ITC's Minakshi Handa: There is a need to embed Generative AI in early stages of creative journey

Storyboard18 caught up with Minakshi Handa, vice president - marketing, ITC Personal Care, on the sidelines of YoungGuns where she discussed India's creative industry, collaboration of human creativity with AI and a lot more.

Edited excerpts.

Are you bullish about India’s creative industry?

I am very bullish about the creative industry in India. It is very robust, so diverse, it has a great heritage and a global standing as well. Now, in the times of digital transformation, I think, everybody is talking about data driven marketing. We are talking about digital campaigns whether it is the personalisation of the content or whether we are talking about community marketing. In all of these areas, the creative industry has really evolved.

They have embedded technology into their creative processes into technology in a manner that they are not only able to deliver highly engaging content but they have also become more efficient in their creative processes. There is every reason to be bullish about the creative industry and I think they will evolve further in the coming times.

What is your message to Storyboard18’s YoungGuns and also YoungGuns across the board in the creative industry?

I think young talent are the ones who are really creating the change. And, we really need to empower and celebrate such change agents. My message to them is, first, be authentic and original. Second is, be brave and take risks. Third I would say collaboration. Because collaborating with others will also enable them.

What is your take on the collaboration of human creativity with AI? What is the future of advertising when you marry AI and creativity?

It is fascinating to see how AI and Generative AI are getting integrated with technical processes and creativity as well. The reason being that when we are integrating them in the initial parts of the process, we are able to see much more efficiency, and we are able to see the turnaround of creatives much faster. As we move into digital advertising, whether it is performance marketing or whether it is personalised creatives, the demand for speed and scale of creatives is very high. Hence, there is a need to embed generative AI in the early stages of the creative journey and I have seen the value it brings to the table. I think with the coming times the integration will only increase. Knowledge will only evolve further. It is a beautiful era that we are in and this will only go further.