From new GenAI tools to bold ads and AI in marketing — October’s best in creativity, innovation, and strategy.
October brings a crisp edge to the year, a time when creativity seems to sharpen alongside the season’s changing colors. From innovative updates at Adobe MAX to Tesco’s bold OOH campaigns, this month’s roundup explores how design, AI, and culture intersect to create lasting impact. Here’s a curated collection of insights and inspiring ideas that challenge the way we see creativity today:
- GenAI Updates from Adobe Max 2024
- Heinz “Smiles” Ad backlash
- When Design Meets Purpose: The Pan Pacific Orchard
- FOOH vs Branded Video
- Fiverr’s “Nobody Cares” video
- AI’s Impact on the 4 Ps of Marketing
- Tesco’s Bold OOH Campaign
- “Death as the: Motivator” AI Short
GenAI Updates from Adobe Max 2024 ✨
With every Adobe MAX conference, we get a fresh wave of innovation. This month’s event was no different. But as always, ‘les outils ne font pas l’artisan’ (tools do not make the craftsman).
The real shift happens when they genuinely enhance both productivity and creativity, and Adobe’s use of GenAI is doing just that. Here are some of my favorite announcements:
📹 Adobe Firefly Video: Trained on licensed content, this AI video generator is setting a much-needed ethical standard. In an industry that often feels like the Wild West, Adobe’s commitment to responsible AI usage is exactly what we need right now.
🎬 Generative Extend in Premiere Pro: Perfect for video editors. Hold a shot and extend a clip by a few extra seconds to sync with audio or make a seamless transition.
🎨 Project Concept: For creative teams, this tool enables real-time ideation by remixing textures, forms, and styles, helping explore and communicate ideas early in the process. I can’t wait to try this one.
🔄 Project Turntable: The promise of this one is to let you rotate 2D vectors as if they were 3D — a game changer if it lives up to expectations.
These tools go one step further in helping us focus more on what truly matters — ideas and concepts — while streamlining production for more creative and impactful campaigns.
Heinz “Smiles” Ad backlash
Heinz is tapping into the Halloween spirit with their devilish ketchup smiles, just in time for spooky season and the upcoming Joker 2 release.
What was meant to be a playful nod to pop culture received backlash on social media, with some people pointing out that the spot featuring the black person resembled imagery from Minstrel blackface ads, which carries a painful history in American culture.
Being from outside the U.S., I didn’t make that connection myself, especially since the campaign features multiple individuals. But it’s a reminder of how cultural context shapes interpretation and why brands need to consider diverse perspectives when crafting campaigns.
When Design Meets Purpose: The Pan Pacific Orchard
Design isn’t just about how things look — whether it’s a building or a digital interface, it’s about creating a meaningful experience that’s both innovative and functional.
The Pan Pacific Orchard, recently crowned the World’s Best Tall Building of 2024 by Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), is a brilliant example. Each terrace theme — Forest, Beach, Garden, and Cloud — not only adds beauty but serves a purpose. They provide natural ventilation and foster biodiversity, making the building a ‘green lung’ in the heart of Orchard Road.
As Le Corbusier once said, ‘Construire, c’est collaborer avec la terre.’ (To build is to collaborate with the earth). The Pan Pacific Orchard captures that spirit beautifully, working in harmony with nature to create something both ambitious and purposeful.
Singapore never stops surprising me. It’s wild how elegant design like this feels almost normal here. It’s easy to take it for granted when innovation becomes the norm.
FOOH vs Branded Video
“Will the FOOH video we’re planning cannibalise our branded video on the same topic?” a client recently asked me.
Not at all, they actually complement each other.
For those unfamiliar, FOOH (Fake Out of Home) is an ad format that uses CGI to create illusions in public spaces. These ads are designed to blend into real-world settings, often causing viewers to do a double take.
💡 Different Goals, Same Message
→ Branded Video: Clean, educational, and focused on converting.
→ FOOH Video: Eye-popping, viral, and built to stir curiosity.
🚀 FOOH drives traffic to the branded video by generating buzz, while the branded video then seals the deal with clear information.
The more curiosity FOOH builds, the more your audience will want to dive deeper into the branded content.
No cannibalisation — just synergy!
Fiverr’s “Nobody Cares” video
🎶 “NOBODY CAAARES!” 🎶 that you used AI… they care about the results.
Fiverr’s latest ad, “Nobody Cares — The Musical,” has absolutely nailed the message every creative and digital professional has been thinking. AI is just a tool, and it’s what you do with it that matters!
Lately, social media have been flooded with flashy demos from so-called “AI gurus” — all technique, no substance. But as professionals, we know it’s not about the tool, it’s about how it adds value, tells a story, and serves a purpose.
As a creative director, I’m not gonna lie — I’m pretty ‘jaloux’ I didn’t come up with this concept myself! It’s hilarious, so spot-on, and exactly the kind of content we need right now. 💡 AI is reshaping our industry, but that doesn’t mean it should overwhelm people with flashy outputs. It’s all about adding value and keeping the focus where it belongs: on creativity and purpose.
Well done, Fiverr. 👏
AI’s Impact on the 4 Ps of Marketing
AI’s everywhere but what does it actually bring to the table in marketing? We don’t need more ‘look what AI can do’; we need real, tangible results that make a difference.
Here are 4 concrete examples of how AI is reshaping the classic 4 P’s — Product, Promotion, Pricing, and Place — and driving real impact.
Product: Nike tapped into AI to refresh its classic Air Max, partnering with Obvious Art to blend past designs with fresh ideas… très avant-garde. The result? A limited-edition release that sold out fast.
Promotion: Cadbury’s #NotJustACadburyAd campaign used AI to recreate Shah Rukh Khan’s face and voice, allowing local shops in India to make custom ads with him, minus the usual cost. The impact: 130K ads, 30+ million views, and 35% growth for businesses.
Pricing: Amazon’s AI-powered pricing tracks competitors to stay sharp. Interestingly, studies suggest that as more companies adopt similar algorithms, prices might level out — or even rise — due to ‘algorithmic collusion.’
Place: Amazon Go’s cashier-less stores offer a new way to shop. With facial recognition and instant billing, it’s a seamless, tech-driven experience without the long lines to pay.
AI is clearly moving beyond the hype of generating cat pictures for a while now and is delivering real, practical change across marketing’s core pillars, redefining what’s possible in our field.
Tesco’s Bold OOH Campaign
Tesco’s latest OOH campaign ditches its logo in favor of food images that spell out “TESCO.” It’s smart, simple, and might even make people smile as they figure it out.
But it’s also a bit risky. For people just passing by on a busy street, the message might miss the mark — or worse, it could be confusing (anyone think of the “O” for “Orange” instead of the “T” for “Tangerine” on the first ad?). Without the logo, some might even mistake it for another brand.
This is where choosing the right placement is crucial. In a setting with longer dwell time, like a subway platform, this ad could truly shine. There, it becomes a fun, eye-catching puzzle to solve while waiting for the next train.
Ultimately, this campaign is a testament to Tesco’s brand confidence, though it walks a fine line between being clever or coming off as an agency ego stroke.
“Death as the: Motivator” AI Short
“Death as the Motivator” is an experimental short film that mixes deep reflections on mortality with surreal, AI-crafted visuals and immersive soundscapes.
Inspired by Steve Jobs’ Stanford speech and Joseph Campbell’s timeless wisdom, the film sets up a unique contrast between a thoughtful voice-over and abstract visuals, leaving plenty of room for interpretation.
With no main character, it invites you to step in and reflect on what life and authenticity mean to you. It isn’t about fear of death but about sparking a genuine drive to live with purpose.
It’s a visually striking, thought-provoking journey that challenges you to see mortality as the ultimate motivator.
👋🏻 I’m Rémy — a multidisciplinary designer and business owner with a particular enthusiasm for digital experiences.
Follow me for more posts on Creativity, Innovation, and Strategy. 🚀🎨
Pixels of the Month: October 2024 was originally published in Muzli – Design Inspiration on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.