Social Media decided last elections. Will AI decide the next ones?
Frédéric De Vries Frédéric De Vries

Social Media decided last elections. Will AI decide the next ones?

You may remember the headlines. Brexit happened because of Facebook. Twitter got Trump elected. Then there was the Cambridge Analytica scandal that allegedly massively influenced the American elections in 2010. Closer to home, the president of a major political party warned me 'we' would win or lose the elections on social. We, as in the advertising agency that was about to run their campaign on social. While most of these statements are at least exaggerated, the influence of social media on elections worldwide is undeniable. Now it seems AI will play a significant role in the coming elections as well.

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Brandtag goes green: steps towards a CO2 neutral business
Frédéric De Vries Frédéric De Vries

Brandtag goes green: steps towards a CO2 neutral business

[…] we all share(d) the conviction that climate change is one of the most imminent threats to human civilisation as we know it.

The more interesting question is of course: what can we, small business owners or freelancers, do about it? The answer is surprisingly simple ànd achievable: strive for CO2 neutrality. In this blogpost I tell you which concrete actions you can take as a freelancer or a small business owner in Belgium.

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Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Art Directors?
Frédéric De Vries Frédéric De Vries

Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Art Directors?

At the moment of this writing, a lot of creatives in advertising are attending the most prestigious award show in the industry: the Cannes Lions. Much like the Cannes movie festival just before it, the winners of the gold Lions get called on stage. And I can’t help but wonder: will an AI algorithm collect its Golden Lion next year? Because I think it could.

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BeReal: why I love Gen Z’s new favorite social network
Frédéric De Vries Frédéric De Vries

BeReal: why I love Gen Z’s new favorite social network

I’m sure you know it too: social media fatigue. Somehow, all of these promising platforms somehow end up disappointing you. Instagram and Facebook have turned into advertising feeds, allowing only for occasionally interruptions by updates from your actual friends. Linkedin tells me I’m the top candidate for a job of which I don’t even understand its title and the Twitter algorithm reminds me of Jerry Springer: it claims to provide you with a platform for an open discussion without taboos, but what he’s really looking for is a dirty street fight. Tiktok? Guess I’m just too old for that.

But I’m pretty excited about this new kid on the block. I think BeReal might be the app that really gets the Zeitgeist.

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Should advertising agencies build webshops?
Frédéric De Vries Frédéric De Vries

Should advertising agencies build webshops?

Last week, WPP launched Everymile: “a new fully managed service that will provide brands with an outsourced direct-to-consumer (DTC) e-commerce solution.” And just two days ago, Publicis acquired e-commerce software company Profitero. In other words, big advertising is moving into e-commerce. Why? And more importantly: will it work?

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Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Copywriters?
Frédéric De Vries Frédéric De Vries

Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Copywriters?

Rather than pondering over the question whether AI can really create meaningful content, I put it to the test. Except for this paragraph, the entire article - including the headline - was written by Writesonic AI Article Writer 3.0 (Beta). The only input I’ve provided it with, was the following question: “Can you tell the difference between copy from a copywriter and text from an algorithm?” In just 4 clicks (you get to chose between titles, introductions and paragraphs), it generated this page.

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