Known for their experiences such as the recent interactive AR billboard for Timberland, their projects push technological boundaries, whilst staying truly creative at their heart. In the interview below they take us through the journey that got them to where they are now.

How would you describe the Wildbytes to a stranger?

We are a full service Innovation Agency and an experience related product incubator. We ignite disruptive experiences and launch campaigns through creative uses of technology.

How did Wildbytes come into existence?

Wildbytes was the evolution of an art and technology group called ‘Play the Magic’ that sparked from a series of collaborations at the Medialab-Prado (then called Medialab Madrid).

We came from different professional fields, like AV broadcast production, or technology. We blended all these different backgrounds together to create interactive experiences that were playful, and produced surprise and unexpected reactions from the participants.

After a few years exhibiting our interactive projects in different exhibitions and festivals we started to receive requests from other creative worlds: advertising and marketing. So we slowly shifted towards the creative industry, but stayed true to our core values: a passion to create interactive experiences that felt like magic through creative uses of technology.

Simultaneously, the concept of “experience” came to be one of the hottest keywords in our industry, so it was a natural fit for Wildbytes.

Who were your first customers / projects?

We were really lucky from the beginning and had amazing clients willing to take a leap of faith with us; creating projects that were challenging, and even a little risky due to the technological innovations they entailed.

Our first projects came from clients in both of our main locations, the US and Spain. They ranged from creating, in collaboration with Space 150, the first large-scale interactive billboard in Times Square (NY) for Forever21, to launching the TV show Brain Games with National Geographic in Madrid.

What was the moment that Wildbytes ‘came of age’?

Well, that depends on what do you consider ‘coming of age’. We prefer to think we never will. For us staying fresh means staying relevant.

We work creating trendsetting experiences for our clients that drive huge PR and online buzz due to the innovation behind them. That’s also what we, as “people” look for today: we want to experience new things and share them with the world.

We consider ourselves to be in constant “beta” (in tech terms), meaning that we are constantly evolving and trying to create experiences that have not been done or seen before.

Why do you think the Wildbytes is successful?

Because of the blend of wild and risky ideas and really cutting-edge technology to bring them to life.

As far as the ideas, our advantage comes also from the fact that we create actual technology that drives innovation, so we know it first-hand. As we know it from “the inside”, we can envision what’s next. That doesn’t happen if you outsource technology or base your research in online video watching.

From this comes the fact that we have created many “world’s first” experiences and we think that’s a key part of what our clients seek when they contact us… as this really shows a brand’s forward-thinking approach and drives huge amounts of PR because of this.

What works for us is the fact that we live in the era of the experience gatherers, and we’re fully specialized in creating amazing experiences that people want to live and share (and we surround them with 360 campaigns). And this is what most brands look for today.

Was there ever a moment you thought it wouldn’t succeed?

Running a company and growing it is always a challenge. For us that has also meant focusing on projects we considered relevant and innovative and not just accepting any project for the sake of growing. Of course that created more challenges at first, but I think it benefits us now as our portfolio and experience is better populated with top projects that we are proud of.

But no, there wasn’t a moment when we thought we wouldn’t make it… and we’ll work hard to make sure such a moment never comes.

What’s next for Wildbytes?

To keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in terms of experiential innovation. Wildbytes as an agency keeps receiving more and better opportunities to partner with amazing brands all over the world, and we intend to keep raising the bar as we love what we do.

The more innovation-driven experiences we create, means more people that feel the magic of the unexpected through technology, which is in the end what led us to create Wildbytes in the first place.

On another front, the constant R&D that defines Wildbytes is also leading us to new avenues that we didn’t initially consider: we are in the process of creating three spin-offs that will market products that come from IP and technologies developed over the years and for which we see exploding interest.

These touch three markets: smart mirrors for retail, AR platform for digital billboards, and AR tech for tattoo studios.

Exciting times ahead.

There are still a few spots for Wildbytes’ ‘The Secrets of the Unpredictable’ workshop. Get yours with the ADCE Festival Full Pass.