Our experience: working with AI as a creative instrument

Two different campaigns, two different audiences, one common factor: working with artificial intelligence (AI) for the campaign picture. When should you choose AI? What should you be mindful of? And does AI actually replace the work of skilled professionals? In this article, we sit down with Mieke Prins and Suzanne Fillekes, campaign marketers at The Hague & Partners, and Sven Willemse, owner of the creative agency The Projects to discuss working with artificial intelligence.

When the potential of generative AI became apparent, Sven realised they had to make use of it. “Since 2023, at The Projects, we’ve regularly used Midjourney and other tools during the concept phase. These tools allow us to test and present ideas quickly and effectively without endless Photoshopping or reliance on available stock photography. We do find, however, that clients are often so enthusiastic about the presented proposals that they choose to skip photoshoots and instead further develop the AI visuals as campaign assets.''

Sven: ''While a photoshoot can deliver more realistic, human results, AI offers nearly unlimited creative possibilities. Additionally, costs are lower, as you don’t need a photographer, model, stylist, makeup artist, and studio to create what would otherwise be quite a challenging visual.''

Royal September

During the ten days leading up to Prince’s Day in September, The Hague offers ‘royal’ experiences under the name Royal September. The “Royal September” campaign was designed to energetically promote all these celebrations. Mieke explains: “Think of the unique Royal Walk, the Prince’s Festival, and other exclusive events, all with a royal touch.” The campaign image—created by Sven—became the face of Royal September: “the woman with flying hats.” Sven comments, “The eccentric hats are a media icon of this annual event. By tossing the hats into the air with a joyful gesture like confetti, we highlight the festive atmosphere in The Hague surrounding Prince’s Day.”

Mieke adds, “The model wears Victorian-style dresses, evoking associations with tradition, royal life, and classic fashion. The use of orange, gold, and green creates an eye-catching, versatile campaign image that can be used across many platforms. The palette also aligns nicely with the royal campaign colours Sven has established over previous years.”

Five Masters, One City

At the end of September, the cultural campaign “Five Masters, One City” was launched to make international visitors in Amsterdam aware of The Hague’s ‘Big Five’: Vermeer, Rembrandt, Mondrian, M.C. Escher, and Panorama Mesdag.

Sven explains, “For the 'Big 5' campaign, we explored many concepts. The winning idea with the binoculars symbolises the visitor on an art safari in The Hague, where they can see five world-famous Dutch Masters. The image is well-suited for adaptation across different audiences and various artworks. The head with binoculars has a pleasant symmetry and balanced composition, scoring exceptionally well in eye-tracking analysis. In short, it grabs attention in the chaotic urban environment, directing passers-by to exactly the right features.”

Positive experience

Suzanne, responsible for the Big Five campaign, praises the choice of AI imagery for saving time and reducing costs. “It was a great opportunity for us as we only needed one image that could be used across multiple platforms,” Suzanne explains. “We didn’t have to pay for a model or organise a full photoshoot, which helped maintain a healthy balance between production and media costs.”

Suzanne: ''The response to the image was also remarkably positive: “No one noticed it was an AI model.''

Mieke also reflects positively on using AI for the Royal September campaign: “The possibilities with AI are endless! Working with Sven, we developed a unique, fresh, and creative image for Royal September. Additionally, the ‘Royal The Hague’ branding style (used in previous years for this campaign) was beautifully incorporated.”

Craftsmanship

Sven views AI as a good solution for stylised standalone images. “But for a more natural look and feel, a specific setting, or characters you want to appear in different poses across multiple materials, the technology isn’t suitable. It’s very challenging to maintain consistency. AI bots simply can’t think.”

Mieke shares this perspective: “Don’t think you can create this image in just a few minutes.” AI bots and programs can produce oddities. “With the ‘woman with flying hats’, for example, we had to retouch the generated teeth to make a nice smile and remove a sixth finger.”

Sven adds, “Fortunately, there’s still work for talented stylists and photographers, and the ideas and finishing touches of an art director will always be essential.”