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Dive Brief:
L’Oréal Groupe deployed Google’s Imagen 3 and Gemini multimodal models as part of its generative AI beauty content lab, dubbed Creaitech, to help its marketing team’s creative process and streamline production, the company told the audience at Google Cloud Next earlier this month.
The company’s marketing teams use generative AI to create new concepts, storyboards, packaging redesigns and to test product pack shots in various locations, according to Thomas Alves Machado, L’Oréal Groupe’s gen AI global content director. Deploying the tech to create initial concepts has also reduced turnaround times from weeks to days while trimming costs.
When making AI-generated content, L’Oréal said it has decided not to use the tech to create images of people for marketing campaigns or external communications. This includes refraining from creating “life-like” face, body, hair and skin images for its products.
Dive Insight:
L’Oréal has found multiple generative AI use cases across its brands.
To speed the workflow of creating content, L’Oréal describes an idea with prompts, so the tech can create visuals. Google’s video model, Veo 2, can turn images into eight-second animated sequences.
With a prompt like “Consider a L’Oréal Paris shampoo campaign” the generative AI takes the product shot and generates imagery to support the campaign, according to Antoine Castex, group data and AI enterprise architect at L’Oréal Groupe.
“We can easily customize the imagery for different markets,” Castex said. “We can take the same product shot and seamlessly place it in a Japanese garden, on a bustling Parisian street, or any other relevant setting, ensuring the visual resonates with the local audience while staying true to the brand.”
While the tool works for imagery, it will soon support video and audio creation, Castex said.
Brands and vendors have incorporated generative AI imagery into their suite of AI tools to create product images faster. In a campaign for its teen line, Mango last year used models made with generative AI for a limited-edition collection. Meta and Amazon have released generative AI tools for marketers allowing them to create image, audio and video advertisements.