Geeks Get Cheeky

Creativity and technology are, perhaps counter-intuitively, engaging in a passionate relationship right now.

One of the main reasons Creatives are so enthusiastic about technology is because they always seek originality. They know that original work is more powerful, and new technology offers a constant stream of original ‘firsts’; things that have never been done before.

However, there’s a little fear in the background too.

The fear is that if technology should ever become perfect, then creativity might not be needed any more. If you can deliver an ad to someone in just the right place, at just the right time, then perhaps creativity isn’t so important.

For example, if you could deliver a Snickers ad to a hungry person just as they were walking into a convenience store, it might not matter if that ad isn’t Super Bowl quality.

And nowhere has technology felt less of a need to employ creativity than in the world of ad tech – the mysterious algorithms that deliver digital advertising to our screens.

But there are signs this might be changing.

To drive more people into its dealerships, Hyundai recently launched a highly targeted mobile campaign serving ads to people visiting competitor showrooms.

And more than 11,000 people visited Hyundai, subsequent to seeing the ad while at a Toyota or Mazda dealership.

This kind of thinking delivers a welcome quality that has often been a key component of successful creative work, but which until now had been lacking from ad tech.

 

You might call it cheek.