The creative sphere in the AI era – how SHOTS works

  • 1 From freelance to agency: where it all began and how it all works
  • 2 If you don't have any questions during the briefing, it means you don't understand anything.
  • 3 Working with brands and “lathering” on customers
  • 4 Client expectations and creative requests
  • 5 About AI, new roles and the future of the industry
  • 1 From freelance to agency: where it all began and how it all works
  • 2 If you don't have any questions during the briefing, it means you don't understand anything.
  • 3 Working with brands and “lathering” on customers
  • 4 Client expectations and creative requests
  • 5 About AI, new roles and the future of the industry

Artificial intelligence is increasingly integrated into creative processes and influencing the approach to content creation. It is used both at the concept development stage and during production. As a result, AI has become part of the work of many creative agencies, including the Ukrainian company SHOTS.

SHOTS has been operating in the markets of Ukraine and Kazakhstan for 9 years. Today, the team is engaged in the development of brand strategies, identities and advertising campaigns for businesses. Among the company's major clients are “Morshynska”, Roshen, Dila, OLX, Kyivstar, WOG and others.

In a conversation with Channel 24, Petro Storozhenko, creative director of the SHOTS agency, and Maryna Martynova, operations director, talked about cooperation with clients, work in different markets, the transformation of business requests, the boundaries of creativity, and the impact of AI on the industry.

How did the idea for the business come about and how did you come to the agency format?

Petro Storozhenko: At the very beginning, everything looked like a freelance association. There were three people: a creative director with a background in copywriting, me, with an emphasis on visual communications and art direction, and a financial director with experience in account management and project management. Everyone has experience in advertising communications, and we decided to implement this knowledge in our own business.

At first, we didn't even fully realize that we were building a business: we were just doing our job, it turned out pretty well, and we were getting paid for it. But this format didn't last long.

At one point, about 85% of our total revenue was dependent on one client. When he left, we effectively lost the agency. And only then did we truly realize what we had.

This became a point of rethinking: we reformatted and began to systematically enter the Ukrainian market.

How many people are currently on your team?

Petro Storozhenko: Today we have 20 people. In addition to the core team, we have freelance specialists in AI and video content creation.

Some are more immersed in complex technical processes, while others complete quick tasks. The requests are very different and vary in complexity.

And if we dig a little deeper, what sets you apart from other agencies? And how is your approach to quality structured?

Marina Martynova: What sets us apart is that we are perfectionists to the bone in absolutely everything we do: both in the operational and managerial part and in the creative part.

Every pixel, every detail in every project with every client is important to us. We don't treat projects with a limited budget worse than expensive ones.

We invest equally in everyone. That's why even projects with a small budget are not perceived as low-budget from the outside.

Petro Storozhenko: We are very meticulous about details, because they really matter to us.

No matter how much we try to simplify our approaches to work, it doesn't work out well: every time, in addition to the client's task, somewhere in the subcortex lies the desire to surpass ourselves.

Therefore, sometimes we may even break even on certain projects. But this is a conscious choice, not a systemic problem: we build processes so that quality remains at least at the same level, and more often increases.

If we ask more about the work itself at the agency, what does everything look like: from the request to the result?

Petro Storozhenko: Project typologies are completely different. Sometimes we enter a project where we already have a strategic understanding of the brand's direction, research and market analysis are ready, and we build communication based on this data. And sometimes we need to develop everything from scratch.

Marina Martynova: Despite the difference in projects, the logistics of working with a client are the same for us. First, we receive a brief from the client ( a document containing the main tasks and requirements for the project, – 24 Channel ) and conduct a debrief ( this is the process of analyzing and evaluating the work, event or project, – 24 Channel ).

Here we delve into every detail, so such meetings last at least an hour, and often up to 3-4.

Clients have repeatedly given feedback ( feedback or response to an event or product, – 24 Channel ), that not all agencies delve so deeply into the product and market. After a debrief and a clear understanding of the task, we move on to the development stage: we form a creative concept, prepare visual and strategic solutions, and present them to the client.

After approval, implementation begins: this can include creating advertising materials, filming, design, and adaptation to different channels. Depending on the project, we work independently or involve additional partners.

Which stage of the work is the most important? The debrief, where you need to ask everyone questions and form a picture, or is it more about the implementation itself?

Marina Martynova: In fact, there is nothing secondary in every project. But if we talk about critical points, one of the most important is the briefing stage.

Hearing and understanding the task correctly is half the battle. We have had cases where a client came with one request, but during the debriefing process it turned out that the real task was completely different.

Therefore, it is important not to be afraid to discuss with the client: to gently draw attention to moments that they themselves did not notice, and sometimes even to disagree. The main thing: to synchronize in understanding the task and expectations from the result.

This is especially true when there are several levels on the client side: the marketing team, top management. There must also be synchronization between them, otherwise even perfectly executed work may not hit the target.

Petro Storozhenko: If you misunderstand the task at the start, you can do a huge amount of work, and everything will go down the drain.

We always tell our team: if you don’t have a single question after a briefing, it means you didn’t really understand anything. Any brief is an interpretation of the data by a specific brand manager.

Our task: to get to the bottom of things, understand the product, understand what human need it actually addresses, and, if necessary, question what the client considers obvious.

We had a case study:

  • We came to a meeting with a large client and during the briefing we began to highlight not only the product's strengths, but also its weaknesses, the very blind spots.
  • The client was so in love with his product that he wasn't ready to hear this. But every product has its weaknesses, that's normal.

In the end, we realized that we were on the wrong path: if a person is not ready to see the whole picture, it is difficult for us to build effective communication.

What other stages should be highlighted?

Marina Martynova: We don't work with clients who are simply looking for “hands” from an agency. There is this type of client, and there are agencies that agree to this: the client tells them what to do, and the agency does it without discussion.

We work differently. Budget issues are no less important than the brief. Without understanding the financial framework, it is difficult to build a solution that meets expectations. The same advertising campaign can be implemented for $10,000 or $110,000: different tools and channels are simply involved. Both options can work, but it is important to understand this framework before starting development.

Another important stage: agreeing on an idea or strategy, especially when there are several levels of decision-making and many stakeholders on the client side.

You need to actually explain the idea to different audiences: how you present it to the marketing team and how you convey it to top management or the CEO are different approaches. It is important to speak to each person in their language and clearly explain what will be the outcome.

You’ve worked on a variety of projects. To be honest, what’s usually the most challenging part of working with clients?

Petro Storozhenko: I don't really like the word “complexity” because every time it's more of a task.

And it lies not so much in the client or the brand itself, but in how the agency adapts to its rhythm of work: tone of voice ( the brand's communication style, its voice, – 24 Channel ), internal processes, specifics of communication and categories. The most important stage: integration on the first projects.

Every client has their own “dictionary” and their own areas not to enter. Until you know this, you rely on your own experience or analogies from other categories.

That's why the “grinding-in” stage is so important. There are situations in the market when cooperation doesn't work out simply because the agency and the client are from different worlds. And that's normal.

The main task: to find “the one”, those with whom you will be a complete match, that is, a perfect couple. In essence, it is very similar to ordinary human relationships.

Speaking of geography, you work not only with Ukrainian brands.

Petro Storozhenko: Our main foreign destination is Kazakhstan. After the start of the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian market faltered, and many agencies began to actively look towards Europe, the USA, and Canada.

We decided to move in a different direction and stay in a market that was clear to us. We understood that Western markets are a different speed, a different mentality, and different rules of the game. To work there, you need strong regalia, recognition, and most importantly, a deep understanding of the local context and culture.

And for creativity, this is critical, because we work precisely with the cultural context: we understand the consumer, their motivations, fears, and reasons for choosing a particular product.

Why Kazakhstan? Is it a coincidence or a well-established strategy?

Marina Martynova: This is how it happened historically: even before the formation of SHOTS, part of the team lived and worked in Kazakhstan. We understand this culture well, and in fact, the agency began with Kazakhstani projects.

At different periods, the share of these projects ranged from approximately 70% to 30%.

There are several reasons:

  • Firstly, there are brands that operate in several markets simultaneously: for example, OLX, which is present in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
  • Secondly, local businesses, startups, and IT companies that need strong creative expertise are actively emerging there.

In addition, the Kazakhstani market is currently actively diversifying: businesses are looking for new partners and are increasingly turning to Ukrainian teams.

How have clients themselves changed in recent years, i.e. their expectations, approach and workflows?

Petro Storozhenko: The number of communication channels and points of contact with the audience has changed, and this has affected the budget component.

If earlier the center of an advertising campaign was a television commercial, today a significant part of companies do not appear on TV at all.

We make many adaptations for social networks, platforms, and other media, and the requirements for creativity have changed along with the number of channels.

Marina Martynova: The planning horizon has also changed significantly. For many brands, mainly in medium-sized businesses, planning even three months ahead is already too long, and the maximum horizon is about a month.

If it was previously possible to work within the logic of annual or two-year plans, now it is much more difficult. The requirements for speed have also increased.

Everyone understands the context of war, so processes must be more optimized and faster. At the same time, quality requirements have not decreased: even with reduced time or budgets, clients are not ready to put up with mediocre results. The task remains the same: to work faster and more efficiently without losing quality.

Brands often find themselves at the center of hate because of their advertising campaigns. Is there a creative line that shouldn't be crossed?

Marina Martynova: In such cases, it is often about situational decisions.

I wouldn't consider such cases, that is, incidents, as an example of systemic communication of large brands. Sometimes the human factor simply works: a person doesn't add additional meanings and sees only aesthetics in the visual, not realizing what reaction it can cause.

With big brands, things are different. They already have a clear creative framework, tone of voice, and value system that cannot be left out by chance.

If you work within this system, you automatically take into account how the brand communicates and how it sounds to its audience. That is why systematic work with the brand reduces the risk of hate.

Petro Storozhenko: I would say that there is no balance in creativity. Objectively. It's just that very often people realize their creative ambitions, which go in different directions with business goals.

An adequate agency first of all directs all its creative tools to solving the problem. Our task: to attract attention, to convey the essence of the brand, so that it is retained in the consumer's mind.

And then it depends on the ethics of the agency, on its willingness to fight back against some “scumbag”. There is no formula here. If there was a clear formula with a clear limit on creativity, everyone would use it.

And as soon as everyone started using it, it would stop working, because everyone would be equal. That's the essence of creativity: you can do some “game” today, and it will really bring a super result.

Or it could simply destroy your brand. And then the question is how much responsibility you are willing to take for these decisions, and how much risk the client is willing to take.

It's no secret that you use AI in your work. What exactly does it do, and what can't it do yet? And where are its limits?

Petro Storozhenko: We recently spoke at a conference on the topic “6 myths about AI”, in particular, the idea that AI will supposedly replace humans.

It is important to understand: AI by itself does nothing. We do. AI can replace the technical component of the process, but it still all lies on our heads. We perceive it as a tool that covers the technical part of the work.

But professions where there is no creative component and only a technical one will gradually disappear. Even in our industry, there was such a position as a storyboard artist: a person who manually drew storyboards for advertising projects.

Today, we no longer have to deal with this role, as AI is taking over. The task for each of us now is to master these tools and integrate them into our work.

Marina Martynova: AI is a tool that provides answers to the questions you ask it. The main thing is to formulate the query correctly, set the task correctly, and interpret the result correctly.

In fact, we are entering a period when the answer is worth nothing. But the ability to ask the right question is worth its weight in gold. I remembered a post by a marketing director of a famous Ukrainian brand, who shared her disappointment: you open a letter and immediately see that it was written by AI, because it is templated.

If you completely turn off the analysis and the human part and accept everything that AI gives you as the ready-made truth, it is a problem. But if it is properly integrated into your work, it can be very useful.

  • The same goes for creative content. You can write a prompt ( a request or instruction that the user enters to interact with AI – 24 Channel ), take the first result and stop there, but then the final product will be mediocre.
  • If you approach this consciously, with an understanding of analytics, strategy, art direction, and direction, the outcome will be a completely different result.

Looking ahead: what new roles or professions have emerged thanks to AI in your company?

Petro Storozhenko: We have AI generalists, and recently a technical director for AI. This is a new direction, and we are now building a workflow from scratch, because it didn't exist before and no one knows how to work properly.

In parallel, we are actively looking towards AI automation of individual processes within the agency. The deeper we dive, the more we understand that within this process, individual specializations will emerge.

For example, some people are responsible for concepts, others for building the structure using AI. There are those who generate videos because they are well versed in the technical part, but are less skilled with aesthetics.

And vice versa: there are roles that require a more creative vision. All of this is now being layered. We try to involve the entire team in this process as much as possible.

If earlier art directors did everything by hand, sketched ( we are talking about creating sketches, – 24 Channel) , today we have no people in the creative department who do not work with artificial intelligence.

Strategists, for example, are using AI to gather analytics from open sources faster and more deeply. AI is present in almost every project at the internal development stage.

On a very average basis, around 80% of what we produce today is done in one way or another with the help of AI.

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