Eric Cruz, ECD of AKQA China, delves into the depths of how digital pushes and deepens the creative challenge.
Interview by Angel Guerrero
Years after the inter web first boomed, data configuration has become a selling point not just for techies, but even for agencies and the way they did their story telling. Data is not just words and letters now, unlike twenty years ago when people are just studying it, data is being fed to AI.
In the recent Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, ‘The Next Rembrandt’ won Grand Prix for the Creative Data category. According to Eric, there are two types of AI, broad AI and deep AI. Broad AI just tabulates the data that it is given, but deep AI really gets down on the details. With ‘The Next Rembrandt,’ it measured how Rembrandt draws an eye, the compositions of the face, how thick the paint is, and how it was applied. It also looked at the style, pattern recognition, then it predicted creativity. Although quite innovative, it won Creative Data and not Digital Craft because, according to Eric Cruz, “It was deep data but it didn’t show me how.”
There was a big debate on whether or not they were going to give ‘The Next Rembrandt’ the Grand Prix for Digital Craft. He said that in their category, experience, interaction, and how user interface would react online or not also had to be taken into consideration. With ‘The Next Rembrandt,’ they were never sure if it was really just a good PR stunt or if it was actually real but with ‘Because Recollection,’ it can be experienced by anyone with a simple click to their website.
People no longer just depend on how ads make them feel, they look at the experience it engages them in and how revolutionary it was in terms of how it was created. An example is the 360 video by Google called HELP and Eric opined that even though the video didn’t contain the best acting, the execution was the reason for all the awards it received.
“Creatives are meant to be built better now. From advertising to even the music industry, it’s just not enough to do what you’re doing before, you have to push the boundaries; experiment with new territories. That’s the exciting thing about the digital age, it’s unpredictable.” Eric stated, “Creativity isn’t just reserved for creatives anymore. Creativity is broadening what creativity really means. It’s no longer just about form and beauty.” And in an age where everything is in a fast-pace chase with change, you can’t just stand still or you might risk hurting yourself in the flow of the strong current.
