Recently, our MD Kate Ross spoke at Google HQ at the AI Powered People event about eight&four's transformative 18 month journey with GenAI - from initial discovery to building our own suite of proprietary AI tools, platform12.
In the discussion, Kate outlined where the critical role marketing agencies will play in the GenAI space:
The Software Companies’ Misleading Simplicity
Software giants like Adobe often promote the idea that the marketing process can be distilled into a simple five-step workflow: prompt in, entire automated campaign out. However, the reality is far more complex.
The Big Tech Distraction
Meanwhile, big tech companies are engrossed in the LLM (Large Language Model) wars. Their focus on competing at the highest levels of AI development often leaves them with little bandwidth to create tools that are meaningfully useful for brand application.
The Agency Advantage
This is where marketing agencies come into play. Agencies occupy a unique space where they understand the specificity of real-world marketing problems and the complexity of stakeholder dynamics. Their industry knowledge allows them to tailor and build specific GenAI solutions, targeting exactly where they are appropriate.
Real-World Applications: Introducing Coach
A prime example of this is eight&four's lead AI product, Coach (more info here) developed for Genesis Motors (Hyundai). Coach helps generate high-quality product stills of their beautiful cars at scale and at a fraction of the cost. This has been a game-changer for the brand's content pipeline and creative ambitions.
There is no denying that GenAI presents risks to the traditional business models of marketing agencies. However, by keeping our eyes open, agencies can be confident about surviving this latest disruption to the industry.
