"Creatives need to get out of the artistic ivory tower"

Stephan, you only started in the creative industry at the age of 34 as a "late starter", so to speak, but have now been in it for almost 30 years: where does the industry currently stand from your perspective?

The work of creative agencies is more interesting than ever. I came into advertising when everything was still dominated by mass media and paid media. There were penetration strategies and discount campaigns. Now everyone knows that with more courage and creativity, a much stronger and more likeable connection can be established with all possible target groups. This saves millions in media and billboard space, but thanks to the interlinking of PR and social media, millions of views can be generated.

What opportunities and challenges does the digital revolution offer in this respect?

I see the digital revolution as an incredible opportunity. It's like in music: there are cover bands that don't write their own songs but perform successfully because they play songs that are well received. As a discerning creative, on the other hand, I want to compose my own music and look for something in the expression, form or idea that didn't exist before. Digital media help me with this. They allow me to play with samples technologically and to check very quickly whether my idea is really original and original. That is invaluable.

Which particularly original "song" do you remember from your work?

The "Save yourself the flight" campaign, for example, which I designed for Deutsche Bahn. There we juxtaposed exciting, very distant landscapes one-to-one with almost identical landscapes in Germany. A canyon in Arizona with the Saarschleife, for example. In addition to a classic online display campaign and influencer marketing, we ran a real-time price comparison of flight and train tickets on Facebook, in which the algorithms of the four platforms interacted with each other in an artistic way. That was new.

A complex data project.

Exactly, with Facebook I know where the recipient is and what interests he or she has. I know whether the person would prefer to fly to the USA or Asia and where the nearest airport is. Everything is linked in real time so that the advert always shows the current cheapest flight price with the constant 19-euro rail offer and the corresponding landscapes.

What role can AI play in campaigns like these?

Technology means progress. I think that's fundamental and anyone who turns their back on AI is creating their own handicap. Creatives should embrace, learn, master, understand and work with these technologies to get faster and better results.

How does this change the work of creative agencies?

At Ogilvy, we are systematically experimenting with AI on thousands of new playing fields. For simple tasks such as optimising media playout and for more complex work such as pack shots. In the past, taking photos of a simple water bottle required light, cameras and many, many people - it was an extremely time-consuming process. With the help of AI, such assets can be generated much more quickly.

And with moving images?

Likewise. If we have an idea for a film in which Jennifer Lawrence walks through a very expensive hotel lobby in a blue dress and I want to capture these images as the cameraman from "House of Gucci" would shoot them, the AI offers us three or four alternatives within a few minutes. I can then tweak them further. Illustrators used to need days for such imaging processes.

What about texts?

Using ChatGPT for scripts has been disappointing so far. There is a lack of real originality. The various text genres and art forms are simply processed. The AI does create something like a limerick, i.e. a short, joking poem, but it's all still very well-behaved and uninspired.

Where should young creative talents position themselves now if they don't want to be superfluous tomorrow?

Most likely at the forefront of conceptual ideas. After all, brands still communicate with people and vice versa. As humans, we simply understand needs and psychologies better. Young parents understand young parents. People with bald heads understand more about hair growth products. Not even people with hair understand this topic as well as people without. So how is an AI supposed to understand this? Successful communication requires insights into life and usage situations. We humans will probably retain this advantage for a long time to come.

Where can companies open up even more to creative minds?

In product development. Creative minds and communication experts should be even more involved here. This is the only way to create the interactivity and intuitive operation that makes the difference in connective technology today. In German car development, for example, everyone is still doing their own thing. If you switch from one model to another, you really have to get used to it. With a Polestar, on the other hand, everything already feels like an iPhone because of all the apps. It is much more in line with how we use other devices. Products could therefore be improved enormously if companies involved creative people at an earlier stage, because development would then be more communication-driven and less technology-driven.

Do you think creatives are also prepared to take on a more active role in companies?

Unfortunately, I often see a disdain for commerce and economic activity among creatives. We need to abandon this attitude and demarcation. Creatives need to get out of the artistic ivory tower, into collaboration mode and work together with engineers on projects that make a difference. Creatives can make a huge contribution to making technology simple, intuitive, human-centred and attractive.