Despite AI tool hype: advice remains relevant
Gerald Hensel from the AI-first marketing consultancy superspring describes in an interview with Achtung! CEO Mirko Kaminski, how he thinks about brand, strategy and AI as a system: with clear roles, standards and approvals. The "Jägermeister machine" case illustrates how innovation processes can be innovatively designed using AI.
What makes superspring special and what role does AI play in this?
We are three experienced marketing experts who founded our consultancy on the very day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The subsequent economic crisis initially kept us very busy. But with GenAI, we quickly learned how to go the extra mile for our customers in times of crisis. That was our pivot. Today, superspring advises companies AI-first at the interface of brand, strategy and artificial intelligence.
You have developed the "Jägermeister machine". How does it work?
The Jägermeister machine was a successful attempt to improve an established product innovation process with AI. We have worked intensively on how a creative process that involves entire markets and teams can have an even greater impact. Our thesis: humans and machines must work together in such a way that they inspire each other without getting in each other's way. The result was an innovation process that was itself innovative - and from which the first physical products have since emerged.
Besides the Jägermeister machine: What other AI applications do you use at superspring? What does AI-first mean to you?
We use many of the same applications that others use. The difference is that we are not just constantly trying out AI, but systematically testing it as an alternative to analog methods and networking it closely with our own processes. In this way, we have developed a good understanding of the interaction between man and machine at various levels. It is precisely this interaction that makes the difference in our AI era - far more than any tool that everyone is already familiar with.
How is this changing creative work - and what role will human creativity play in the future?
We are all in the process of finding out. There are some clues from previous transformations, but a lot is new. AI is a really big, transformative technology. Of course, the Gartner Hype Cycle also applies here ("not everything is eaten as hot as it is cooked"). Nevertheless, one thing is clear: creative value creation - and even more than just being creative - needs to be rethought. In the coming years, many jobs will disappear, but new ones will also emerge that we do not yet know about - including in the creative industry. In this mixed situation, human creativity will remain necessary, but will no longer be enough to stay on course on its own.
There have already been insolvencies of well-known agencies. In some cases, this was due to AI. When is AI an opportunity for agencies, when is it a risk?
I believe that most of the bankruptcies were less the result of the AI revolution than of economic stagnation. But of course: AI is initially a risk. Particularly for agencies that make a lot of their turnover from small-scale craftsmanship. It is often claimed that you simply have to be "super-creative" and then you'll be fine. But that's not true. The majority of agencies earn their money with activities that AI can do today or will soon be able to do. Without a good plan, this is a risk.
What attitudes and uses of AI do you currently see on the customer side?
It's like previous transformations. First the new technology is ridiculed. Then the young savages come along with lighthouse projects. Then legal and IT follow suit (it was almost the same with social media). At some point, the changes are poured into long project plans, and only later does real value emerge. I hope that the German economy recognizes more quickly this time: AI is a transformative cross-cutting issue - not a three-year process.
How is AI changing the interaction between strategists, creatives and technology - and also the relationship between client and agency?
When AI sits in the room as an independent player, you no longer need the rest of the team.
If we look five years ahead: How will AI fundamentally change brand management and communication - and what role will remain for agencies?
First the bad news: many agencies will no longer exist. They will not be able to replace their legacy structures quickly enough. 2025 to 2027 will be tough years for many in the industry. Some will find new niches and build new agency models - some compatible with the old world, some not. After that, there is likely to be consolidation. AI will continue to develop, but many maximum scenarios are propaganda from the AI bubble that we are constantly exposed to. Many things cannot be fully automated - either because there is not enough quality or because humans are still needed. Customer advice remains relevant. Even in 2030, a large medium-sized company from the Black Forest will not leave its briefing to an API. There is also the generational problem: if we replace all juniors with AI, there will soon be a lack of middle management and leadership. There are still a lot of eggs to be laid. I myself am convinced that technology is changing agencies massively, but the agency model will continue to exist - only in a new form.
