Just when we thought we’ve reached the peak of innovation in advertising, something hit, unlike the Titanic that crashed into the iceberg. This phenomenon, that hit the advertising world, was a non-existent, discredited, unoriginal form of self-satisfying software that we called ‘Deepfake’. In technical terms, the right jargon is “Synthetic Art” and advertising found a new playground (a toy, rather). This article would tell you how or why synthetic art in advertising is set to compete with the traditional way of storytelling.
Deepfake – What do we know?
A portmanteau, Deepfake is a combination of two terms “Deep learning” to create something “fake” through synthetic media. Oops! Another jargon! Synthetic media is a technical term used to define something that uses Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning to modify, alter the data or media (text synthesis, music synthesis, speech synthesis). So, all that fan-made teaser videos of our favourite upcoming movies, series that we see on the internet, are made using Deepfake, mostly. Nobody ever thought of using this tech in advertising, but when someone did, it completely changed the way we perceived storytelling.
Authenticity? Sure!
The titular tech has people questioning whether the content created with Deepfake is authentic at all. Here’s the key takeaway – though the origin of synthesis might be from a different source, the way it’s put together, is something that defines the authenticity of it all. Just like the words are put in here in the blog. Not all the letters, words, are created newly, but the way the whole narrative is crafted; that’s pure art. Authenticity comes from the way a story is being told and advertisers have found a new piece of tech to do that differently.
Take the recent Pepsi commercial for instance. They Deepfaked Salman Khan from the past (Hum Aapke Hain Kaun) and pitted him in front of Salman Khan’s present version. The narrative was built on them having a conversation about things that changed and things that are still the same. The commercial weaved in the product relevance intelligently using Deepfake and that’s the beauty of how this tech can change the face of the advertising industry (pun intended).
Another instance of pure creation using Deepfake was done with Ageas Federal Life Insurance wherein they used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create an 11-year-old version of Sachin Tendulkar who recorded a message for his adult self about being fearless and overcoming the challenges.
AI and Machine Learning are already used in different ways in the marketing & communications industry, but this side was a virgin. There’s also the concern of the immaculate need for cybersecurity with such a revolutionary tech. Some extremists have shared Deepfaked videos of the Russian President announcing peace and the Ukrainian President inciting the words of war. Such similar dangers are imminent in every country and every industry. We need to be simply prepared to stay one step ahead.
So, the future isn’t real anymore?
Deepfake is not about being real or fake. That’s just in the name, and just like Shakespeare said, “what’s in a name…” Deepfake is all about how you use the tech to tell a story. And right now, synthetic media has evolved from its gimmicky stage to a more serious and inclusive form. CRED is using the old commercials (using speech & music synthesis) to promote CRED Bounty and that’s just the beginning. Cadbury’s also used AI on Shah Rukh Khan (with speech synthesis) to lip-sync the store name to promote Dairy Milk’s Celebrations. So, the future is more real than ever.
At 3 Dots Design Pvt. Ltd., we believe that adopting the new and latest trends in storytelling is imperative for every advertiser. Being one of the best ad agencies in Pune, we have the best team of brand managers, strategists, creative and content designers, who push the pedal and deliver the best to our clients. If you think your brand needs a story to be told differently, get in touch with us at contact@3dotsdesign.in or visit www.3dotsdesign.in to know more about who we are and what we do.