How The Minimalist is harnessing AI, NFTs, Web3 to craft creative solutions for brands

In this exclusive interview with Adgully, Chirag Gander, Founder, The Minimalist, dives into the brand philosophy of The Minimalist, the exciting campaigns using AI, and the fast-changing world of creativity. With a focus on merging technology and creativity, The Minimalist has collaborated with numerous global brands, crafting thought-provoking campaigns and inventive solutions. He discusses their unique approach, challenges faced in the AI landscape, incorporation of digital marketing trends, and future plans, including the utilisation of AI models like ChatGPT4. Read more to unravel the creative journey of The Minimalist.

“We recognise the immense potential of emerging technologies and intend to form strategic partnerships with firms specialising in areas such as NFTs, Web3, hardware, and technology services. By embracing these advancements, we aim to stay at the forefront of innovation,” he says. Excerpts:

What is the brand philosophy of The Minimalist, and how is it reflected in the campaigns and the inventive solutions that you design for your clientele?

The Minimalist is a creative solutions group company that works with organisations globally to create thought-provoking work. Since 2015, the organisation has associated with more than 200 brands, including prominent ones like Coca-Cola, MTV, Google, L’Oreal, Airtel, and Tata Cliq Luxury, along with a diverse mix of multiple corporate, SMEs, and high-growth startups. The company specialises in branding and communications, focusing on experience design and digital marketing.

Speaking of campaigns, we have a reputation for running creative campaigns and working on design-driven initiatives as well as brand launches. A few of them are:

Digital transformation project for the new mobile app and website from Tata AIG, which took home many Gold medals for "Best User Experience" and "Best Website" in the General Insurance Category
The Beauty Company's #Untype campaign, which took home a Silver Sammie Award
Navneet Publications’ #HarDumConfident campaign, which took home a Bronze at the Vdonxt Asia Awards
#PehnogeTohSamjohe for Neeman's, one of the D2C category's most popular digital campaigns in recent memory
The Anand Mahindra starring ‘Zero Revolution’ campaign for Mahindra Lifespaces

Could you give some examples of diverse brands/ campaigns that have been innovative and driven by AI and have been able to tackle the brands’ pain points or challenges effectively through it?

In my opinion, Coca-Cola’s inventive journey has truly revolutionised the industry and redefined its future. In February 2023, they announced their collaboration with OpenAI’s DALL-E2 model and ChatGPT for marketing campaigns, following Bain’s partnership with OpenAI for marketing tools, earlier that year. Shortly after, Coca-Cola unveiled their AI-powered campaign, called ‘Masterpiece’. This groundbreaking ad took the world by storm as it showcased iconic artworks from history, seamlessly integrated with advanced artificial intelligence. The commercial narrated the journey of a Coca-Cola bottle through famous paintings and sculptures, providing inspiration to a thirsty student. The campaign featured renowned artists like Utagawa Hiroshige, J.M.W Turner, and Van Gogh, along with contemporary talents, including Aket, Vikram Kushwah, Stefania Tejada, and Fatma Ramadan. Additionally, the Masterpiece campaign extended beyond the commercial with 3D billboards, digital collectibles, and a curated gallery featuring the artwork and interviews with the contemporary artists.

In doing so, Coca-Cola successfully bridged the gap between traditional art and cutting-edge AI technologies. By leveraging AI in their campaign, they were able to create a captivating narrative that not only caught the attention of viewers, but also aligned with their brand values. By addressing the pain point of staying relevant, Coca-Cola showcased their ability to adapt and embrace innovation while staying true to their grounded storytelling approach. They effectively utilised AI to enhance their marketing efforts and connect with consumers on a deeper level, ultimately reinforcing their brand’s position in the ever-changing digital landscape.

With the ever-evolving AI scenario, have there been any challenges that you have faced as a solutions provider recently?

Yes, one of the key areas was to address the ethical considerations associated with AI technologies. We, at The Minimalist, recognise the importance of designing AI solutions that are transparent, fair, and prioritize user privacy.

We invest substantial time and resources in continuous learning to harness the full potential of AI and provide exceptional user experiences. We take these challenges to push boundaries, adapt quickly, and constantly evolve ethically to meet the demands of the ever-changing AI landscape.

What sets The Minimalist apart from the other digital and brand solutions agencies?

We aspire to be India’s most inventive company in the creative business. Our journey began during our IIT engineering days, with building a creative community on Facebook, aiming to create thought-provoking communication. It has since evolved into a creative solutions group company that has been working with brands globally to build thought-provoking campaigns.

Our strong focus has always been on merging tech + creativity, and we try our best to stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and advancements. Our collaborative efforts with such tools ultimately help us craft design-centric solutions. Our diverse team of 170+ young and dynamic groups of engineers, artists, media professionals, and techies are our biggest strength; they come together every day with a single-minded focus of creating something unique and inventive for our clients.

What are the unique digital marketing trends that can be witnessed currently and how have you incorporated those in your recent brand campaigns? What are some trends of 2023 that we can anticipate to stick around for the rest of the year and become a staple for the immediate digital future?

The digital design and creative tech space is witnessing a plethora of upcoming trends that are worth keeping an eye on. One such trend is the continuous development and integration of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies, which are revolutionising immersive experiences. Additionally, there is an increasing adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in design processes, enabling automation, data-driven insights, and personalised experiences.

The emphasis on minimalism is another prominent trend, focusing on clean aesthetics, simplicity, and intuitive user interfaces. Furthermore a rising consciousness towards sustainability and eco-friendly practices is also influencing design choices, considering environmental impact and the use of eco-friendly materials. Lastly, there is a notable shift towards embracing emerging technologies such as Web3, Metaverse, and undergoing digital transformation to create immersive brand experiences in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Our teams at The Minimalist are always keen on exploring these new-age technologies; towards this end, we hosted a Hackathon a few months back, and the second edition of it will be coming up soon. At this in-house tech event, our creative minds are tasked with re-imagining and finding unique solutions for an existing product or service using these emerging technologies. Some of the key highlights included use of VR for Exposure Therapy, a Web3-based fitness game and an e-commerce experience in extended reality designed especially for luxury commodities.

As a creative digital brand agency, how do you plan to utilise ChatGPT4 in some of your upcoming campaigns or strategies?

At The Minimalist, we believe that great ideas come to you when you have some strong human insights, which are then layered with a creative thought. As a creative solutions company, our teams keep experimenting with multiple AI tools like DALL-E and Midjourney to understand and experiment. While also using simple yet effective tools like ChatGPT, SlackGPT, GrammarlyGO to aid mundane tasks and ultimately shift more focus on creative thinking. We look forward to visualising new-age and award-winning campaigns for The Minimalist. With our video production team now widening its touchpoints, we aim to utilise platforms like Midjourney to create mesmerising story boards. In terms of some other use cases, we have been building a few custom AI models, which will be announced by The Minimalist very soon.

What is your future business vision for The Minimalist and your POA for the same?

Our primary aim is to foster collaboration with innovative technologists and invest in the growth of our technology division. We recognise the immense potential of emerging technologies and intend to form strategic partnerships with firms specialising in areas such as NFTs, Web3, hardware, and technology services. By embracing these advancements, we aim to stay at the forefront of innovation. In recent years, our video production company has achieved significant success. Building on this momentum, our goal is to more than double our business in the coming years. We are strategically assessing opportunities to expand our operations, with a particular focus on Bengaluru. While we already have a few team members in that area, we are actively exploring avenues to enter the market more aggressively.

Additionally, we have identified Delhi as a key location for our operations. We have established valuable partnerships with several clients in Delhi, and we are eager to strengthen these collaborations by initiating our presence in the region. By expanding our technological capabilities, forming strategic alliances, and strategically growing our operations in Bengaluru and Delhi, we are confident in our ability to drive the company forward and seize new opportunities in the evolving landscape of the industry.