Bringing human ingenuity and gen AI into creative harmony

How MAS integrates Gemini into the creative process

MAS is an experiential marketing agency, and our foundation rests on the powerful concept of a “one brain” approach to creative work. Our philosophy emphasizes the value of shared knowledge and collective intelligence in crafting impactful experiences for our clients. As we navigate the evolving landscape of creative technology, Google Workspace with Gemini has emerged not as a replacement for human ingenuity, but as a dynamic amplifier of it.

Our journey with gen AI began in the fall of 2023, when we were working on an event focused on Gemini for work. Early access allowed our creative team to immerse themselves and explore the full spectrum of Gemini's capabilities. And because Gemini was already integrated across Workspace, we could experiment in the places we were already working, like in a creative brief in a Doc or a client presentation in Slides. From the beginning, we saw the enormous potential of working with image generation, especially during the initial conceptual phase of a project when we’re trying to visualize ideas for event touchpoints. Because AI is such a disruptive technology, it was important for us to discover its optimal role in generating creative work.

The concept phase: a collaborative playground

Today, our creative team engages with Gemini during the crucial concept phase of our projects. This stage demands fresh ideas, compelling visuals, and grounded research. Gemini acts as a helpful assistant in this process, allowing us to generate a wider array of concepts and support them with relevant imagery. We move between Google Docs, Slides, and the Gemini app, using Gemini to organize, refine, and ultimately augment our thinking. The multi-modal functionality within the Gemini app has been particularly beneficial.

To keep track of a complex set of inputs, I've started incorporating NotebookLM at the beginning of projects. NotebookLM is an incredibly useful tool for consolidating all the pieces of information that inform our creative approach. By centralizing key insights and data, we can query this information as we shape our ideas. Given our deep reliance on Google Drive for project documentation, it's easy to update NotebookLM with new materials, such as call notes and project schedules, creating a comprehensive project resource for the whole team.

Speed is a critical factor for all of our projects and we’re often on accelerated project timelines. Gemini has significantly accelerated our iteration process, enabling us to reach client sign-off faster than ever before. This efficiency doesn't come at the expense of quality; instead, it allows us to consider more creative avenues within those time constraints.

Prompting as a process, not a prescription

Personally, I prefer to start with a simple prompt for Gemini and then add complexity as I iterate. For me, the true value lies less in the perfect wording of a prompt and more in the  prompting process itself. While there's considerable discussion around the ideal sequence of words to achieve precise results, I find that a more fluid approach — with plenty of curiosity and flexibility — gets the best results. It's about establishing a foundation and then allowing the interaction with the AI to guide the refinement.

Redefining creativity and collaboration

Generative AI is fundamentally democratizing creativity, making it more accessible to people who might not traditionally identify as "creative," or who have found creative tools intimidating. Gemini has lowered the barrier to entry for creative expression, and it’s inspiring to witness that aha moment when people realize how easy it is to create and collaborate with AI.

For MAS, we see the integration of AI in the creative process as a collaborative endeavor, always with humans at the center. AI-generated output invariably requires human refinement. Our gut feelings and intuition — those uniquely human traits — serve as catalysts for AI outputs. We've instilled in our team the understanding that AI is not the endpoint of the creative process but rather a powerful "yes, and" that propels our thinking forward.