Reclaiming Creativity in the Age of AI

Opening Remarks
Scott McDonald, Ph.D. – President & CEO, ARF

Keynote 

Computational Creativity
This presentation will explore and try to explain the creative capabilities of Generative AI and highlight potential limitations. Learn how consumers tend to respond to AI-generated creative content and understand the role of humans in the creative process of today and tomorrow. 
Olivier Toubia – Glaubinger Professor of Business, Marketing Division, Columbia Business School

WARC Trends & Approaches to Advertising Creative 
Humor is one of the most effective ways for advertising creative to engage consumers. For years, this approach was in decline. But evidence from Cannes Lions 2024 suggests it is making a comeback – and delivering for brands that are brave enough to try and make people laugh. This session provides data-led insights into the power of humor and showcases a few successful examples of this strategy in action. 
Ann Marie Kerwin – Americas Editor, WARC 

Panel 

Innovations in the Creative Development Process 
How have technology and industry trends changed the creative process over the last several years? Those trends include AI, precision targeting, and “agile marketing.” Panelists, whose roles include strategy/insights, creative, media and measurement, will discuss what has changed the most for them and how their jobs have been impacted, how insights help navigate cultural dynamics and how culture is impacting the moment and whether they work with or against AI in their day-to-day roles. 
Jorik Houweling – Managing Director, Strategy & Insights, VML 
Ben Jones – Founder, Sundogs 
Megan Skelly – EVP/Executive Creative Director, Edelman
Moderator: Eldaa Daily – Senior Research Director, Creative Testing,  Dynata 

Presentation 

Now You Can Stop Ignoring the Effectiveness of Thousands of Ads 
There has been a lot of handwringing about whether the introduction of AI into advertising assessment methods will undermine the value of creativity.  In Ipsos’s opinion the conversation about AI and testing should go in a different direction altogether. That’s because AI methods allow for a spotlight to be shone on all the LESS creative advertising we make – the hundreds and hundreds of digital assets that lack the resources and attention bestowed on their creative betters.  It’s all about the democratization of ad effectiveness. AI methods compare favorably in those circumstances where the alternative is doing zero research, not where the alternative is research with humans. Get a flavor of the impact when we focus on those ads we don’t (much) care about. Ipsos will share the results from testing they did with a selection of ads using their AI model. And challenge our industry to reframe the comparison set for AI testing approaches.     
Pedr Howard – Head of Creative Excellence, Ipsos North America

Lunch

Presentation 

Predicting and Perfecting Ad Breakthrough
Launching new ad creative often feels like a leap of faith. Will audiences love it, hate it, or even notice? While AI advancements promise to improve in-market predictability, is it wise to remove humans entirely from the process? This session will explore how AI, combined with human insight, can create better ad campaigns, predict performance, and ensure breakthrough results with audiences. 
Leigh Baker – Managing Director, Six+One
Tina DeSarno – SVP and Head of Ad Solutions, MarketCast 
Josh Goldfinch – Global Head of Customer Insights, PayPal

Presentation 

Google AI: A Creative Partner in Achieving Performance, Brand & Revenue Growth  
Balancing short-term performance marketing with long-term brand building is more important than ever. Google will explore recent research on how high-performing creative not only drives immediate ROI, but also contributes to improved brand lift, perception shifts and long-term revenue. Leveraging these findings with AI driven creative, media, and measurement tools can make the balance possible. 
Esty Gorman – Creative Effectiveness Lead, Google 
Danielle Perrella  – Head of Data, Analytics, and Measurement, Government and Advocacy, Google  

Fireside Chat 

Agile Creative: Moving RCT Proof-of-Lift to the Core of Marketing Operations 
In 2024, top marketing teams have rapidly rethought the foundations of how creative development is done, putting evidence of lift from RCTs (randomized controlled experiments) at the center of their day-to-day creative decision-making. As the old era of “performance” recedes into the past, with its narrow focus on clickthroughs and engagement proxies, get a glimpse of the industry’s future: with AI-accelerated creative development grounded in hard RCT evidence about impact on consumer demand. 
James Slezak, Ph.D. – CEO and Co-Founder, Swayable 
Scott McDonald, Ph.D. – President & CEO, ARF 

Presentation  

Cultural Effectiveness Council Presents: HI+AI: A Winning Formula for Creativity
Technology continues changing how we work – most CMOs expect to use GenAI to support new business models. However, AI can only be as culturally intelligent and inclusive as we are and there’s opportunity for improvement. In this session, the Cultural Effectiveness Council will explore the opportunity for greater inclusivity in GenAI tools often leveraged for marketing, focusing on insights from their recent CultureConnect podcast AI conversations leading executives in marketing, media, and tech. 
Sarah Fahim – Senior Strategic Researcher, VML 
Janelle James – SVP, IUU, Ipsos 

Presentation 

Putting Generative AI to the Test One Year Later: ARF David Ogilvy Awards Predictions 
The model Ipsos developed to explore the ability of AI to predict the Grand winner of this year’s David Ogilvy Awards now is based on written applications and creative elements. Find out how well it succeeded. 
Rachel Rodgers – SVP, Creative Excellence, Ipsos NA 

Break

Presentation 

Creative Authenticity: Empowering TikTok Creators for Brand Impact  
Delve into the strategies for leveraging TikTok creators to elevate brand impact and drive successful marketing campaigns across channels. Participants will gain insights into best practices for collaborating with creators and get a glimpse at the Creator POV. By making space for authenticity and creative freedom, brands can achieve full-funnel success. 
Vita Molis – Head of Advertising Research, NRG 
Nora Vulaj – Research & Insights Manager, TikTok  

Discussion

Pre-Testing for Olympics Ad Success with DICK’s Sporting Goods 
What does it take to craft an unforgettable Olympics campaign? Learn how DICK’s Sporting Goods used iSpot Creative Pre-Testing to refine their 2024 Olympics campaign creative. How did the brand resonate with a wide audience using emotional scoring to validate creative choices? How was the creative fine-tuned to ensure both inspirational storytelling and strong, recognizable branding? 
Tim Poellmann – Senior Manager of Marketing Insights, at DICK’s Sporting Goods 
Leslie Wood, Ph.D. – Chief Research Officer, iSpot.tv

Presentation 

The Muse in the Machine: How AI and Creative Work Together 
Yes, AI might be able to make many things cheaper, faster, and more efficient. But what if AI can also be an integral part of the creative idea? In this session, explore the potential for humans to collaborate with AI to produce captivating and award-winning creative that wouldn’t have been possible without it.  
Ilinca Barsan – Director of Data Science, VML 

Panel 

Three Perspectives on AI: Skeptic, Realist & Zealot 
Is AI in advertising an overblown, hyped-up bubble that is unlikely to realize its purported potential anytime soon? Or is AI the solution to many of advertising’s ills that will revolutionize the discipline and the industry – embrace it now or get left behind? Like many other things, both are likely true, at least to some degree. Hear from the skeptic, the realist, and the zealot and decide where you should be. 
Ian Pierpoint – Founder, Further&Further 
Ken Roberts – Founder & CEO, Forethought 
Moderator & Panelist: Steven Millman – Head of Global Research and Data Science, Dynata 

Keynote  

Measuring the Unmeasurable: Principles of Creative Effectiveness
Recent claims that creative has become a ‘science’ thanks to AI have triggered Faris. Over the last few decades, we have begun to accumulate evidence about how advertising works, generating generalizable implications for brands and agencies alike. However, what we measure changes the outcomes whether we intend it to or not. Is advertising art or science? This session considers measurement research broadly and provides tools, not rules, to help us make more effective advertising.
Faris Yakob – Founder, Genius Steals 

Closing Remarks 
Scott McDonald, Ph.D. – President & CEO, ARF