Ideasicle X here.
• Sign up for our email list to be notified as soon as the platform is available and the first 50 customers get 1/2 off a year subscription.
• Official launch target: March 1, 2021 (God willing).