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Artificial intelligence (AI) has made influential strides across industries and the marketing sector has been no exception, especially in transforming the way brands connect with consumers. The hype around generative AI reached a fever pitch last year, especially with the rise of generative AI (Gen AI) but the tangible impact on creative campaigns remains largely unseen.
The disconnect between the hype surrounding generative AI and its visible impact on consumer-facing campaigns leaves with a question - Is the technology falling short or are marketers still grappling with its optimal deployment?
AI's Invisible Hand
Vineeth Viswambharan, Vice President of Marketing & Sales at Adani Wilmar offers a glimpse behind the curtain stating, “What you are seeing with AI is just the tip of the iceberg. What you don't see is all the AI assistance that goes into the process of generating marketing communication.”
Viswambharan paints a picture of a radically transformed workflow where traditional time-consuming processes have been streamlined by AI tools. "In the old days, scripts used to be converted into storyboards, which used to be a long drawn process. It used to be done through illustrations. Now there are text-to-image converters and AI assistants available", he explains, highlighting the dramatic reduction in processes that once consumed months are accomplished in a mere fraction of that time.
However, he acknowledges that the final consumer-facing creative work, be it an image or a video, still lacks the finesse and emotional resonance that human-created content offers.
Cautious Adoption of Gen AI
Large-scale AI-generated campaigns may be rare, but some brands are testing the waters. For instance, Zomato's viral campaign featuring AI-generated images of delivery personnel dancing in the rain presented AI's potential for creating engaging content. The campaign cleverly turned delivery delays into a whimsical scenario, resonating with audiences. However, it also highlighted the importance of human oversight in ensuring AI-generated content aligns with brand values and customer expectations.
Despite such advancements, brands and marketers seem to be holding their breath when it comes to fully AI-generated campaigns, particularly those utilising generative AI.
Apurva Sircar, Head of Marketing at Bandhan Bank offers a measured perspective. "Gen AI is still not 100 per cent on the mark as far as sarcasm is concerned. These are nuances which, unless they are sorted and managed completely by the technology itself, there will always be this question mark. Should we go ahead and use it 100 per cent?", he points out, highlighting the technology's current limitations in grasping nuanced human communication.
This caution, however, hasn't prevented marketers from experimenting with generative AI in more controlled environments. "Gen AI is being used a lot in marketing in any case", Sircar reveals indicating the use of the tool for crafting copies for digital ads. However, he also acknowledges, “Gen AI is used extensively, but large-scale campaigns are still to be figured out in a manner. I think it's only a matter of time before we see a large-scale disruption being created by Gen AI.”
Breaking New Grounds
While many brands are taking a cautious approach, some are boldly pushing the boundaries of what's possible with generative AI. Perhaps the most ambitious use of generative AI in Indian marketing came from SunFeast Dark Fantasy. Their campaign, centred around the concept of 'Har Dil Ki Fantasy' allowed fans to create personalised advertisements featuring themselves alongside Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, using just a selfie. This approach highlighted the potential for AI to create highly personalised, interactive marketing experiences.
Ajay Dang, President & Head of Marketing at UltraTech Cement echoes the sentiment of using Gen AI in marketing campaigns - at the backend if not at the front end. He shares, "Ultratech has multiple campaigns where at the back end GenAI has played a huge role in terms of putting the personalisation, putting the languages out there."
Dang's team has deployed generative AI in several high-profile campaigns, including initiatives around the World Cup and festive seasons. "I think there's a running joke that - if it works, it is engineering; if it is still work in progress, we call it Gen AI", he quips, reflecting the cautious optimism surrounding the technology.
The observation hints at a broader trend in the industry – successful AI implementations often become invisible, seamlessly integrating into the marketing process without fanfare. "It's our policy oftentimes of not tom-tomming the process so much, but the output. If there is a great consumer connect, I think that's a bigger reward than the tools that were used to generate that", Dang explains. "
While speaking to marketers, one thing has been made clear for the time being - Gen AI's impact on marketing goes far beyond the headlines, permeating every aspect of the creative process. However, it seems like Gen AI is missing the mark with marketers in consumer facing campaigns, at least in the present scenaio. On the brighter side, the amalgamation of technology with human creativity is best positioned to thrive in the AI-augmented future of marketing.
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