The power of generative AI: Unlocking creativity in ad campaigns

Marketers are always looking for innovative ways to create outstanding campaigns and engage their customers. Ad production, however, is time-consuming and labour-intensive, it often requires large teams of photographers and designers. Enter generative AI – a technology that has the potential to revolutionise the industry. In an interview with our CEO, Willy Lai, he shared his insights on leveraging generative AI to create more effective, personalised, and captivating ads.

Interviewer: Can you tell us more about how generative AI works and why it's a game-changer for marketers?

Willy Lai: Sure. Traditional ad production is costly, especially for large-scale campaigns that require a lot of different components, such as images, videos, and copy. The production costs can increase very quickly.

Generative AI has the potential to transform this. Generative AI models are trained on large datasets of existing ads. They learn the visual patterns, colour combinations, layouts, text styles, and phrases that make ads resonate and generate hundreds of data-driven creative options in minutes. This output level would not be possible through traditional human agencies alone.

Interviewer: That's fascinating. In your opinion, where do you think generative AI can be most beneficial to marketers?

Willy Lai: I believe generative AI is the most beneficial in performance marketing, where the ability to create large quantities of ads is crucial. Generative AI can help brands create and optimise thousands of customised ad content based on individual preferences, behaviour and customer life stages at a fraction of the typical cost, significantly improving ad performance and driving higher return on investment (ROI).

Additionally, generative AI is beneficial when testing creative ideas to determine which ones work best. AI tools can be used to evaluate ad designs and predict their effectiveness. Over time, businesses can build their database of ad performance data, identify which elements work best, and use them to power future ads.

Interviewer: What do you think the future looks like for digital marketing after the introduction of AI? Do you believe AI will eventually replace humans in the industry?

Willy Lai: As we move into the future, it's clear that generative AI will play a significant role in shaping the marketing landscape. The possibilities are endless, and this technology's potential to transform how brands create and produce ad content is fascinating.

However, I don't believe AI will replace humans in the marketing industry. Instead, I see AI taking on more of a "first draft" role, drastically speeding up the creative process. Digital marketing experts are still needed to set the overall marketing direction, implement human judgment, and customise AI outputs for specific business goals and brand guidelines.

By engaging agencies that use generative AI, brands can get the best of both worlds: the breadth and speed of AI-generated concepts with the expertise and finesse of experienced creative professionals. This combination of AI-generated images and human expertise will be a powerful force in the future of marketing. I'm excited to see what outstanding campaigns we can create together.

Fimmick is an award-winning regional digital martech group and the latest Integrated Marketing Agency of the Year and Agency Team of the Year winner at Marketing Interactive's Agency of the Year Awards Hong Kong 2023. Leveraging cutting-edge marketing technologies, AI-powered customer data platforms, and the latest data-driven solutions, we help brands future-proof their marketing strategies and stay competitive in rapidly progressing markets.

This article is sponsored by Fimmick.