We have seen the arrival of Uniqlo in Mumbai, bags floating in the streets of Paris, and a subway train car applying mascara on social media. It is a new form of out-of-home advertising (OOH) advertising which is getting merged with computer generated imagery (CGI).
First, it was traditional advertising – the billboards and the print ads, the newspaper ads (Amul Girl, anyone?), then came the internet and social media, meme marketing and then AI enhanced personalisation, and finally CGI.
The journey of marketing and advertising is continuously evolving amid the AI landscape making it easier for marketers and advertisers to gain AI driven insights and make data driven decisions. But, currently, CGI is making quite a stir in the industry.
It has taken centre stage in the ever evolving advertising industry, inspiring brands to craft jaw-dropping, larger-than-life installations that ignite excitement about their products.
For example, L’oreal painted the town red and made an audacious entry with the launch of one of its lip products.
The CGI world
CGI is a kind of surrealism in video format that merges AR, imagination and creativity. CGI isn’t limited to Hollywood movies. Companies like Subway, Axe and L’oreal, and campaigns like a virtual Barbie standing beside Burj Khalifa have made CGI an interesting theme in advertising.
CGI pushes the boundaries of creativity and inspires new dimensions of imagination. Fusing CGI with the real world opens the door to a hybrid experience that acts as a bridge between virtual and real.
Schbang has experimented with CGI. From showcasing a giant shopping bag (besides the Bandra-Worli sea link in Mumbai), displaying Tata Neu’s grand sale, to manifesting bagging the World Cup with Skybag and getting a giant cricket ball rolling on the ground with Centerfruit, Schbang has been utilising CGI to the hilt.
CGI ads can significantly reduce production costs by removing the need for physical sets, locations, and actors, while also providing the benefit of post-production adjustments.
Akshay Gurnani, co-founder and CEO of Schbang, recommends finding the right video footage within which a product will fit.
“You’ll need to ensure the footage is royalty-free, officially purchased from a stock website or then shot professionally. The footage needs to be of high resolution and as per the aspect ratio that you want to post it in, on the corresponding platforms,” he said.
He also highlighted the importance of fitting the product in the video. This is where the expertise of the CGI animator comes in.
The challenges
Aligning imaginative amplification with authenticity is now a critical challenge for advertisers. They need to ensure that CGI is used sensibly to create impactful narratives that echo with audiences while being aware of the potential societal footprint of these visually striking ads.
Besides, some advertisers now feel that even though this format worked for a few brands by grabbing eyeballs and shocking the viewers, it is now being overdone and thus becoming an overkill under the guise of brand innovation.
Harshil Karia, founder and managing director, Schbang, says ultimately all the CGI assets are delivering significantly more return on investments for clients in terms of shares, view through rate, and average time spent on the video. “It’s working as of now. Yes, there seems to be a perceived overkill but that’s because we are viewing it from an industry point of view.”
“The moment CGI stops showing a return, the investment in it will automatically die down. In the meanwhile, CGI can evolve and make storytelling better via many untapped avenues like using celebrities in an interesting way, and driving specific offers. CGI is right now not being used very effectively in sync with people, objects and the background. So, using it in sync with people will make the framework for storytelling richer and therefore automatically more narrative based. “
Some are viewing Disney+Hotstar’s usage of CGI to announce the next season of Koffee with Karan as lazy advertising. The challenge for brands seems to be breaking the clutter and not becoming a me-too brand and joining the rat race for the sake of it.
Also, ethical concerns are appearing as consumers become increasingly cognizant of airbrushed and manipulated images in advertising, which can lead to unrealistic beauty standards and body image issues.
Striking a balance between creative enhancement and authenticity is now a critical challenge for advertisers, ensuring that CGI is used responsibly to create powerful narratives that resonate with audiences while considering the potential societal impacts of these visually impressive ads.