Part 2: Advertising experts see AI opening up a whole new world of creative expression

In this two-part feature report, Adgully speaks to a cross-section advertising industry experts to explore the growing inroads that Artificial Intelligence is making into creative advertising, how it will reshape creative ideation, whether it will overpower human ingenuity and the emotional factor, and much more.

Part 2 of this report seeks to explore how ad agencies are using AI, upgrading skills in the new AI-powered work environment, leveraging new technology into the workflows of an ad agency, and much more.

Also read:

Part 1: How AI-driven creativity can become the vanguard of advertising’s evolution

How Ad agencies are using AI

Sharing his insights on how ad agencies are leveraging artificial intelligence, Rajneesh Boila, EVP & Head of Creative Tech and Innovation, Ogilvy India, noted that ad agencies are tapping into AI for more efficient ad creation. By deciphering consumer insights from data, AI helps tailor campaigns to specific audiences. The automation of repetitive tasks, like image editing, copywriting, and video production, accelerates personalisation. AI’s optimisation prowess refines ads for superior performance by swiftly analyzing various versions. The result? Ads that resonate better, are crafted faster, and at a lower cost. AI transforms ad agencies into creative powerhouses, optimising every aspect of the process.

Preetham Venkky, Chief Digital Officer, DDB Mudra Group, was of the view that currently, most tools are being used for inspiration and first draft purposes, due to ambiguity around the legality of their usage – there needs to be plenty of work done before we publish the work for a brand. “Brand safety is of utmost importance. Having said that, AI tools are used a lot in the research, planning, inspiration, and ideation steps of the agency process and they do help save time and make teams more efficient,” he added.

According to Gurbaksh Singh, Chief Innovation Officer, Dentsu Creative India, “By leveraging AI, agencies achieve faster ideation, streamlined workflows, and cost-efficient content production. AI Automation simplifies repetitive tasks, allowing teams to focus on innovation and ultimately AI-generated content expands creative possibilities and enhances customer interactions, providing real-time engagement. Predictive analytics guide strategic decisions, enhancing ad effectiveness. For instance, chatbots engage users in real-time, fostering interactive campaigns. Virtual influencers and personalised AI recommendations optimise engagement. This technological integration enhances creativity, sharpens strategy, and enables agencies to deliver impactful campaigns that connect brands with audiences in innovative, affordable, and time-efficient ways.”

The time when ad agencies rely entirely on AI for optimising creative processes has not arrived yet, as it is still in the experimental stage in most places. However, AI proves to be a great tool to create that spark of creative insight at times when there are creativity blocks.

Upgrading skills in the new AI-powered work environment

Preetham Venkky pointed out that in order to use Gen AI for a brand, there needs to be plenty of training for the company’s and brand’s data sets. While brands have started investing in it, it is still quite early to talk of any fully relevant use case or success. The power of Gen AI and its possibilities are undoubtedly generation-defining.

According to him, “The future is clear – data width and depth along with appropriate weights training using Gen AI models will redefine the way we work in the next 12-24 months. It will be used for everything – from content creation to hyper-personalisation across each possible parameter.”

Sanjeev Jasani, COO, Cheil India pointed out "Time to mix tradition with innovation! Creatives, think of AI as their co-pilot. Sharpen their storytelling skills, while also embracing data analytics. It's like blending a classic novel with a futuristic tech thriller. Stay curious, and you'll thrive in this AI-powered wonderland"

Gurbaksh Singh said that creative advertising professionals can prepare for the AI-powered era by adopting continuous learning. He added, “They should grasp AI fundamentals and understand its potential and limitations. Collaborating with AI tools, like content generators and analytics platforms, enhances efficiency. Adapting storytelling techniques for AI-generated content ensures seamless integration. Embracing AI’s creative augmentation and focusing on strategic thinking will empower professionals to harness technology as a creative ally, staying ahead in the dynamic landscape and delivering impactful campaigns. At the same time, Ad professionals should also ensure they understand the shortcomings and risks associated with using AI. While the benefits are seemingly straightforward, the potential pitfalls include risks to clients/ brands, loss of IP, and unwittingly contravening copyright. While the responsibility also lies with the technology departments of ad agencies, creatives must be aware of what can also go wrong and what they should do to mitigate it.”

According to Rajneesh Bolia, in the AI era, upskilling is strategic in the following ways:

Staying Curious: Embrace AI's potential and explore its creative horizons.
Continuous Learning: Delve into online courses to grasp AI's role in creativity.
Collaborate Team up with AI for co-created content, blending human-machine creativity.
Experiment: Automate tasks with AI, freeing time for visionary thinking.
Blend Creativity: Infuse your artistry with AI concepts for avant-garde campaigns.
User-Centric Approach: Harness AI to analyze consumer behavior for tailored campaigns.

Leveraging new technology into the workflows of an ad agency

For Sanket Audhi, Creative and Founding Member, Talented, workflow is the name of the game here, because that’s where the majority of the learning/ unlearning is happening for the creative and strategy teams – What’s the right combination of tools + processes that I can use to get the best-looking ad that will tug at the heartstrings of consumers and keep the agency/ brand happy with the work that’s being put out? “Our only enemy here (as my colleague Varun Khiatani likes to call it) would be prompt complacency – make your prompts work harder, not yourself. A very good example of this is our campaign for Razorpay – #ImaginedThroughAI – a 9-week-long marathon featuring 45 Indian entrepreneurs, powered by over 1,000 unique prompts, building a visual museum of India’s start-up story. This campaign employed the usage of multiple tools not just limited to Midjourney and ChatGPT, making it a highly iterative yet efficient process to get the best results,” Audhi added.

Arneeta Vasudeva, National Head PR&I, Ogilvy India, noted, “There are some great use cases of AI and hyper-localisation, for instance, the Cadbury ad featuring Shahrukh Khan, done by Ogilvy India. And, there is a lot of interesting work happening in PR as our teams across the globe are building on the use of AI in influencer marketing. This redefines the way we look at solutions for clients, because it not only extends to hyper-personalisation, but creates intelligence that can predict trends and also open new business avenues. So, here’s more power to AI!”

"Think of new tech as the ultimate sidekick for creative superheroes. Creative teams wield AI to crunch data, spot trends, and refine strategies faster than ever. It's like upgrading your creative Batmobile" said Sanjeev Jasani, COO, Cheil India.

How Generative AI will shape the future of Creative Advertising

While discussing how Generative AI is shaping the future of Advertising, Gurbaksh Singh opined, “Generative AI is expected to redefine creative work and shape the future of advertising. It empowers artists and marketers by autonomously producing diverse content, from visuals to copy and sparking fresh ideas. This technology accelerates ideation, enabling rapid iterations and experimentation. Advertisers can tailor campaigns to micro-audiences, enhancing relevance. With generative AI, campaigns become dynamic, adapting to trends and consumer feedback. This transformative force amplifies creativity, challenges traditional norms, and enables innovation. By automating routine tasks and fostering unique outputs, generative AI fuels a creative renaissance, propelling advertising into an era of adaptive, data-driven, and boundary-pushing campaigns.”

At the same time, Singh pointed out that it is important to acknowledge that there has been criticism directed towards certain AI platforms due to the potential for inherent biases. This necessitates a careful evaluation of the content produced by generative AI to ensure it aligns with ethical and inclusive standards.

“The future of creativity looks bright, as Generative AI is going to open up a whole new world of creative expression. Concepts and ideas will get tested and approved or rejected faster, because they will be generated faster for everyone to see. The more we’ll see ideas come to life with Generative AI, the better we’ll become as an industry as our benchmarks will evolve daily,” concluded Mayuresh Dubhashi, Group Executive Creative Director, Leo Burnett, on a positive note.

"Performance Max is one of the best examples of how AI-powered campaigns can drive growth for a business. Advertisers who use Performance Max achieve on average over 18% more conversions at a similar cost per action1, which is up from 13% roughly a year later. We’re bringing generative AI to Performance Max to make it even easier for you to create custom assets and scale them in a few clicks. Just provide your website and Google AI will start learning about your brand to populate your campaign with text and other relevant assets. We’ll even suggest new images generated just for you, helping you stand out to customers across a wider range of inventory and formats. This capability will also be available through the new conversational experience in Google Ads. To make it easier to increase revenue from both new and existing customers, we’re also enhancing our new customer acquisition goal and introducing a re-engagement goal for Performance Max campaigns." said Jerry Dischler, Vice President and General Manager of Google Ads.