Marc Pritchard, chief brand officer at Procter & Gamble, warned marketers not to rely on AI and other emerging technologies for their ideas, but instead to use the power of humanity to unlocking the creative potential of everyday brands.
“Even with all the technology we have, the answer is not in data or algorithms,” Pritchard told his audience today at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity (June 18). “The answer is in the idea, which comes from the heart and the soul.”
In a speech titled “Finding Creativity in Everyday Life,” he spoke of the “exponential potential” of creative opportunities generated by everyday household and personal care products, but argued that only the human brain can generate ideas that cause “this physiological reaction”. when something really touches you.”
The “magic of a creative brand idea” only happens when “both sides of the brain work together to combine logic and feeling,” Pritchard explained. “Your spine tingles. Some call it the chills or goosebumps. Such a response cannot be sensed by AI, he said. “AI doesn’t feel the tingles – humanity matters.”
Referring to the ensuing debate over the future role of AI in marketing, Pritchard acknowledged that “we are at yet another inflection point in the creative industry with the next technological breakthrough available at our fingertips” . But sustainable growth is “only possible,” he said, “when we call upon the humanity we all have within us, every day, to unleash the power of ideas.”
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The P&G brand chief took the opportunity to highlight the creative power of consumer brands, which, he acknowledged, are “not the first products that come to mind when it comes to creativity.” Citing recent campaigns from Lenor and Gillette, he calculated that these products offer billions of “everyday moments” that are “rich with creative potential.”
Quality products offer endless opportunities to “dramatize the problems” caused every day by poorly performing products, from leaking diapers to failing detergents, he emphasized. “Think about it: billions of people with billions of moments multiplied by seemingly endless opportunities to solve problems with the most powerful everyday products,” he said.
“This equates to exponential possibilities for finding creativity in everyday life and enormous potential to delight people with innovation and creativity that drives growth and value for brands and markets.”
To realize these opportunities, marketers must follow a three-point plan, he said. First, they should venture into communities and witness the power of everyday products. “It’s about visiting people in their homes and where they shop, to observe their actual behavior in how they perceive our products,” he said. “It requires human interaction to get the true essence of a moment.”
Even with all the technology we have, the answer lies neither in data nor algorithms. The answer is in the idea, which comes from the heart and soul.
Marc Pritchard, P&G
Second, marketers should leverage these experiences and use them to identify their brand’s unique ability to solve problems. “It’s important to define how the brand delivers a tangible and significantly higher performance benefit.” Finally, they have to use their brains to form a creative and magical brand idea, like “Let the sunshine in” by Lenor or “The best a man can get” by Gillette.
Pritchard detailed a series of P&G brand campaigns that used everyday activities to make a cultural impact in international markets. Soap brand Safeguard used the annual Chinese New Year family celebration to engage consumers in the “wash hands and dine” ritual. Ariel helped change the balance of work in Indian households by encouraging more men to do laundry through a social campaign called ‘Share the Load’.
Speaking in France ahead of the start of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games next month (July), of which P&G is a global partner, Pritchard referred to the Olympics-inspired brand marketing that P&G carries out with more than 30 brands, focused on “everyday life”. small victories” for users of its products, including a Pampers campaign aimed at empowering “little champions”.
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P&G is also partnering with Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat production company to create The Other Games, a show that will air for 17 days during the games on NBC/Peacock. The content will feature “wonderful and somewhat ridiculous sporting feats with our brands that you too can try at home,” Pritchard said.
The discus event becomes the “Dirty Dishcus,” a dishwashing competition tied to P&G cleaning brands Cascade and Dawn, while curling morphs into the mop-based “Swirling with Swiffer PowerMop.”
All of this branding work, Pritchard said, is produced by human creativity “to make everyday moments more meaningful.”
