Content Is King, but Data Builds Empires
Agnieszka Krukowska, known by most as ‘Annie’, started out at Microsoft Advertising during the dawn of online advertising. Recollecting those developmental years, she reminisces about looking longingly at the lofty TV budgets, wondering if online would ever catch up. “How different is the digital world now!?” she says.
Transitioning from her early days in advertising, Annie shifted towards digital media and streaming, primarily on the product and innovation side of things. Throughout her career, she has been at the forefront of initiatives that have moulded digital media. From the introduction of Product Placement in the UK alongside ITV, to the first substitute advertising technology at BSkyB, she has a track record of innovation.
Annie has led digital accelerators at institutions like the BBC Labs and IMG Greenhouse, playing a pivotal role in propelling the industry forward. Not content with conventional mediums, she set out to push boundaries by producing news stories in augmented reality for the BBC. Amidst these milestones, she also found herself steering the launches of Android TV’s. Annie’s return to advertising was marked by expertness relevant to an era dominated by data-driven, ad-funded digital content. Nowadays, she’s overseeing operations and technology at Publicis Groupe.
In this interview, Annie tells us about initiatives that are being undertaken to revolutionise production processes and enhance client outcomes. With a keen focus on leveraging technology, she reveals the development of ‘PX’, an all-encompassing content management tool, designed to streamline operations and optimise content strategy across an array of platforms.
LBB> What aspects of Publicis Groupe’s vision and values resonated with you when taking on the role of overseeing operations and technology?
Annie> I really resonate with the global nature and top-quality talent of Publicis Groupe and specifically the production teams. This vast network is packed with expertise and talent, spanning from top-class creativity to world-class technology and data capabilities. These aspects really stood out to me.
I also love the culture of collaboration, where everyone pulls together around clients and internal initiatives, as well as the agile working structure that enables cross-functional and virtual teamwork.
LBB> You’ve now been in the role for over six months. What have you been up to?
Annie> My goal has always been to give our production teams and clients the next-generation tools to deliver their creative work in the most efficient way, and I can proudly say that that’s what I’ve been working on. I’ve been dedicated to this goal and as a result have been able to successfully roll out PX – our future-now, all-in-one, personalised omnichannel content management tool.
What’s great about PX is that it integrates all parts of the content supply chain creating the first end-to-end, fully integrated, content supply chain management platform that enhances operational efficiency, accelerates production timelines, and optimises content strategy for clients. With PX, we can facilitate cross-team collaboration and centralise management which improves quality control and brand consistency. We are also able to provide clients with real-time monitoring and reporting tools further, ensuring the success of their campaigns. In addition to PX, we have a variety of tools that form part of Publicis Production’s super-charged technology stack.
Our roadmap is full of innovative technology which performs over a layer of AI-driven data, all of which are designed to support our global production network across our key brands: PXP, our future-facing global production platform; Prodigious, our smart local network, alongside specialist brands, Harbor, Boomerang and translate plus. Naturally, these tools play a pivotal role in driving our clients' growth and impact too. Additionally, I’m excited to introduce other tools within the PX ecosystem, such as PX Perform, which is designed to optimise brands’ media performance through real-time creative content optimisation based on granular AI image recognition.
LBB> Could you share key insights or experiences that have shaped your approach to global operations and technology?
Annie>
Meaningful change takes time
I'm always mindful of how hard change is. Transformational thinking and activities are challenging to sustain in an environment where short-term results are prioritised over long-term gains, and leaders are incentivised to deliver short-term results over long-term growth. So even if small incremental rapid changes are essential to progress, authentic and meaningful change takes time.
Embracing the tech and AI revolution
Industrialisation has been pivotal in the world's economic development since the 18th-century industrial revolution. Mass-produced and technologically advanced goods and services have been instrumental in the world's economic growth. Now, we are taking it to the next level, transitioning from coal and steam to embracing AI across the industries.
In production, we steam ahead with automating content creation at scale, freeing room for the exquisite creativity that only humans can do. The highest grade of ‘made by humans’ content is possible thanks to the partnership with AI and automation. I'm excited that PX makes this a reality for us and our clients.
Innovation remains a vital component of long-term success
I've noticed that one of the most overused words in business is 'innovation'. Innovation is often run as an isolated project, an innovation ‘theatre’ treated almost as a luxury accessory, a seasonal PR story with no success criteria or commercial targets. While done well, it's a critical ingredient to the longevity and growth of any business. It turns new ideas into sustainably profitable products that add value to customers. It's great to at last join an organisation that not only recognises the importance of innovation but also executes it exceptionally well.
LBB> What can you tell us about how you have observed client needs transform in recent years, and what unique challenges are they currently navigating?
Annie> Economic downturns as well as the explosion of content and channels available to the end consumer impact brands' profit margins. Never have brands had to put in more effort to draw in customers, increase sales, and maintain loyalty. Clients are looking for solutions to work more productively and affordably because of this. Here, technology offers a solution, and our job is to highlight the advantages and assist clients in embracing the technological advantages that are available to them.
With tools such as PX, we can provide clients with a true end-to-end optimal solution, connecting the dots between creative, production, media planning and activation ecosystems, as well as accelerating omnichannel content production, performance, and personalisation. Furthermore, advertising and retail media technology advances are exciting, but high-grade, personalised, and innovative creative content at scale is no longer a unique selling point but a market threshold. And what I mean by creative is not just for creativity’s sake. Today’s content doesn’t just deliver eyeballs; it converts, harvests complex data, and is a persistent experience across channels. Content is becoming the absolute manifestation of all the recent tech advancements and should be perceived as a way to significantly improve return on investments. This is where creative meets production.
LBB> What do you think the production agency of today must look like to address these changes and challenges?
Annie> They must be tech and performance-driven, embracing innovations such as gen AI. They should prioritise investments in content automation and versioning at scale to free up bandwidth and time, allowing for more ingenious human creativity.
As I often say, while content is king, data builds empires! It's crucial to understand the performance of your assets, leverage advanced programmatically optimised media, and close the loop between media plans, production, media activation, and data-driven insights.
LBB> How is Publicis Production set up to achieve this?
Annie> Publicis Production inherited the Groupe’s pioneering spirit, allowing us to develop a suite of cutting-edge tools, including our all-encompassing content supply chain platform, PX.
That coupled with the Power of One motto means we are in a unique position to connect capabilities across creative, media and production with data, enabling brands to stop looking at production as a cost driver and consider it as a lever to unlock the value of content, from lower cost and better performance to improved media ROI.
