MAS gets more out of its creative workflows using Google Workspace with Gemini

Snapshot: Experiential marketing agency MAS grew from a small startup to a global agency by embracing Google Workspace. Learn how Workspace and Gemini have helped us:

• Overcome language barriers as we’ve expanded into 13 countries with translated captions.

• Iterate faster than ever before with features like “help me write” and “take notes for me.”

• Unify our communication and collaboration in one place to support our “one brain” approach to creative work.

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Origin story

What would happen if everyone on your team shared the same brain?

This “one brain” philosophy is a driving force at MAS, a global experiential agency that creates bold experiences that transform brands and inspire audiences. Based in Brooklyn, we serve clients all over the world — but it hasn’t always been this way.

When we founded MAS in 2008, we were just two co-founders with very little support, so we had to fake it ‘til we made it. We relied on manual systems with filing cabinets, paperwork, and fax machines, none of which could keep up with our growth. To continue to do amazing work for our expanding client base, we knew we needed to bring all our processes together in one place that could help us do more with less. That’s when we found Google Workspace.

Now, we’ve transformed MAS from a small startup to a unified “one brain” agency, an evolution that has enabled seamless collaboration, global expansion, and ongoing resilience. Here’s how.

The switch to Google Workspace and Gemini

Like many businesses, our journey with Workspace started with Gmail, which gave us an entry point into the other Workspace solutions. As we began to experience the platform’s value, we continued to explore and implement the rest of the tools available to us. The pandemic was the ultimate test for using Workspace applications, and I genuinely don’t think we would have survived as an agency without them.

Workspace has now become the foundation of our “one brain” model because it allows for true, real-time collaboration. With Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, we can all work from the same shared files, allowing for seamless communication and collaboration within our team and with outside parties.

Since we run hundreds of programs across the globe at the same time, we rely heavily on the customized templates in Workspace to help us work faster. We use Docs for agendas, Slides for creative work, and Sheets for production timelines to keep everything on track. With everything housed and organized in Google Drive, it’s easy for teams to hop between projects without falling behind.

As MAS has grown internationally into 13 countries, we’ve had to overcome language barriers between teams. This wouldn’t have been possible without translated captions in Google Meet. Our chief operating officer also uses special formulas in Sheets to track real-time foreign exchange rates in each of our budgets, which ensures accuracy across different currencies for multiple projects. With features like these, we know Workspace will support our ongoing global expansion.

The integrated Workspace ecosystem has also enabled us to embrace new technology like generative AI. For example, our director of creative uses Gemini as a creative accelerator and idea generator, bringing human input and generative AI output into harmony. It’s an iterative dance where we have a collaborative conversation with Gemini and use its suggestions to refine our ideas, bring concepts to life, and share our ideas in an impactful way. Now that we use generative AI as an extension of our creative minds, we’re moving from an exploratory approach to strategically incorporating Gemini into more workflows.

Looking ahead

With our continued reliance on Workspace tools and AI integration, we see the platform as synonymous with MAS' past success and future growth in experiential marketing. Workspace has changed a lot over the years, and we’ve grown and evolved alongside the platform in ways we never thought possible.

As we look towards the future and our global expansion plans, Workspace will be critical in our ability to advance our unified “one brain” approach to work. By integrating AI into our daily practices, we’ll be able to iterate quickly without losing creative integrity and truly push the boundaries of experiential marketing.