We’ve noted here at AdForum that purely “digital” categories in advertising awards are becoming rare. That’s because we live in a digital world – we’re immersed in it to such extent that it’s no longer unique. But brands need to ensure that their digital interactions with customers are well-designed, fluid and enjoyable.
Enter Dentsu Creative. Guillaume Olivieri is Head of Digital Experience at the agency. He and his team research and deploy the latest technologies to deliver user experiences – e-commerce is just one example – that are smooth, seamless and visually appealing, all of which keep a brand’s image polished.
Guillaume says: “It’s very difficult to dissociate the technology that supports a digital experience from its graphic expression. In a way, technology is the stage upon which the theatrical experience between the customer and the brand takes place. We’re the directors and producers of that play.”
It’s a central role, he adds, “because technology now fashions the manner in which brands address their customers, and the way customers discuss with those brands”. More than ever, the medium is the message.
Augmented creativity
A recent development is the implementation of an array of “headless” technologies. In simple terms, these speed up the user experience by liberating the surface where the content is displayed from the place where it’s stored. To these are added artificial intelligence, with its capacity to generate content and analyse data.
“In e-commerce for example, we’re working on solutions that will allow the generation of production descriptions and pack shots in a completely automated way, without having to organise photo shoots.”
Needless to say, AI holds no fear for Guillaume. “I’m a little biased because I’ve worked in that field since 2008, when I started my career in Japan. And indeed AI research has been continuous since around 2000. What’s new is the media attention. Like all powerful technologies, it can sound scary. But the danger is not that you’ll be replaced by an AI. It’s that you’ll be replaced by somebody who knows how to use it. AI is a tool. It can augment many processes, including creative ones.”
He feels that concerns about data privacy are legitimate – ChatGPT’s knowledge, for example, draws on the entire contents of the internet. “But it’s up to us as industry leaders to guide the application of AI in a way that’s beneficial and ethical for everyone.”
Guillaume notes that when he teaches people how to use AI, they emerge convinced. “Enthusiasm overcomes fear.”
The metaverse paradox
AI has certainly taken over from “the metaverse” as the creative world’s favourite conversation point. Why did the metaverse get demoted? “All new technologies generate excitement at first, and it’s normal that the media attention declines after a while. But that doesn’t mean that the importance of the technology has diminished,” says Guillaume.
Part of the problem is that the metaverse is extremely difficult to define. "The original definition is a platform that’s interfaceable with other systems created by other people – a little like open source. Which is not the case with 90 per cent of the systems described as ‘the metaverse’ today.”
For now, the metaverse may be a solution looking for a problem. “Usually, you have a problem and you look for the technology to solve it. That’s been the case since the dawn of time – you need to cook meat, you discover fire. But this could be the first case of a technology that’s yet to find its use.”
Not to say that the time won’t come. He points to Google’s new Photorealistic 3D Map Tiles, which use Google Earth technology to create ultra-realistic 3D within Google Maps. In other words, you can explore a 3D virtual world. “It’s something that could permit a genuine metaverse.”
The human factor
Overall, though, he feels that the technology and the user experience are not simple or attractive enough to make them appealing to a wider public. Guillaume is highly aware that, no matter how complex a technology might be, in the end it has to answer human needs and desires.
In passing he mentions luxury consumers, who require an immersive experience that emulates strolling into a boutique along the lines of Hermès or Louis Vuitton. For them, certain e-commerce platforms may not provide the sophistication they seek.
“Not understanding the behaviour of a consumer is one of the biggest mistakes a brand or organisation can make,” states Guillaume. “Often they concentrate on a technology or a product without first considering why the consumer is using the screen. I believe in adopting an iterative approach when developing a user experience. Hold workshops, ask questions, take the time to understand customers’ daily lives and build a technical stack that will serve the experience accordingly, with an open mind – for me it's primordial. People should always come first; the technology should just ‘work’ (and not be a hassle).”