between algorithms, prompts and creativity

All about Artificial intelligence

By Thiago Fernandes, Executive Director of Channels and Audiences at iD\TBWA

On June 21st, we celebrate Media Professionals Day. It is impossible to measure exactly when this profession actually emerged, but what we can be sure of is that it has undergone countless changes since then. In fact, the greatest potential of them is happening right now.

Read more:

First of all, however, it is necessary to assess the historical context. A few years ago, technical professionals who work on communication platforms, mainly Google and Facebook, were called “traders”. This is because there was a clear similarity between the way these people operated and employees in the financial sector, in a frenetic auction between publishers selling their spaces and agencies/advertisers calibrating the bids.

As the role of communication in business and client outcomes has evolved, media operations have taken on a more analytical and mathematical tone. Don’t get me wrong, being creative and strategic has always been an important part of the package. However, the most recent professionals entering the market spent more time operating digital platforms than exposing their inspirational side.

Assessing the current scenario, AI has definitely arrived and is being definitively integrated into the routine of practically all areas. And media professionals, of course, are not going unnoticed. In a movement led by these same large platforms, such as Google and Facebook, complex and integrated solutions are being implemented in the sector, practically uniting the creative part with the communication operation.

By integrating AI with media platforms, you can create your piece, change the background, add a call to action, change the copy, integrate it into campaigns, test the results, gain insights, optimize, and go for it. All in the same user journey and quick sequence of clicks and prompts. This is the future of the profession, at least as far as self-service platforms are concerned.

This new scenario creates a moment for reflection – what will the professional who will fulfill this role be like? In about 2 years (or will it be 6 months?), when this professional is hired, what will his/her routine be like? And what will the title of this position be? Media creative? Media professional? Analytical creative? Campaign strategist? Creative trader?

Despite all these unknowns, what is clear is that the new media, creative or marketing professional in general will need to add countless new layers to a single role: analytical skills, being good with numbers, having an aesthetic sense, creativity, writing and developing good prompts. In other words, an intense use of both sides of the brain.

The expansion of responsibilities does not occur without a favorable context. With AI increasingly integrating itself into platforms, the automation of repetitive tasks will free up time for professionals in the area to focus increasingly on creative and analytical strategies. However, this will require new knowledge and demands from specialists. Platforms such as Google Ads, for example, already use machine learning to optimize bids and segmentation automatically, but they require knowledge, even if basic, in basic programming and understanding of technology algorithms.

In other words, the convergence of creative and media departments suggests a greater need for interdisciplinary collaboration, with integrated teams of creators, data analysts, and AI experts working together to create holistic campaigns. The big question is: will the separate but integrated creative and media departments that they are today continue to exist? Indeed, will departments even exist at all?

“Ah Thiago, but today’s professionals are already like that!” Are they really? Of course there are professionals who can combine all these expertises, whether through talent or necessity. However, this will increasingly be the default for the profession – and we will need to learn the hard way to live within this new reality. We are in a time of wonder, adaptation, uncertainty and new things. It is normal to be apprehensive, but it is also magical to be able to participate in all of this, from helping to design the future or even experiencing how things will happen.

The truth is that the digital media profession is constantly evolving, and the integration of AI is transforming the way campaigns are created and managed. The specialist needs to be more prepared than ever, aligning a balanced combination of data analyst, creative, strategist, technologist and continually adapting to the new tools and methods that technology brings to the field.

The road ahead is challenging, but also full of opportunities for innovation and growth. And if you’re going to be part of this process with me, happy Media Professional Day!