Death of copywriting?
It is interesting to note that conversations around the ‘death of copywriting’ is not new. A few decades ago, photoshop and illustrator were thought to be the harbinger of doom for advertising creatives. Today, we all know how it has turned out to be! “After the cribbing and crying dies down, advertising will embrace generative AI. We are already seeing enough and more agency decks with at least two AI ideas. It will soon become a norm,” Hayden Scott, creative head APAC, Virtue Worldwide – The Agency Powered by VICE, said, adding that it is not just copywriting where ad agencies have been using generative AI but art direction and strategies are also amongst it .
However there are a few who believe that it is more about craft versus efficiency. “AI is extremely helpful in optimising a piece of content from a search engine optimisation (SEO) perspective or even mobile, weaving in all the keywords and building headlines with great precision. Another efficiency lies in generating lengthy content in minutes – websites, blogs, product descriptions, brochures – all in sync with the brand tonality and properly proof-checked,” Sarvesh Raikar, regional creative officer, Lowe Lintas,explained. .
Industry experts opine that there is no denying the fact that gen AI is being used for various purposes. In fact most agencies currently use generative Ai in bits and pieces with it playing a significant role in generation of ideas. According to Tejender Sharma, co-founder and chief creative member, Art-E, to break the clutter and just for public relations (PR) sake we can do all AI campaigns but right now that is done just to add extra bells and whistles. “Getting a fully cooked idea from AI in the form of copies is still a bit far away,” he noted.
The role of AI!
Even as creative agencies and brands are yet to explore the complete usage of AI when it comes to copywriting, in terms of implementation the technology is being used. For Instance, Mondelez India’s ‘Shah Rukh Khan – My Ad’, conceptualised by Ogilvy for the brand Cadbury, which bagged the Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2023 is one such case study to see the use of AI. Ogilvy India and Cadbury Celebrations worked together to lend a helping hand to small businesses struggling during the pandemic with last year’s Not A Cadbury ad. The data-driven campaign used machine learning to create advertisements which doubled as ads for thousands of local businesses—featuring Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan.
Another recent example would account for Puma’s latest campaign conceptualised by Leo Burnett featuring cricketer Virat Kohli, called ‘Puma Diva’. This campaign-cum-contest had asked Kohli fans to upload images of best dives in everyday life such as swimming, skydiving, among others. “In the form of visual stories, AI is contributing massively. New tools such as mid journey, Photoshop AI, elements are giving ‘New look’ creatives that breaks the clutter and sometimes breaks the internet too. AR too has become simpler and hence is more visible now,” Sharma noted.
For the advertising industry, AI will act as an enabler and will help in creating interesting campaigns, in the future. “While AI can generate a plethora of ideas, the human touch—our innate understanding of emotions, nuances and cultural contexts—remains irreplaceable. Well-crafted, well-written thoughtful words – words that will move, explain and persuade have never been more important, or at a greater premium, than in the world of generative AI,” Akhilesh Sabharwal, chief technology officer, Zoo Media, said.
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