"In the Age of AI-Driven Advertising, Unique Content Is the Key to Survival" [fn People]

"Advertising becomes more engaging when there is a sense of contrast. For example, in 'Lucky Vicky,' the positive icon Jang Won-young is juxtaposed with Park Jeong-min, who is known for his 'annoyed' acting, representing negativity. Another example is the introverted Uhm Tae-goo running around a playground shouting 'Let’s play!' These ideas were born from embracing contrast."
These were the words of Choi Min-young, director at Dolphiners Films, whom we met at the company’s office in Gangnam, Seoul, on the 13th. The global Jim Beam Highball campaign, overseen by Director Choi, resonated with young people by contrasting the bright, hopeful 'Won-young mindset' with the realistic, cynical 'Jeong-min mindset,' offering comfort and empathy. The campaign became immensely popular.
On YouTube, the videos have accumulated a total of 6.5 million views, and when including short-form content, the number exceeds 10 million. The cinematic, drama-like direction heightened viewer immersion.
Director Choi remarked, "It was very encouraging to see the ad featured among YouTube’s trending videos," adding, "I wanted to convey a message of understanding and support for those who quietly persevere in this era of widespread animosity."
Choi’s next project also centers on the theme of childlike innocence. In a recent Google Play campaign released on the 17th of last month, actor Uhm Tae-goo, known for his introverted personality, enters a game world in search of his inner child. The campaign has garnered significant attention. At Dolphiners Films, known for producing unconventional advertisements, Choi continues to showcase his narrative skills in his own unique style.
He stated, "My first priority is to make the advertisement successful, and then I strive to infuse it with my own color. My experience writing scripts and making films has been a tremendous help."
While at Dolphiners Films in 2021, Director Choi won the Short Film Award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards for his work 'Vacation Event.' He is currently working on a feature-length script.
With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, there are predictions that the advertising and video industries may face a crisis. New video AIs such as Google’s Veo and OpenAI’s Sora are now able to produce short but high-quality videos. Since the advertising industry is often tasked with fulfilling client requests, there is a growing perception that AI could replace human creators. In response, Director Choi emphasized, "Without unique, self-driven content, one will inevitably fall behind. It is crucial to keep creating your own work and to develop the ability to express your own voice."
Director Choi believes that as AI technology improves, it is increasingly important to enhance creative and planning skills. He explained, "Although AI cannot yet execute specific or highly detailed instructions, it is rapidly advancing. While mastering AI tools is important, developing your own expertise and capabilities should come first." He added, "I believe it is difficult for human creativity to be replaced by AI. Especially in creative work, AI can be used during the idea development process, but the original concept should never be outsourced to AI." He cautioned that relying too much on AI-generated references can undermine one’s creativity.
Joo Won-gyu