Do creative agencies use AI? Of course they do.
Do we? SURE! we do. Especially when it comes to leveraging AI for unprecedented creativity!
In recent years, AI has transformed the creative industries, driving innovation and enhancing efficiency. According to a recent report, AI-driven tools are reshaping how content is created and consumed, marking a significant shift in the creative landscape.
AI is not just a tool; it’s a game-changer in the creative industry, helping agencies like SURE! Creative deliver impactful solutions. But it is not without challenges, impacting the creative industry with loss of authenticity and the humanisation of content. There are also concerning ethics, quality control, and the potential for job displacement. However, AI offers significant benefits in terms of efficiency, innovation, and cost. It is therefore critical that the creative industry navigate these pros and cons carefully to integrate AI in a way that enhances rather than diminishes the value of human creativity.
This blog explores the integration of AI in creative processes and challenges you to integrate AI into your next project to witness transformative results.
AI - The new creative partner
There is a concern that by using AI creatives will be made redundant or replaceable - or dare we say lazy. At SURE! and the 7Collective, we choose to embrace AI as a tool to enhance our capabilities and broaden our creativity.
With over 3 decades of experience solving complex business and marketing challenges, we pride ourselves on staying at the forefront of technological advancements, and AI is one of them. Our team constantly explores new AI technologies to enhance our creative capabilities and processes.
Here are a few of our favourites in our AI toolkit:
- Sora: Realistic and imaginative scenes from text
- Photoshop: Create lifelike images with the latest generative AI features
- Stable Diffusion: Text to image technology
- Leonardo: Online image generator
- Argil: Video shorts for social media content
- Vance: Video up-scaling
- Topaz Labs: Low quality video up-scaled to 4K
- Chat GPT: A chatbot and virtual assistant that interacts in a dialogue format
- Copy.ai: Generates marketing copy and creative content, assisting with writing tasks.
- Jaspar (formerly Jarvis): An AI writing assistant that helps create high-quality written content quickly.
- Writesonic: Uses AI to create engaging marketing copy, blog posts, and other written materials.
- Artisto: Applies AI-driven artistic effects to videos and photos.
- Bookmark: An AI-powered website builder that designs websites based on user inputs.
- Lumen5: Converts blog posts and articles into engaging videos using AI.
- Jacquard (formerly Phrasee): Uses AI to generate optimized marketing language for emails, social media, and advertisements.
- AIVA (Artificial Intelligence Virtual Artist): Composes music tracks for various applications.
- Amper Music: AI-driven music composition tool for creating custom soundtracks.
- LANDR: Uses AI for audio mastering, offering high-quality sound production for musicians and producers.
- Eleven Labs: Voice generator and text to speech.
- CopyLeaks: AI-based plagiarism & AI content detection.
- Turn It In: Tools to help students (or anyone really) do their best, original work and uphold academic integrity.
- Bypass: A trusted AI detection remover to create plagiarism-free, human-like text.
- Google Gemini (formerly Bard): Chat to start writing, planning, learning and more with Google AI.
We use AI in many ways to create campaigns that strategically and creatively stretch the client brief. From graphic design and copywriting, to data analysis and strategy, we ensure our clients receive cutting-edge solutions powered by skilled, multi-talented humans – with the help of AI.
For instance, if our clients describe creative ideas that would require sourcing and combining multiple images or ideas, we turn to AI to produce initial representations that can illustrate how the proposed brief could result. In this way we can align quickly in the initial phase of a project or refine the brief in a more agile way, to ensure all parties are aligned on the objective and outputs.
Image created using Leonardo AI.
How AI enhances human creativity
AI is a collaborator, not a replacement. It enhances human creativity by handling repetitive tasks, assisting with bulk processing, and providing new insights. Agencies shouldn’t shy away from AI, but rather consider it an exciting addition to our toolkit, making our jobs more dynamic and enjoyable.
Even when our creatives aren’t actively using AI in their projects, there is still a lot of fun to be had experimenting and trialling the tools that could transform their work, adding more flexibility, greater efficiency, or widening the spectrum of possibilities.
Integrating AI comes with its challenges, such as learning curves, refining of prompts for desired outputs, and the familiar initial resistance garnered from misconceptions. However, the opportunities it brings, like freeing up time for strategic thinking and expanding creative possibilities, far outweigh these challenges.
AI doesn’t reduce the value of our output but rather enhances it and enables us to tackle more complex creative projects, driving innovation within the agency environment.
Taking action and how AI drives results
We integrate AI into our workflow through a structured process of testing, learning, and optimising. Our iterative approach ensures that we continually improve our methods and deliver the best results for our clients.
What’s that you say? “But, I can get ChatGPT to do it and it looks fine.”
Sure you might be happy with the outcome but have you considered whether your copy will look and read well or just sound just like everyone else’s? Did you consider including guidance on tone of voice and style in your prompt? And did you proofread and edit the output before deciding it was the best you could do?
While AI can produce content quickly, it may lack the nuanced creativity that human touch brings. Businesses need to differentiate their unique brands and this can only be done by incorporating human creativity and strategic insight – Otherwise all outputs will become similar and offer no distinction. Investing in AI technology and upskilling our workforce is essential, despite the financial strain it might cause for smaller agencies. However, the potential for innovation and efficiency makes this investment worthwhile.
We encourage clients to engage with AI tools to enhance their business and in turn to adopt our AI-driven processes. Challenge our team to create something unique for your business with AI, and see the transformative impact firsthand. We can also assist you with consulting on how you utilise AI in your business and enhance its capabilities.
Image created using Leonardo AI.
The future of AI in creative agencies
As we continue integrating AI into our approach, we’re excited about the future possibilities and innovations on the horizon. While integrating AI poses challenges, such as skill gaps and ethical considerations, the opportunities for strategic thinking and innovation are immense. AI allows us to create high-impact, emotionally resonant campaigns that differentiate our offerings and enhance client relationships.
In the creative industry staying ahead of the curve is a prerequisite —partner with us and explore the endless opportunities AI brings to the creative industry. Join us on this journey where creativity meets technology, making the impossible possible.
Ready to transform your business with AI? Get in touch with SURE! Creative today, and let's make it happen. Challenge our team to help your business grow. It starts here.