A talk I've given at Circus Festival in Sydney in March 2013, at Google Sandbox in Cannes in July 2013, and at Reactive's Adweek event in October 2013.

1. brands like apis

2. Hi, I’m
@farrahbostic
!
!
I run...

3. “You need to add value to people's lives,
not just expect them to participate
because you goddamn well asked them to.”
Mel Exon, BBH Labs
“Stop communicating products
& start making communication
products.”
Gareth Kay, Goodby

4. it’s cool in advertising to steal software
development metaphors
Google
#Firestarters:
Do Agencies Need to Agile Planning
Think Like Software
Companies? Agile creativity,
think with google

5. execution is important.
but figuring out what to build is hard.

6. so, uh, what’s an api?

7. you probably know this api the best

8. an api is something a lot of our brands could
build or use.
An application programming interface (API) is a protocol
intended to be used as an interface by software components
to communicate with each other.
An API is a library that may include specifications for routines,
data structures, object classes, and variables.

10. but - because this is still true:

11. Answer
questions
Watch a
Demo
Find a
Retailer
Get your
recommended
movies
Home Page
Create an
event
Like the
Facebook
Page
You end up
doing
something
like this:

12. which isn’t bad.
i suppose.

13. how brands (should) use apis
To identify & Learn
about your
customers
!
To expand
opportunities to
transact with your
brand
!
To open up
your value chain

14. skype & SINGLE SIGN-ON
Skype in the Classroom uses
Skype’s single sign-on.
So not only do they know how
teachers are using the
education service, they also
know how teachers are using
the core Skype service -
including their propensity to pay
for services.

15. BE WHERE YOUR
CUSTOMERS ARE.
DELIVER WHAT THEY WANT.
eBay used the BBYOpen APIs for its Gifts
Nearby holiday program so eBay shoppers
could find last minute gifts in-stock at
retailers nearby, and complete a Best Buy
purchase without leaving the site.

16. support your value chain &
your customers
If an airbnb host hasn’t responded to a request, the
twilio API is set up to send an automated SMS with
information about guests, dates, and price. Hosts
can reply via SMS as well.
VOICE SMS CLIENT SOLUTIONS + DOCS HELP LOGIN
3/17/13 Automated Customer Communications at Airbnb - Twilio Case Study
Case Studies Projects Developers
To match travelers and hosts with ease,
Airbnb turned to Twilio for efficient mobile communications with
SMS.
Airbnb is an online marketplace that enables private residents and commercial properties to rent
out extra space to travelers looking for a hotel alternative. The company slogan "travel like a
human" captures the essence of the unique experience Airbnb provides to travelers looking for
affordable, creative, or unconventional lodgings.
HIGHLIGHTS
Text message confirmations increase the number of successful bookings
Automated messages remove the need for customer service reps to manually contact
hosts
Flexible integration allows Airbnb to easily launch new features
WEBSITE
http://www.airbnb.com/
Pairing travelers and hosts for unique travel experiences
Airbnb enables hosts with an available room or property to post listings, and potential guests
ENHANCE CUSTOMER
COMMUNICATIONS
Connect with customers in innovative
ways using voice and SMS messages
Enable detailed exchanges for scheduling
and collaboration
Boost customer satisfaction with high
touch updates and information
MORE TWILIO CASE STUDIES
Streamline Notifications
Media Temple
Call Tracking for Lead Generation
Avvo
Tree

17. open up the value chain
Inventory & fulfillment
Payment processing
Hosting & analytics

18. but some brands actually behave like apis.
!
and more brands should.

19. so what does it mean to ‘act like an api’?

20. For a brand to act like an API,
it must make available to its
[users/consumers/customers]
a set of common assets and instructions
that the [users/consumers/customers]
can use to create something
of value for themselves.

21. i’m not talking about
ugc or ‘participation’.

22. UGC/participation are designed
to extract value from your audience,
not create (or co-create) value
for your customers.

24. IKea
Consistent retail experience.
Modular, flat-pack furniture and parts.
You build it.
And you can hack it, too.
(I did)

25. ideas that spread

26. operationalized culture

27. WHAT THIS COULD MEAN FOR YOU
What if more brands embraced the ethos of an API
and created or worked with them?

28. start with small experiments
ifttt.com

29. look at existing partnerships
Starbucks meets Passbook
American Express meets Foursquare
Spotify meets Blue Note Records
meets iTunes Store
MTA meets Google Maps
meets Augmented Reality

30. we could transform marketing into ‘MAAs’
Marketing could become a service for
customers.
It could make [buying, using, owning] a
product or service easier, more rewarding,
or just better.
It could make the brand experience a more
successful one.

31. thanks - this was fun.