Advertising has come a long way from its humble beginnings with the printing press, evolving with the advent of technology into the highly digitalized industry we see today. One company spearheading this evolution is Waymark, an AI video creator capable of producing personalized commercials for local businesses in mere minutes.
Alex Persky-Stern, CEO of Waymark, spoke about the launch of the technology at the start of the year. "We recognized video as a massive trend, but it was still very difficult to access. As soon as some of the new generative technology began to drop, we recognized that as an opportunity," he explained. Waymark's platform utilizes AI to collate relevant visual components, script a test, choose assets from the business's online presence, and voice a cohesive narrative.
The process is straightforward: import business information, allow Waymark to generate a video based on that data, and then finalize the video. Hayden Gilmer, Vice President of Sales at Waymark, stated, "More often than not, we are tapping into people who have not been able to afford videos before."
Since its launch, over 100,000 businesses have generated more than 300,000 videos using Waymark. The company also recently signed a deal with Gray Television Stations, allowing Waymark's IP to be featured across all of Gray's local broadcast stations.
The rise of AI and its ability to analyze vast amounts of data has transformed the advertising industry. "An AI-driven ad creation like Waymark's enables brands to quickly, and easily, create hundreds or thousands of different advertisements that are tailored to specific audiences, media publications or environments," noted Dave Morgan, CEO of Simulmedia.
Traditional advertising production, with its stages of concept development, scriptwriting, casting, shooting, editing, and post-production, can be time-consuming and expensive. AI automates many of these tasks, making the process more efficient and cost-effective.
AI's potential in advertising is just starting to be realized, with companies like Waymark leading the charge. While the traditional 30-second spot may not be obsolete, the creation of these spots is changing, becoming more automated and dynamic.
