A new GroupM report says AI (artificial intelligence) is likely to touch, in some way, at least half of all advertising revenue by the end of 2023. Even at the Cannes Lions advertising festival this year, AI dominated the conversation, which should come as no surprise given that it has quickly become a household term. Are Indian agencies up to speed?
Aside the noise, there is indeed a lot of action. Take WPP which is partnering chipmaker Nvidia to equip itself to use AI in production so campaigns are “more efficient and at scale”. For its part, Creativeland Asia Network has pressed AI into service to support creative teams to fast-track delivery. For The Minimalist, AI has significantly reduced manpower involvement, and most of its mundane tasks are now taken care of by AI tools, which in turn allows its “human” teams to focus on strategic thinking and innovation.
AI has also made A/B testing more efficient. Says Sahil Vaidya, co-founder, The Minimalist, “With AI-powered tools, we can quickly test multiple variations of ads, messages, and designs, allowing us to identify what resonates best with our audience in real-time. This data-driven approach optimises campaigns and ensures that we deliver the most effective results to the clients.”
Data handling is another big area where AI has a role. Sanjeev Jasani, COO, Cheil India, says that AI tools are helping agencies to dive into heaps of consumer data, spot trends, and get valuable insights for super-targeted campaigns. “AI is a smart tool for making data-driven decisions and wisely managing resources,” he says.
The moot question is, can AI improve the creative score of agencies. Advertising is an ideas business, generated for and targeted at people. Experts say while AI tools can facilitate visualisation or even copy writing, it can never play a significant role in the idea generation process. “We will still need quality talent to generate good ideas,” notes Jasani.
So which are the areas where AI tools are being deployed with reasonable success? Bid management, targeting, and creative optimisation are the first lot. That apart, AI-driven content recommendation engines and personalised email marketing are helping to create more meaningful interactions with audiences. It even has a role in content creation, but it is only as effective as the inputs that are given to it to start with.
In its current avatar, AI is, at best, a support system that enables “human teams” to perform their task faster. Sajan Raj Kurup, founder & creative chairman, Creativeland Asia Network, anticipates that as more people start using AI, its intelligence will grow. Over time and with more and more learning, AI will be able to support creative functions as well.
As ad agencies start scouting for talent who know their way around AI, data analysis, and machine learning, Jasani says identifying the right skill sets is going to be the make or break. “While AI will definitely drive efficiencies and cut production and delivery time, the name of the game for the people in this ‘people’s’ business is upskilling,” he sums up.