Aeri Park: You Can’t Win with the Same Creativity as Everyone Else
MADSTARS 2024, an international advertising and creative festival held in Busan, South Korea, continued its tradition of blending creativity with technology, featuring keynote speeches, workshops, and panel discussions on AI in advertising, diversity and inclusion, and the future of media.
One such speaker was Aeri Park, chief executive officer of Korean media agency HSAD, whose talk, ‘The Era of AI-Driven Marketing Creativity’, highlighted HSAD's commitment to leveraging AI in marketing creativity, aiming to become the leading AI-driven creative company.
Using AI, HSAD is pushing beyond traditional methods, unlocking new possibilities, and creating meaningful stories that resonate with consumers in an evolving business landscape.
Catching up with LBB’s Tom Loudon after the festival, Aeri emphasised the critical need for creativity to be universally recognised as essential.She also breaks down HSAD’s AI platform, which should allow employees to focus more on creative tasks, and DASH X, a platform Aeris says will foster collaboration between brands and creators.
LBB> In your keynote at MAD STARS, you discussed the importance of creativity in leadership. How do you think the role of a creative leader has evolved over the last decade, especially with rapid advancements in technology?
Aeri> As differentiation between brands diminishes, differentiation in marketing creatives will ultimately become a core competitive advantage. However, you cannot win the competition with the same level of creativity as others; creativity must be universally recognised as the best. The leader's role is to ensure that this high level of creativity is maintained as a source of pride for company members. HSAD developed the AI platform to enable members to effectively utilise new technologies and tools, allowing them to spend less time on routine tasks and more time unleashing their creativity.
LBB> Collaboration often drives innovation. How do you foster a creative culture that encourages collaboration across diverse teams and disciplines?
Aeri> HSAD is not limited to advertising but emphasises flexibility across various work areas, allowing creativity to extend across all customer marketing activities, including sales promotion, brand experience, brand collaboration, and media. Additionally, HSAD has recently launched DASH X, a platform designed to inspire corporate marketers through creative collaborations between brands and creators. This platform allows brand marketers and individual creators to freely connect, explore, and collaborate with potential partners.
LBB> As digital platforms become more dominant, how do you see creativity evolving in the next five to ten years? How should creative leaders prepare for this shift?
Aeri> The global trend suggests that traditional agencies that fail to adopt new technologies and tools will decline, while agencies prepared for the future have endless possibilities and expanding opportunities. Rather than restricting creativity to a narrow scope, creative leaders should be ready to drive their businesses forward, empowering their teams to innovate in a broader range of new and diverse fields.
LBB> What are the most significant challenges you face as a creative leader, and how do you address them while balancing creative freedom and business objectives?
Aeri> As new areas such as influencer marketing, live commerce, and retail advertising emerge, many agencies are positioning themselves as different from traditional advertising companies, creating new brand demands beyond the conventional definition of ‘advertising.’ However, as capabilities in these areas eventually become standardised, creativity and the expertise a company has built over time will become critical competitive advantages. We are incorporating and accumulating our expertise into generative AI, ensuring that our experience and creativity are safely preserved and multiplied through this process.
LBB> What advice would you give to aspiring creative leaders looking to make a mark in today’s fast-paced industry?
Aeri> I would like to propose an exciting collaboration with AI: a bold, unpredictable assistant with limitless potential.
