ITG: Conquering Content Chaos with Streamlined, Scalable Solutions

Prior to meeting with Inspired Thinking Group – who offer tech-enabled, agile content at scale – I’d done my due diligence. I discovered a few certain truths: these people appeared to love effectiveness, data, AI and marketing – matters which can seem a little 2D until brought to life. And then I met one of the most 4D people I’ve come across to date. Andrew Swinand is ITG’s CEO, and his history is something of a marvel in and of itself. 

Before joining ITG Andrew was CEO of Publicis Groupe Creative and Production US and the Leo Burnett Group. His assorted career has spanned leadership roles at Starcom MediaVest Group, brand management at Procter & Gamble, co-founding numerous initiatives including Abundant Venture Partners, and service in the army. He’s also founded a total of nine start-ups, and because of that, knows a thing or two about what it means to build a successful business. 

It’s hard not to wonder how someone turns out to have this much get up and go. When I ask Andrew where his drive comes from, he chuckles and then reflects upon this childhood. “My mom was an artist and my dad worked in business. But I think I’ve always had this insatiable curiosity to learn new things and see what’s next. My mom was a genius motivator,” he tells me. “When we moved house and the entire yard was filled with rocks, my mom had all of our friends come over, then came out with a bunch of bags. She had a timed contest of who could gather the rocks to win the prize. There we were, running around, cleaning up the rocks in the yard to win a popsicle.”

It’s maybe the combination of his mother’s charm, dad’s business-savvy, and his own intrinsic idiosyncrasies that make Andrew such a delight to talk to. It’s a blend that also makes him such an asset to ITG. 

On Origins

Speaking to ITG’s roots, Andrew is quick to pay homage to its original founder, Simon Ward. What started out as a print management firm has grown into a leader in tech-enabled content creation, employing an impressive 1,600 people. Andrew says Simon had the foresight to see the potential in unlocking technology, long before it became a buzzword in the industry.

Through acquisitions – such as Storyteq, a content automation platform, and Deployteq, an email automation platform – Simon began building the infrastructure that would propel ITG into the future. The company’s Birmingham-based facility, Capture Studios, embodies this spirit of innovation. Utilising advanced technology like AI and AR, Capture Studios allows ITG to create virtual environments and images at scale. “It’s the same technology that Disney used to do The Mandalorian – but we are actually able to produce greater volumes of content and manipulate it to do channel-specific executions,” explains Andrew. 

Meet In The Middle

ITG is positioned to meet the mammoth need that the marketing world is facing today. Andrew describes the issue as advertising’s ‘Messy Middle’ owing to Scott Belsky’s book on the topic. “There’s been a $200 billion increase in investment in the US in haloed content,” Andrew tells me. The staggering, almost incomprehensible figure encapsulates the challenge brands are being met with – how to keep up with the explosive demand for content across an ever-growing number of channels and platforms.

The complexity is further exacerbated by the need for consistency and quality in each piece of content, no matter where it lives. Andrew explains this best when talking about e-commerce, “I was recently talking to a CMO who needed to add 10,000 SKUs to their site. Now, think about a world where everything is shoppable – then within that world, there’s all the social content and all the loyalty content. It’s somewhat mind boggling.” This burgeoning demand has in turn revealed a significant gap in the market. While creative agencies are of course adept at generating big ideas, they often fall short when it comes to the “messy middle” – the process of scaling these ideas across various platforms while continuing to keep their integrity. 

That’s where ITG shines. “People who are the best conceptual thinkers and good with big ideas, by definition are not the systems thinkers who are leveraging technology for deployment at scale,” says Andrew. ITG’s holistic approach to content production addresses this disconnect by bridging the gap between high-concept creative work and the logistical demands of modern marketing. 

Change Begins at Home 

When it comes to ITG’s operational philosophy, we can narrow it down to three core principles: simplify the complicated, automate the tedious, and create the beautiful. “One of the things I found is that clients were having to meet these growing needs of content. They had maybe 14 agencies…from an ITG standpoint, we’re just maniacally focussed on how to keep it simple,” Andrew tells me. By consolidating and streamlining processes, ITG not only eliminates complexity, but enhances efficiency, allowing brands to focus on what truly matters – creating impactful, quality, content. 

Automation is another key differentiator for ITG. While many agencies will outsource to low-cost regions or build in-house teams to manage content volume, ITG instead leverages its proprietary technology to automate repetitive tasks. As Andrew puts it, “No-one goes to graduate school as a designer thinking, 'if only I could be a banner-resizer’”. By automating these tedious tasks, they are freeing up creative talent to deliver the high-value work that drives meaningful results for clients. 

But, technology alone isn’t enough. It must be met with the absolute gold standard of quality in order to have true value. “Quality matters,” says Andrew. “Engaging content matters. Being able to do it in a way that respects the creative process and respects the idea really matters.” The ability to produce a staggering volume of content without sacrificing the integrity of the original creative vision is what sets ITG apart in its dedication to honourable excellence. 

Operate, Not Generate

To say generative AI has been the subject of much hype as of late would be an understatement. It’s difficult to do anything or go anywhere, without hearing some kind of mumblings on the matter. It’s easy to get to a place where your body will react with an involuntary eye roll the second you hear the term, presuming it’ll be followed by some kind of half-baked thought, or quasi opinion. That’s why speaking to Andrew about the topic was so refreshing – he was saying something that others haven’t been.

While the world has been in a tizzy about generative AI, Andrew reckons the real opportunity lies in what he calls ‘operational AI’. Unlike its generative cousin which is often touted as the future of creative ideation, operational AI focuses on organising large amounts of unstructured data and creating replication at scale. “That’s the real opportunity for the future. It’s being able to take off your hands the things you don’t want to do – taking for example 100 JUST DO IT commercials and saying, ‘Okay, what are the repetitive images, words, and how do I use AI to translate that into 26 languages, and create 3000 versions in different sizes,” explains Andrew. 

The real-world impact of what ITG can achieve is best shown in some of its recent work. “John Lewis actually moved their entire in-house creative agency into ITG… they saw within ITG our ability to capture, create, automate, and then integrate content. They basically felt that we could do a better job running their studio, better support the brands, and better integrate the technology to create more efficiency,” Andrew tells me. It’s pretty impressive stuff. 

All In The Execution

Another notable example is ITG’s work with Jaguar Land Rover. Andrew tells me how important flawless execution is in such high-stake environments. “For a product launch, if you don’t have the materials in dealerships, if you don’t have the signage to put the price on the product, you’re kind of screwed. There’s a trust based on years of experience of no ego, no bullshit, no drama, getting it done, getting it done well, and getting it done on time.” 

Looking toward the future, ITG has ambitious plans for growth, particularly in the United States. With 1,600 employees across three continents and an expanding workforce, ITG is set to bring its tech-enabled, agile content model to new clients. Speaking to ITG’s goals, Andrew says, “We want to take this benefit to more clients around the world. We’re also continuing to invest in AI as a way for clients to seamlessly manage the content supply change. Finally, we’re making all of this easy to buy and implement, recognising that this is a change management process for clients." 

Despite their rapid expansion that seems to be spanning in every direction, ITG are remaining committed to their founding principles. Their vision is clear: to be a partner that brands rely on to navigate the complexities of modern marketing, delivering more content at higher quality, for lower cost – and doing so with integrity.