The Role Of Creative Technologists For Marketing 2.0 In 2020

Rikki Agarwal Oct 03, 2020

The marketing industry continues to evolve rapidly. It's easy to miss out on a trend or arrive when the ship has sailed. But now more than ever, when the world seems to have come to a standstill, how imperative is it for you to invest in creative technology?

Imagine a real-time visualization of your product range, or a Facebook ad that mimics facial expressions, or a conversation with a holographic receptionist. It doesn't stop here. Creative technology is beyond mere 'interactive' strategies. Today’s creative technologists marry top-tier creative ideation with emerging technology to exceed marketing goals in a rapidly changing world.

How do creative technologists come to your rescue?

Put simply, Creative technologists bridge the gap between the creative and technology functions in marketing. Creative technologists have a clear understanding of emerging technologies like VR, AR, and artificial intelligence, that can act as force-multipliers for marketing when combined with the right creative materials. But they’re also idea people, understanding these technologies as means to a marketing objective and not standalone good-to-haves.

From ideation, early prototyping, technical direction, research and trend analysis to development and implementation, creative technologists are involved every step of the way.

Data + Creative: synergy with creative technology

A perennial issue with creative is the fact that it’s seen as a subjective domain: yes an advertise is popular but is it really possible to measure its success in terms of tangible metrics?

On the other hand, data-driven, technology based approaches to marketing, like cold email automation, rarely generate interesting inbound leads because they lack that elevating, creative flair. As a bridge of communication between the creative world and technology, creative technologists allow marketers to leverage the synergy between data-driven insights and qualitatively great creative.

Creative technologists can help marketing iterate and improve on campaigns by identifying everything from the demographics a product appeals to, to colour schemes that heighten interest. And by introducing a data-driven element into the process, creative technologists ensure that marketing’s able to set and work towards tangible, quantitative goals.

How are creative technologists transforming Marketing 2.0?

The amalgamation of creative ideas and technology can produce infinite possibilities. Here are some of the ways creative technologists are leveraging their cross-functional expertise to break new ground in marketing:

Instagram AR Filter campaigns

A number of brands, from Taco Bell to Disney to small-medium cosmetics brands, have leveraged custom AR filters to synergize their creative branding with this new digital innovation. AR filters are a great example of creative technology at work because they combine key aspects of a company's creative messaging -- the AR filter is often an iconic representation of the brand, like Mickey Mouse ears for Disney -- with emerging technology. KFC in India was one of the first brands to use face filters in their campaign. This was done in 2012 when the whole idea of this didn't even exist.

Custom AR filters offer users the opportunity to create user-generated content that frames a brand’s style and products within their everyday life.

EBay and Phrasee

eCommerce giant EBay recently collaborated with Phrasee, an AI-powered copywriting technology company to build effective copy at scale. Computational linguists at Phrasee built language models that produce human-sounding marketing copy. The EBay-Phrasee collaboration combined creative input from EBay with Phrasee’s technology to produce cost-effective marketing material at scale, perfectly aligned with EBay’s voice.

Housing.com’s Sukoon se Sukoon ko Dhoondo campaign

Real-estate portal Housing.com recently launched its Sukoon se Sukoon ko Dhoondo campaign, enabling buyers to take free 3D property tours through a mobile app, from the comfort of their homes. The campaign combines an awareness of the needs of COVID-bound house buyers with a technology solution that makes the housing market accessible, even in the midst of a lockdown.