3 Lessons from improv that will make you better marketer (no, really)

I recently joined an improv team through my work.

The whole idea is that you take classes for 8 weeks and then compete with other companies on the stage. The audience rates your team’s performances throughout the night, and whoever has the highest total score goes through to the next heat.

If you’re thinking, “Wow that’s so crazy. I’m not the kind of person who could ever go up on stage and act out insane scenarios in front of random people” – I want to stress one thing: neither am I.

Aside from taking a drama class in high school, and performance communication (basically drama class) in my first year at university (both, a million years ago), I had absolutely no experience, and no business being up on stage.

But I swear to you, it was like a religious experience.

I left feeling lighter, more confident, like I gave a little less f*cks (I often give too many, I’ve been told.)

You may be thinking at this point that I’ve mistaken this publication for a journal entry and this has absolutely nothing to do with marketing. And so would I, most likely. But this morning I came across an article on AdAge titled: How improv can make you a better strategist and creative.

Call it a coincidence, call it divine timing, that art imitates life and life imitates art. But it couldn’t have rung truer to me.

The author, Matt Johnson, once an aspiring stand-up comedian, speaks on how improv literally rewired how he worked, listened, and most importantly, how he collaborated.

It made him a better strategist, a better creative, and even helped give him the courage to start his own agency. And he’s right. There are so many valuable and transferrable skills that improv has to offer.

So, I’ve compiled some for you, in hopes that you can experience the transcendence that I did behind the red curtain. 

1. Yes, and.

This is one of the first things you learn in improv: you must keep the scene going. It is your duty. Don’t shut it down. Instead, add to it. “Yes, and…”

The same here goes for your work.

When brainstorming, it’s easy to write off half-formed ideas quickly, or worse, not even throw them out there. “Yes, and” urges you to sit on an idea, build on it, make it stronger, better. You never know where “yes, and” could lead you.

2. For the love of god, listen.

When you’re on the stage, if you’re not actively listening, even for the shortest amount of time, you’re fkd. You’ll miss everything that’s important and integral to the scene, including your place in it and how to move it forward. The same goes in marketing.

If you’re in a pitch, you can’t just sit there half engaged, waiting for your turn to say your piece. When you listen, you can collaborate, bounce off one another, and create something truly great.

3. Embrace failure (and make it funny).

This is the biggest one for me. For years I have been too scared to try things, or share my ideas, out of fear of sounding and looking like an idiot.

But in improv, that’s kind of the whole point. And it’s taught me to (gradually) shed that fear. Because it's failing with a spotlight on you, but somehow making it work. You will freeze, say something dumb, or tank a scene. But the beauty is that the audience doesn’t actually care as much as you think they do. They just want to see you try.

In marketing, the same goes for campaigns and ideas. Not everything will land, but often the “mistakes” can lead to fresh directions, or at the very least teach you something about your audience. The worst thing you can do is play it so safe that you never risk failing at all. Take it from a professional.

4. Build trust, not perfection. 

On stage, you’ve got no script, no safety net. It's just you and your teammates. The magic of improv happens when you trust them enough to throw yourself into something ridiculous, knowing someone will back you up. That’s when the real brilliance comes out.

It’s the same for your work. If people don’t feel safe tossing out half-baked or wild ideas, you’ll never get to the gold. It’s not about polished perfection. It’s about creating together; messy, chaotic, trust-fall style.

At the end of the day, improv isn’t about being the funniest person in the room or nailing a perfect punchline.

It’s about letting go, trusting the process, and seeing where the scene takes you. And that’s not so different from the work we do every day. Whether it’s a pitch, a brainstorm, or a campaign, the more we practice “yes, and,” listen deeply, take risks, and trust each other, the more good sh*t we can create.

For me, stepping off that stage wasn’t just about surviving improv (which was a task, believe me). It was about realising that giving a few less f*cks actually makes you a better creative, and possibly, human. 

-Sophie Randell, Writer