Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an integral part of advertising agencies across the country. In an interview with Storyboard18, Unny Radhakrishnan, CEO, Digitas India, shed light on the use of AI in some of its best performing digital campaigns of 2023, such as Nissan Victory Roar, Say It With Oreo, and more. Other than these, the Duolingo and Crocs campaigns were among its best performers.
Unny explained that the agency’s approach to AI extends beyond campaigns, and involves the use of AI tools in the agency’s day-to-day work, spanning across creative, ideation, software development, and analytics. He added that he expects new AI tools to continue to emerge and impact the way agencies work.
Edited excerpts:
What were your top-performing digital campaigns in 2023 that delivered the maximum RoI (return on investment), and what shaped their success?
The work we’ve done for Duolingo English Test (DET), Nissan, Crocs, etc., have delivered very good results. But campaigns are a small part of what we do. We work with multiple stakeholders on the client side, across marketing, sales, and IT, and at any given point in time there are multiple projects going on, many of which have a direct impact on the client’s business. The projects could pertain to products / platforms, e-commerce , sales and marketing process automation, CRM (customer relationship management), loyalty programmes, etc.
What big accounts did you win in 2023?
Our growth happens by way of new client acquisitions, new projects, and expansion of scope of work (with existing clients). Some of the new clients that came on board include Crocs, DET, Groupe Bayport, HMD (Nokia), Newell Brands, and a host of other companies.
2023 has been a cricket-heavy year. Can you highlight the standout cricket campaigns your agency executed during events like the IPL and the World Cup? What made these campaigns successful — what KPIs (key performance indicators) were achieved?
What we did for the Nissan Victory Roar Contest stands out for its use of technology. The contest leverages AI to score a user’s roars and predictions. It was a unique way to attract young audiences to Nissan India’s website and introduce them to the brand, heritage, and products. The site saw over 50,000 visitors in the first few days of the initiative.
How has your agency harnessed AI? What AI-driven initiatives or campaigns have shown notable results, and how do you see AI shaping the future of digital advertising?
We are adopting a ‘best-fit’ approach with respect to AI. So, there are campaigns where AI is integrated in the idea itself, like in the Nissan Victory Roar Contest and Say It With Oreo. Then, there is the use of AI tools in our day-to-day work, spanning across creative, ideation, software development, and analytics.
We expect new AI tools to continue to emerge and impact the way we work and the work we produce.
How does Digitas approach upskilling its workforce to adapt to the dynamic requirements of the digital marketing landscape?
Talent is crucial in any industry, and more so in frontier areas like digital. Digitas, as well as the Publicis Groupe, invests significantly on learning and development. At the beginning of every year we identify the training needs of individuals vis-a-vis business goals.
The training programmes for the year are calendarised, and then meticulously implemented and tracked. We deploy a vast pool of internal training talent, the group’s learning and development platforms (Marcel), external edtech platforms, and external trainers. We can perhaps claim to have one of the largest formal training programmes in the industry.
Looking at 2024, are there specific sectors or industries your agency is keen on exploring? What innovative strategies or services are you planning to introduce to meet evolving market demands?
We are in a unique position because of the range of work we do. With most of our clients, we are engaged with more than one client-side stakeholder, such as marketing, sales, and IT. As one agency that brings everything together — creative, media, experiences, technology, data, and CRM, we see our scope of work growing in depth and breadth. We will continue to focus and build on that.