We’re not the first to write about it, and I’m certain we won’t be the last…but all of this Wonka-Gate brouhaha roused so much discussion amongst the EDNAEDNA team that we had to put our two-pence in…
With its promise of captivating guests with a “universe where confectionary dreams are brought to life”, promoted with fantastical visuals generated by Artificial Intelligence software, the campaign consisted of saturated, candy-covered adverts and a rather plastic feeling website (sprinkled with faux pas). And although the event comms suggested high end production, the reality turned out to be the stuff of every event producer's nightmares…floppy backdrops, single jelly beans and an entourage of crude (and slightly cursed) caricatures. As the toddlers shrieks echoed through Glasgow, it’s not all that surprising that the angry mob of parents called the Fuzz!
Ok, ok, enough negging on the event itself…what we actually ended up talking about once the meme’s died down was that, in all its hilarity, Wonka-Gate gave way to an interesting debate on the use of AI in the marketing of real world activations.
The marketing world has been branching into experiential AI for some time, with groundbreaking cross platform creations like the Jacquemus handbag-mobiles and Maybelline's towering mascara wands garnering internet gawps and worldwide attention. CGI video artist Ian Padgham discussed with Creative Review that the public has a “huge fascination with what is true and what is not”, and our evolving infatuation with hyper-realistic simulation has stimulated the new media trend ‘faux OOH’ (FOOH). This emergence of ‘blended tech’ combines public attention, creative partnerships and the adjacency of second screens/interfaces.
And then there’s AI combined with IRL activations, which are opening up a whole world of new possibilities! Deeper diving activations such as TeamLabs ‘Borderless’ are redefining the physical frame with their immersive digital museum, and then there’s ‘Google Flowers’, which integrate machine-learning and, in turn, blossom in response to the footfall below. Endless inspiring examples demonstrate the capabilities and varied scope of blended-tech utilisation, whilst still prioritising the human experience, and we’re SO here for it!
However, like most things, there are inevitable disputes concerning any invention; the socio-ecological impact, economic changes, and all round progressiveness. On the surface, AI offers unlimited potential; its technical limitlessness can supply eternal data trends and predictions and increase overall efficiency. However, research by The Institute For Work notes a gloomier set of side effects, with AI’s over-utilisation laying a basis for complacency and expectation, and allowing authentic human interaction and creative strategy to fall by the wayside. This, paired with the dopamine-dependency feeding algorithms which are already altering our relationship with satisfaction by pumping digital immediacy through our screens, could be a cause for concern for the future of the physical.
When it comes to events and activations, the Wimpy Wonka escapade is now the poster child for the pitfalls of relying on AI and falling (astronomically) short of expectations. But was the Wonka experience ever truly going to live up to the expectations set by its use of AI marketing imagery…even if they had done a bloody good job of the production? Our guess is no, not without a huge injection of cash (far more than the ticket price could raise) and a massive team of industry experts behind the scenes, both of which are rare when it comes to activations of the scale that the House of Illuminati was going for.
We asked our in-house Graphic Designer for his thoughts on the matter (as the only one of us that frequently works with AI imagery). He said:
“Ai image generators can be an incredible tool, and for concepting it can open up the mind to new ideas. But when those images are making it out into the wider world, be that in client presentations or marketing comms, I think there needs to be a level of transparency; we need to make it clear when we’re using AI imagery, to set realistic expectations from the get go”.
And I suppose that brings us to our main question of whether continued exposure to AI imagery at large, but specifically in marketing, could adjust human expectation to the point of leaving people perpetually underwhelmed by what is achievable IRL? The question is beyond its beta; will AI foundate a new lasting meta-realm, expanding the human reach but leaving us unable to fulfil the needs of our wider senses? Or will the people wise up to the fantastical nature of AI and learn to naturally separate it from the physical, using both to fulfil individual needs concurrently?
The answer remains to be seen, and it’ll take much smarter people than us to truly understand the psychological and sociological effect that AI will have on humans, so for now let’s rejoice in the fact that 80% of people still prefer in-person events, 86.4% of event organisers intend to maintain/increase the number of in-person activations they run in 2024, and by 2028, the global value of the events industry is expected to reach $2.2 trillion (compared to $887 billion in 2020)...so it seems like our jobs are safe for now!
We’re not the first to write about it, and I’m certain we won’t be the last…but all of this Wonka-Gate brouhaha roused so much discussion amongst the EDNAEDNA team that we had to put our two-pence in…
With its promise of captivating guests with a “universe where confectionary dreams are brought to life”, promoted with fantastical visuals generated by Artificial Intelligence software, the campaign consisted of saturated, candy-covered adverts and a rather plastic feeling website (sprinkled with faux pas). And although the event comms suggested high end production, the reality turned out to be the stuff of every event producer's nightmares…floppy backdrops, single jelly beans and an entourage of crude (and slightly cursed) caricatures. As the toddlers shrieks echoed through Glasgow, it’s not all that surprising that the angry mob of parents called the Fuzz!
Ok, ok, enough negging on the event itself…what we actually ended up talking about once the meme’s died down was that, in all its hilarity, Wonka-Gate gave way to an interesting debate on the use of AI in the marketing of real world activations.
The marketing world has been branching into experiential AI for some time, with groundbreaking cross platform creations like the Jacquemus handbag-mobiles and Maybelline's towering mascara wands garnering internet gawps and worldwide attention. CGI video artist Ian Padgham discussed with Creative Review that the public has a “huge fascination with what is true and what is not”, and our evolving infatuation with hyper-realistic simulation has stimulated the new media trend ‘faux OOH’ (FOOH). This emergence of ‘blended tech’ combines public attention, creative partnerships and the adjacency of second screens/interfaces.
And then there’s AI combined with IRL activations, which are opening up a whole world of new possibilities! Deeper diving activations such as TeamLabs ‘Borderless’ are redefining the physical frame with their immersive digital museum, and then there’s ‘Google Flowers’, which integrate machine-learning and, in turn, blossom in response to the footfall below. Endless inspiring examples demonstrate the capabilities and varied scope of blended-tech utilisation, whilst still prioritising the human experience, and we’re SO here for it!
However, like most things, there are inevitable disputes concerning any invention; the socio-ecological impact, economic changes, and all round progressiveness. On the surface, AI offers unlimited potential; its technical limitlessness can supply eternal data trends and predictions and increase overall efficiency. However, research by The Institute For Work notes a gloomier set of side effects, with AI’s over-utilisation laying a basis for complacency and expectation, and allowing authentic human interaction and creative strategy to fall by the wayside. This, paired with the dopamine-dependency feeding algorithms which are already altering our relationship with satisfaction by pumping digital immediacy through our screens, could be a cause for concern for the future of the physical.
When it comes to events and activations, the Wimpy Wonka escapade is now the poster child for the pitfalls of relying on AI and falling (astronomically) short of expectations. But was the Wonka experience ever truly going to live up to the expectations set by its use of AI marketing imagery…even if they had done a bloody good job of the production? Our guess is no, not without a huge injection of cash (far more than the ticket price could raise) and a massive team of industry experts behind the scenes, both of which are rare when it comes to activations of the scale that the House of Illuminati was going for.
We asked our in-house Graphic Designer for his thoughts on the matter (as the only one of us that frequently works with AI imagery). He said:
“Ai image generators can be an incredible tool, and for concepting it can open up the mind to new ideas. But when those images are making it out into the wider world, be that in client presentations or marketing comms, I think there needs to be a level of transparency; we need to make it clear when we’re using AI imagery, to set realistic expectations from the get go”.
And I suppose that brings us to our main question of whether continued exposure to AI imagery at large, but specifically in marketing, could adjust human expectation to the point of leaving people perpetually underwhelmed by what is achievable IRL? The question is beyond its beta; will AI foundate a new lasting meta-realm, expanding the human reach but leaving us unable to fulfil the needs of our wider senses? Or will the people wise up to the fantastical nature of AI and learn to naturally separate it from the physical, using both to fulfil individual needs concurrently?
The answer remains to be seen, and it’ll take much smarter people than us to truly understand the psychological and sociological effect that AI will have on humans, so for now let’s rejoice in the fact that 80% of people still prefer in-person events, 86.4% of event organisers intend to maintain/increase the number of in-person activations they run in 2024, and by 2028, the global value of the events industry is expected to reach $2.2 trillion (compared to $887 billion in 2020)...so it seems like our jobs are safe for now!
