{"id":106791,"date":"2020-06-04T16:58:47","date_gmt":"2020-06-04T21:58:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/?p=106791"},"modified":"2025-05-14T13:32:40","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T18:32:40","slug":"transforming-the-industry-with-creative-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/transforming-the-industry-with-creative-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"Transforming the Industry with Creative Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Businesses are staring down the difficult challenge of digital innovation as never before. Massive amounts of activity have moved online in recent months, and consequently, <a href=\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/blog\/forget-slowing-down-accelerate-your-digital-business\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">being able to change and adapt<\/a> to a new digital reality has become a major test for organizations of all shapes and sizes.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This has been felt across every industry, but it\u2019s certainly been true for creative agencies, who have had to reimagine the way they work overnight and in many cases, accommodate clients who are facing uphill battles themselves. But creative agencies and the larger advertising community as a whole also have something working in their favor\u2014they\u2019ve done this before.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the dawn of the Internet, it\u2019s been creative agencies who showed us what was possible with new media and tech platforms, and in many cases, helped define what the Internet has become.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As we work through the impacts of Covid-19 and beyond, a new challenge has emerged causing us all to reevaluate the role digital plays in our businesses. In this challenge, like many before it, we\u2019ll need to draw on our creativity and technology to thrive once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was the topic of discussion <a href=\"https:\/\/adage.com\/article\/ad-age-events\/how-creative-technology-transforming-industry\/2257776?auHash=Lm1sPF3eom7mzAy6NwJlmBgrsClyenQVNQoYb-xWrso\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">during a recent live online panel<\/a>, presented by <a href=\"https:\/\/adage.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ad Age<\/a>, which was moderated by Ad Age President and Publisher Josh Golden, and featured WP Engine CMO Mary Ellen Dugan, Chief Design Officer at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hugeinc.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Huge<\/a>, Fura Johannesdottir, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.72andsunny.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">72andSunny <\/a>Founder and Creative Chair Glenn Cole.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The theme of the panel,<sub> <\/sub>\u201cHow Creative Technology is Transforming the Industry,\u201d focused on WP Engine\u2019s recently-released documentary <a href=\"https:\/\/makeshift.film\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">make|SHIFT<\/a>, which examines the history of modern advertising and the role creative technology plays in its evolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The nearly 30-minute discussion, which you can<a href=\"https:\/\/adage.com\/article\/ad-age-events\/how-creative-technology-transforming-industry\/2257776?auHash=Lm1sPF3eom7mzAy6NwJlmBgrsClyenQVNQoYb-xWrso\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> view in full here<\/a>, explores why the film is so relevant today and it offers a deep dive from all three panelists into the changes they\u2019ve seen in recent months, as well as takeaways for agencies and brands looking for ways to forge ahead in today\u2019s digital landscape.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s been fascinating to watch over the last two months is the influx of conversations around \u2018how do I accelerate my digital footprint, how do I change it?\u2019 Mary Ellen says at the beginning of the discussion.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe work with companies that are small, medium, and large, and in a very real sense, the website has become the new front door for businesses,\u201d she says. \u201cRestaurants now need eCommerce, yoga studios need to post classes, and theatres are going virtual.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, she adds, big brands are looking for new ways to attract people and many of their digital innovation plans have been expedited rapidly. \u201c[The new digital reality] has changed the conversation for every company,\u201d says Mary Ellen. \u201cEven if you\u2019re not digitally minded, you need to think like a digital business.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out the <a href=\"https:\/\/adage.com\/article\/ad-age-events\/how-creative-technology-transforming-industry\/2257776?auHash=Lm1sPF3eom7mzAy6NwJlmBgrsClyenQVNQoYb-xWrso\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">full Ade Age discussion<\/a> to hear more.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also watch the make|SHIFT film, featuring more than 40 of the top marketing and tech minds in the industry, in its entirety <a href=\"https:\/\/makeshift.film\/#intro\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>. WP Engine produced the film with September Club and HeyLet\u2019sGo! to create the feature-length film, directed by Casey Suchan, who previously directed \u201cRock The Bells,\u201d a Warner Brothers documentary on the final performance of hip-hop artists Wu-Tang Clan and produced a series of best-selling documentaries on Hip Hop culture. The film dives into the history of modern advertising and highlights the makers, agencies, and brands who had the courage to harness new technology, test new business models, and question the status quo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Steven Moy, Chief Executive Officer at <a href=\"https:\/\/wearebarbarian.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Barbarian<\/a>, praised the film\u2019s \u201cinspiring look at how creativity has evolved with technological innovation over time, and how our industry has always been there to meet the rapidly changing customer needs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere has never been a more important time for brands to embrace the power of creative technology,\u201d he said. \u201cWith the advent of the \u2018stay at home\u2019 customer, the first and last mile of the customer journey have transformed brands and customer relationships forever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/makeshift.film\/#about\" target=\"_blank\"><strong><em>Click here<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em> to find out more about make|SHIFT, and <\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><em>visit WP Engine<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em> to find out more about the ways we\u2019re helping businesses of all shapes and sizes accelerate their digital presence and do more online with WordPress.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Businesses are staring down the difficult challenge of digital innovation as never before. Massive amounts of activity have moved online in recent months, and consequently, being able to change and adapt to a new digital reality has become a major test for organizations of all shapes and sizes.\u00a0 This has been felt across every industry,<span class=\"tile__ellipses\">&hellip;<\/span><span class=\"tile__ellipses--animated\"><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":200,"featured_media":106794,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[683,79,452],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-agency","category-event","category-webinar"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Transforming the Industry with Creative Technology<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As creative 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