Brands and their advertising agencies are choosing to create software as components of their marketing efforts. Whether it’s an iPhone app or a service like Nike Plus, these are essentially software products.

The traditional agency process is not very well suited to the creation of software. In fact, in many cases it may be counter-productive.

Let's take a closer look at one of the more successful models for software creation, the startup, to see how agencies and their clients can make some minor changes that lead to better apps and less friction.

Are you a Brand Marketing Manager or an Agency Account Person?
If so, here are some insights that may help if you choose to create software on behalf of your brand.

CLIENT APPROVAL vs. FIRST-MOVER ADVANTAGE
The startup’s primary goal is to gain first-mover advantage by delivering the most minimal, yet viable, Beta product they can, as quickly as possible. As a result, startups are fluid environments where regular adjustments are made to the feature set based on new technical, design, or business discoveries. In the best startups, design and technology both have strong voices in this process. Advertising agencies, on the other hand, are geared for “selling work” to clients. When a client “buys work” it is a critical event. It means production and media budgets are unlocked. There is a big financial disincentive to re-open the conversation about scope or features after this point. Suggestions to agencies: » Sell the app, not the features. Selling features prior to performing an engineering audit can lock you into costly development efforts that may be non-essential to reaching Beta.

» Try to introduce flexibility. Establish milestones where you can discuss modifications to the feature set with your client.

PLANS vs. PRIORITIES
Advertising agencies tend to prepare complete plans then execute against them for both creative and media. These plans tend not to change dramatically once production is underway. Startups are constantly adapting to new information. They must be willing to cut, modify or add features based on new discoveries. They do this by working against priorities rather than rigid requirements. Most often they use a Product Requirements Document (PRD) to help with this process. Suggestions to agencies: » Use a Product Requirements Document (PRD). The PRD is a ranked feature list. Features are typically ranked 1 for mandatory, 2 for highly desirable, 3 for lesser priorities and X for items that have been intentionally deferred to later versions.

CAMPAIGNS vs. PRODUCTS
Traditionally, advertising agencies create campaigns. The typical goal is to achieve a ramp-up of awareness that leads to action. While these campaigns have grown more complex they tend to be built around the synchronized and scripted launch of a series of ads and other brand experiences. Startups primarily create new software products. Their goal is to get the most minimal, yet viable, version of their product to users as quickly as possible. Additional features mean a later release date. Additionally, each feature becomes a piece of the product’s foundation and comes with an implied commitment of ongoing support. Suggestions to agencies and clients: » Start with the simplest app. Think of the first version of your app as the minimum set of features you can deliver and still have a viable user experience.

» Let users influence future versions. See how people use the product, what features they love, what they request, then build additional features from there.

MARKETING MANAGERS vs. PRODUCT MANAGERS
When brands release software products to the public there is an assumption on the part of many users that the software will be supported, repaired, and developed over time. If you embrace this perception it comes with long-term personnel commitments. Suggestions to clients: » Tech Support. Be prepared to respond to people having trouble with your app. At the very least, this should be a FAQ that is kept current. Better yet, use twitter to monitor and respond to complaints or problems.

» Bug Fixing & Future Development. Products need to evolve in order to stay relevant and competitive. At the very least, bugs should be fixed promptly. Better yet, begin work on future version following your initial release.

» Product Management. Hire a Product Manager to plan and manage the product. Within startups, Product Managers are the keepers of the PRD and the shepherds of each release.