Springboards Secures Backing from Industry Powerhouse Names

‍New York, NY — June 10, 2025 — Today, Springboards, an AI platform accelerating creativity in advertising, and a collective of global advertising and marketing associations, creative leaders, and AI experts – including 4As (American Association of Advertising Agencies), ACA (Advertising Council Australia), APG, D&AD, IAA (International Advertising Association), IPA, and The One Club for Creativity – announced an initiative to establish the first comprehensive Creativity Benchmark designed to evaluate the creative instincts of large language models (LLMs) in the context of advertising and creativity.

Read more about the initiative in Ad Age.

The initiative seeks to answer a critical question: Which LLMs are most useful for creative inspiration, variation, and problem-solving across the advertising process? At a time when AI tools are increasingly embedded in the workflows of strategists and creatives, this benchmark fills a crucial gap in industry knowledge.

“Existing AI benchmarks test logic, accuracy, and comprehension,” said Pip Bingemann, CEO/Cofounder at Springboards. “But advertising isn’t about right answers, it’s about originality, insight, and impact. This will be the first benchmark designed around the real creative instincts we value in agencies and brands so that people in creative industries can understand what models are good for the work they do.”

An Industry-Wide Effort to Set New Standards

The initiative is supported by a technical and research team that includes PhDs in machine learning, AI engineers, and former researchers from Google. Together, they’ve designed a system that blends data analysis with human taste to reveal which models excel across various types of creative thinking.

The evaluation departs from traditional AI testing methods by focusing on creative instincts, not coached outputs. Key criteria include:

• Human judgment of insight, idea, and “wild” idea quality
• Creative variance (how different or repetitive model responses are)
• AI versus human judging comparisons to assess alignment with human taste
• Creative problem-solving tests to measure the ability to think outside the box

Participants globally will judge outputs in a "Tinder for Ideas" style experience, receiving personal insights about their creative preferences and the LLMs that best match them.

Fueling Creativity and Bridging the Knowledge Gap

"The 4As is excited to help support this important research initiative,“ said Jeremy Lockhorn, SVP, Creative Technologies & Innovation at 4As. “Our members are rapidly adopting generative AI across many aspects of their business, and actively seeking guidance on which platforms can help achieve the most innovative and impactful work for their clients."

“There's a ton of stuff about how good different LLMs are at solving maths problems, coding and logic-based tasks and tests—but that's not much use for the creative industries,” said Tom Roach, VP Brand Strategy at Jellyfish/Brandtech, on behalf of the APG. “We need to know which models are best at generating new and original creative ideas, but at the moment we're all flying blind on that. It's exciting to be involved in a project that can help us be more creative with this incredible new technology and help the industry as a whole make better informed decisions on the AI tech we use to drive better results for our clients.” 

“We’re at a crossroads in the creative industries,” said Zoe Scaman, Founder of Bodacious. “AI is already embedded in our workflows, shaping ideas and generating outputs, but we’ve had no meaningful way to assess its contribution to creativity itself. This benchmark changes that. It’s not about pitting machines against humans, but about understanding which tools can genuinely elevate our thinking, unlock new directions, and push creative boundaries. If we want to harness AI not just for efficiency but for originality, we need standards rooted in real creative instincts, not just logic and grammar. That’s what this initiative delivers. And that’s why it’s vital, especially now.”

“The future of creativity is human – but AI’s ability to stimulate human creativity is exciting. Especially when we can learn which models produce the kind of interesting, divergent, and sometimes bonkers provocations that trigger our own individual creative brains in just the right way.” said James Hurman, Founding Partner of Previously Unavailable.

The study is currently accepting participants. Interested individuals can vote on LLM outputs at CreativityBenchmark.ai. 

Read more about it here.

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Media Inquiries

Kite Hill for Springboards

springboards@kitehillpr.com 

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Springboards co-founders Pip and Amy had a chance to sit down with Peregian Digital Hub Director, Chris Boden, to talk about how they went from freshly laid-off tech workers with a toddler to founders of an AI startup, changing the game for advertising agencies. Peregian Digital Hub is a self-proclaimed “gathering place for AI nerds” in Noosa, Australia, where the co-founders reside, and was a huge influence on kickstarting Springboards.

The conversation ranged from playing and tinkering with AI tools during covid times to building an MVP and learning what VC was, to today with over 100 agencies onboarded and using Springboards to supercharge their creative process. Read on for highlights from the conversation between Chris, Pip, and Amy.

What Business Need Does Springboards Solve?

If you haven’t heard, the ad industry’s got a problem. Margins are shrinking, and a big part of it is what we lovingly call the "pitching problem." Agencies are hustling harder than ever, sinking time and money into speculative work—creating entire campaigns for free just to win a client. It’s exhausting, expensive, and honestly, kinda soul-crushing.

That was the impetus for Springboards, the platform that puts creativity back in the driver’s seat without losing the human spark. Built by ad-world veterans, Springboards is an idea accelerator designed to speed up the creative process without watering down the magic. Think of it as your new brainstorming buddy, helping with everything from strategy to killer concepts.

Here’s what makes us tick:

1. We Want to Fit Into Agency Workflows: Clients don’t just hire you for the work; they want ideas, innovation, and yep, even "someone to blame” if something goes wrong (no judgment!) Springboards isn’t supposed to replace your process—it powers it, giving you more firepower to deliver fresh, unexpected ideas.
2. Not Designed to Give You Answers but an Inspiration Overload: Springboards isn’t about spitting out the answer. It’s about throwing a hundred weird, wild, and wonderful ideas your way so you can pick the best and make them better. It’s like a workshop in your pocket, minus the bad coffee and awkward icebreakers.
3. Humans Always Come First: This isn’t some “robots-take-your-job” story. Pip and Amy built Springboards to keep people in the creative equation. The platform is there to amplify your genius, not replace it. We like to think of it as the Terminator story - we’re using humans partnered up with AI to fight the evil AI.
4. Say Goodbye to Meh Ideas: AI often has this nasty habit of playing it safe and turning out stuff that’s painfully average. We hate that. So we’re constantly tweaking Springboards to make sure it doesn’t fall into that trap. The goal? Help you hit the jackpot without settling for "fine."

Springboards isn’t just helping agencies work smarter—it’s flipping the script for teams and entire agencies:

• One user told us, “With Springboards, I feel like I can take on any agency out there.” That’s the energy we live for.
• Pitches are turning into wins: Agencies using Springboards have more wins under their belts. One client even joked, “The only problem is, I don’t have enough briefs to answer anymore.”

What’s Next?

We’re not stopping here. With plans to continue growing globally and a laser focus on fighting creative entropy (aka the soul-sucking sameness that kills good ideas), Springboards is on a mission to keep creativity alive and well.

Our promise? To keep pushing boundaries and helping the world’s creatives do what they do best: make weird, wild, wonderful things happen. Check out the full interview here for more insights.

Ready to rethink how you work? Join the Springboards revolution, and let’s keep creativity where it belongs—in human hands. Request a demo today at https://springboards.ai/#demo. 

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The advertising industry is in a strange place

Somewhere between chasing clicks and feeding the algorithm, something got lost. The creativity that once defined this field—big ideas, bold campaigns, truly different thinking—got buried under “self-serve” ads, popularity contests, and a relentless drive to please the middle. It feels like we’ve entered what some are calling the “Age of Average,” where everything seems tailor-made for safe, widespread appeal but lacks the soul that once made ads unforgettable. The Springboards team? We think it’s high time for a change.

As AI sweeps through the industry, the question isn’t if it’ll change advertising—it already has. The real question is, will AI be a lifeline to help us out of the creative hole we’ve dug? Or will it dig us in deeper? At Springboards, we see a way forward where AI isn’t the enemy but the creative ally we’ve been waiting for. We believe that with the right tools—and a little bravery—the industry can be revitalized, not just to reflect culture but to break it wide open. Here’s a bit of our journey to this vision and why we’re just getting started.

How Did We Get Here? A Quick Diagnosis of the Problem

Our founder, Pip Bingemann, summed it up perfectly at Cannes in Cairns: “AI is ripping apart the ad world, and damn, isn’t it about time?” What he means is that AI isn’t inherently the problem here. Sure, the machines are here, but they’ve always been around in one form or another. The real issue lies in how we’ve used these tools so far, often in ways that limit creativity instead of pushing it forward.

Three major factors have contributed to this stifling of creativity:

1. Advertising Became Self-Serve: The shift toward digital ads made it possible for everyone to access and create campaigns with minimal expertise. This self-service model may be efficient, but it also means that thoughtful, well-crafted storytelling often takes a back seat to quick, cheap, and easy solutions.
2. Relevance Over Distinction: The pressure to appeal to the masses has reduced creative expression to whatever happens to be popular right now. As a result, ad content has become predictable, losing the unique edge that makes ads stick.
3. The Tyranny of Numbers: Metrics rule everything, and we’ve all felt it. When the focus is solely on views, clicks, and conversions, there’s little room left for originality. We’ve become slaves to what the numbers tell us is “successful,” often at the cost of creative risk-taking.

So here we are, with an industry that’s found itself boxed in. Popularity has replaced boldness, and mediocrity is dressed up as success. But just blaming the machines (or the algorithms) is too easy. The truth is, clients, agencies, and even creatives ourselves have all contributed to this mess. But it’s not too late to fix it.

Enter Springboards: A New Way to Think About AI and Creativity

At Springboards, we’re choosing to look at AI differently. Instead of viewing it as a factory for cookie-cutter ideas, we see AI as a way to get back to the heart of creativity. With Springboards, our goal is to design a tool that works with creative humans, not replacearound them. The machines may be powerful, but so is human imagination—and when those two powers come together, the possibilities are huge.

What makes Springboards different is our approach: we don’t just throw in a bunch of features and call it innovation. Instead, we focus on what actually matters for creatives today. We’re building a platform that fuels unique, inspired, and even risky ideas—because the best ideas are often the ones that break the rules. Springboards is designed to help you push past the safe and obvious, bringing bold ideas back into the spotlight. This isn’t another trend-chasing tool; it’s a creative partner with a shared goal—to take creativity to the next level.

Building Momentum: The Early Buzz

Since our beta launch, we’ve seen an amazing response. Industry leaders, like Zoe Scaman, have shared their excitement, and her tweet alone sparked an unexpected wave of interest. It was proof that creatives everywhere are craving something that feels real—a tool that challenges them, pushes them, and ultimately brings more fun back to the work they love. With demo requests piling up and a waitlist growing, we’re more motivated than ever to bring this new creative approach to as many people as we can.

But this is only the beginning. Zoe’s reaction, along with others, shows us that there’s a real hunger for change. Creatives want a tool that works with them, not against them, to shake up the industry norms. Springboards.ai is just that—a fresh way forward, built to make the creative journey exciting, unpredictable, and, most importantly, ours.

What’s Next? The Official Launch and Beyond

The excitement so far is humbling, but we know the real journey is just beginning. With the official launch of Springboards just around the corner, we’re gearing up to make an even bigger impact. We’re not interested in offering yet another “solution” that falls short on creativity. Instead, we’re focused on providing a tool that sparks curiosity, pushes boundaries, and turns the creative process into an adventure again.

This is a call to every creative out there tired of the “Age of Average.” We’re building Springboards for those who believe that creativity can, and should, disrupt, inspire, and even annoy sometimes. If you’re ready for something different, we invite you to join the waitlist and take part in this journey with us.

So here’s to the end of the average and the beginning of something extraordinary. Creativity deserves more, and with Springboards.ai, we’re just getting started.