Generative AI is being used to create product photography and video content for brands including Myprotein and Beauty Expert, following the launch of THG’s iLab.
ILab – part of THG’s creative agency THG Studios – will use AI algorithms to generate original imagery, “blend new and existing product photography with AI-generated backgrounds” and adapt advert designs “tailored to audience preferences”.
“With the launch of iLab, we’re at the forefront of blending technology and creativity,” said Cat Mellor, director of creative services at THG Studios. “Our goal is to redefine how brands approach content creation by combining the best of our team’s experience, creativity and talent with AI to deliver high-impact, innovative visuals that resonate with customers in real time.”
THG Studios sits within the company’s end-to-end e-commerce and brand-building technology platform business THG Ingenuity. Earlier this month, THG (formerly The Hut Group) raised £95.4m from shareholders to help fund its planned demerger of the Ingenuity DTC platform, £10m of which came from CEO Matthew Moulding. The company’s beauty and nutrition divisions are set to continue trading on the London Stock Exchange.
As well as THG-owned brands Myprotein and Beauty Expert, THG Studios client Disney and travel retailer Avolta are also using generative AI as part of the creative planning process, THG said.
Several brands have been leveraging generative AI in their marketing efforts. Earlier this year, Mondelez launched a generative AI-powered marketing campaign that sees customers’ faces star in vintage Cadbury ads from the chocolate brand’s 200-year history. Last month, Mondelez announced the launch of a new generative AI-based platform to “enable faster, more efficient creation of personalised text, images and videos” in its marketing.
“Harnessing the power of generative AI will empower our people to play a proactive role in how our brands show up in the market,” said Jon Halvorson, senior vice president, global consumer experiences and digital commerce at Mondelez. “This drives real value for the business through creating, personalising and distributing on-trend creative not only at pace, but also safely, securely and with brand integrity.”
Last year, Coca-Cola built an online platform – called Create Real Magic – which combines the capabilities of generative AI engines GPT-4, which produces human-like text from search engine queries, and DALL-E, which produces images based on text.
On launch it gave artists and consumers access to dozens of “creative assets from the brand’s archives” on which to base the works, among them the distinctive contour bottle and Spencerian script logo, and the Coca-Cola Santa Claus and polar bear.
“We see many applications of AI – including content creation and rapid iteration, hyper-personalising content and messaging for consumers and customers, and driving two-way conversations with consumers,” Manolo Arroyo, Coca-Cola global chief marketing officer, said at the time, adding Coca Cola was “just scratching the surface of what we believe will help create the industry’s most effective and efficient end-to-end marketing model”.
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