Solving creativity decline in Nigerian Marketing Industry using Artificial Intelligence

In a recent issue of Marketing Edge Magazine , marketing experts in Nigeria bemoaned the industry's lack of creativity in 2022. A report from the WFA found a perceived decline in the value of creativity within the brand marketing community, which validated this. The reasons given by stakeholders ranged from a lack of direction to a short-term focus and risk aversion mechanics. As someone who has played on both the client and agency sides of the industry, I can attest to the reasons mentioned. While some may argue that this is subjective, we can see how the increased number of marketing pieces as well as the industry's seemingly monotonous creatives and advertising strategies have created mental fatigue among consumers, causing them to tune out anything that appears to be an advertisement. Marketers are therefore challenged to cut through the clutter by creating something new. This can be achieved based on their knowledge of the consumer and their use of technology to express distinction and creativity. In this article, I shall discuss ways in which marketers can utilize artificial intelligence to enhance creativity and create better experiences for their consumers to meet brand and business goals.

One way to enhance creativity is to embrace generative artificial intelligence. The introduction of ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence tools changed the game for the creative industry globally, and Africa is not left out. This is because marketing is communication. communication of your understanding of human behaviour (why, how, when, where, what, and who). It is based on this understanding that marketers then persuade them to take the desired actions. This then means that timeliness and our ability to communicate are directly related to our marketing results. Do you still wonder why people are easily influenced by the news?? The ability to better express an idea and generate a graphic representation of that idea in a matter of minutes is amazing. This comes in handy for today’s fast-paced marketing industry as it improves efficiency and effectiveness. I recently came across some AI-generated images of 耐克 store concepts by Benjamin Benichou , and they blew my mind away. To see how cultural and brand elements were integrated expertly is so amazing. Now imagine what we can do with “glocalizing” international brands with our rich culture using artificial intelligence.?

Another way to improve creativity is to infuse artificial intelligence into experience design to improve the consumer experience. Empathy mapping is a great tool for experience design, as it rides on the human senses to mould perception and create a great consumer experience. However, the use of artificial intelligence in experience design has the potential to improve the user experience by delivering individualized, interactive, and immersive experiences to consumers. Machine learning algorithms may assist marketing companies in developing hyper-personalized marketing campaigns that are catered to the interests, preferences, and behaviours of specific customers by analyzing customer data. This might make users' interactions with marketing more interesting and relevant. A vivid example will be algorithmic perfumery , which utilizes first-party data to create customized scents for consumers in minutes.?

In conclusion, as we embark on this race towards digital transition and innovation, marketers that embrace artificial intelligence stand a better chance at staying ahead of the curve and offering cutting-edge experiences. It is also important to note that although it has the potential to transform marketing and creativity in this space, artificial intelligence is still a relatively young technology, and there is still much to learn about how it may be used successfully. Businesses in Nigeria wishing to fully utilize the possibilities of AI in their marketing efforts may need to make investments in training and development. I will leave you with the words of Benjamin Wolff, which read, “Photography gave us new eyes. Who knows what creative tools AI will offer?” I will add, “Say, maybe, new minds?”