Automation improving efficiency of advertising agencies but raises need for employees' upskilling

Dentsu’s Bhadkamkar says the workforce needs to be reoriented or repurposed based on the skill set needed. “We are seeing over the last two to three years that digital is taking the centre stage, and becoming the medium to reach out to consumers. So at this juncture, the investments in people are also from that aspect. So resources with data background or martech background become very important because that's where the solutions are needed; and we also are investing in. I think it's going to be critical for the existing staff to keep learning and evolving,” he said. 

Automation has helped agencies get real-time large data. An analyst only needs to look at that data to provide a sharp creative input. However, Pillai feels that we are a few miles away from machine intelligence replacing human intelligence when it comes to creativity. 

"Machine learning is still largely dependent on the data that is put into the algorithm. It's still an outcome of a thought. Creativity is an outcome that is far less measurable. So till the time robots don't learn how to emote, the human contribution in the creative process cannot be taken away. Technology and data will ease and sharpen the creative process, but humans will still remain crucial," he said.

Bhadkamkar holds the same opinion that technology will aid creativity. “Automation can provide data or inputs to creative ideas and provide much more options or decision points. Ultimately, human interaction and creativity will still remain at the core. The machine learning and technology may be involved, but to develop the final product creativity would be involved,” he said. 

Kumar believes that technology and creativity can go hand in hand and creativity need not bear the brunt of automation. Citing the example of their Cadbury Celebrations TVC for Diwali, he said that it was a beautiful combination of both and technology elevated the message. Though technology helped tell an engaging story, it can’t provide the human touch. 

As more and more agencies automate, there is a fear among agencies of being left behind or becoming obsolete if they do not adapt with time. However, Kumar dismisses this notion, saying that agencies will not by default become obsolete if they do not automate. In fact, he says that automation on its own will not help grow the agency. Instead it is the human capital, and how they automate in an efficient manner that will make the difference.

“So for the agency to grow, automation would be a part of the overall process. Just doing automation for the sake of automation is not going to change anything as long as the product output and the solutions for the clients are not there,” he said. 

Though Bhadkamkar also does not believe that automation is the only solution for agencies to remain relevant, he still feels that they will be left behind if they do not automate their processes. He feels automation is only an enabler and not an end in itself. The end is to get solutions to the clients’ problems. “It's not like a manufacturing unit that you set up the entire system and it just keeps on doing on its own. Because in our agencies, each product or idea is always different. Automation should enable that ideation. So automation would be an aid or an accelerator for that solution,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Pillai believes it is essential that agencies adopt automation, else they will become redundant as they will be seen as an agency that provides decreased efficiency. 

According to Pillai, automation eventually helps clients get a sharper and faster service without the risk of human error. “It allows you to capture a large amount of data in a really small time. It also allows you to dissect the data. This helps answer very pointed questions and benefits both the client and the advertiser,” he said. 

Bhadkamkar says with automation, change management and agility is of prime importance. 

“When you automate certain things, you need to keep evaluating it as technology evolves. There ought to be a process of reviewing from time to time. Automation does not bring rigidity, it helps in agility, and uniqueness and efficiencies,” he said.

Pillai highlights a resistance to change as the key challenge to automation, apart from data piracy and privacy concerns. He also feels that automation might just make people think less and depend a lot more on the machine. "People will get used to getting things at the click of a button. The key is to train the next generation to ask the right questions. We cannot afford to lose that curiosity," he said.

Speaking about the preparedness of Indian agencies to automate their processes, Pillai said that an inflection point is awaited. "In India, we have seen this across categories, technology takes time. But the moment we hit the inflection point, the uptake, the diffusion of innovation is really quick," he said.

Bhadkamkar believes Indian agencies are as ready for automation as any other global agency. “It's no different or no lesser. The challenges definitely would be different, as compared to European or US counterparts, but we are definitely much more likely to automate,” he said. 

However, Kumar differs with this view and feels India is still only scratching the surface and very few agencies are speaking about automation. “We need to look at this from the user's lens and suddenly we will realise that a lot could be done,” he said. 

Though automation eventually helps the agencies become cost-effective, it does involve an initial high cost. Kumar said they conducted the process in phases to manage the risks. They checked out its benefits with planning and then eventually moved into other areas. 

“There is a lot of initial investment required and it is just like any other capital investment. When we began automation, it was very new and I don't think any other agency had automated media functions before. And globally, I have not seen many. But the good part is that Wavemaker was very clear that the industry is moving in this direction and we wanted to be ahead of the curve. And hence, we need to facilitate whatever it takes,” said Kumar. 

Bhadkamkar says agencies need to plan for it as it is an investment they need to make from a long-term perspective. “It might not be just monetary investment, it may also be the time cost involved in that as some resources need to be developed,” he said.

While this can deter independent small agencies from automating themselves, Kumar thinks it's easier for smaller agencies to automate as network agencies have to follow a certain way of working. “Because we want to be sure in whatever we're doing. So it's easier to do it in independent agencies,” he said. 

Pillai says it depends on what problem they are looking to solve through technology. "Technology is a means to a goal. You have to understand what problem you are using to solve through technology and what the long term advantages are. Also tech need not always solve world problems, simple tech can make everyday life in agencies and for brands easy," he said.