Creating a Revolutionary Approach to Advertising
Technology is changing every aspect of our lives. Advertising is no different. It takes a particular and unique mind to be able to combine science and art in a way that seems effortless and awe-inspiring. Even more rare is the ability to understand the way engineering, big tech, advertising, and art intersect, and then merge those concentrations to create a product that revolutionizes the way brands and their customers relate.
Unit 9 Executive Creative Producer Gilles Boisselet is at the forefront of this revolution, and he continues to help mainstream brands get creative with technology. Unit 9 is an innovative production studio that combines all facets of entertainment and technology to work with brands on avant-garde productions and products, and Boisselet’s creative genius has been key in the company’s international success.
Among the numerous projects that Boisselet has been the creative driving force behind is the FWA winning Intel keynote event that featured an impressive virtual reality concert from well-known DJ Diplo, the Cannes Lion and London International Advertising Award winning Swisscom Snow Drawing project that took place at the 2017 Alpine Ski Championships, and the FWA winning Virtual Influencers project, which allows brands to achieve better consistency by using 3D VFX influencers rather than real life humans to reach the public through social media.
Boisselet’s innovative contributions have been integral to Unit 9 maintaining its mantle at the cutting-edge of creative technology and advertising. With 262 awards, including 2020 Tech Company of The Year by campaign and 2019 Production Company of The Year by AdAge, Unit 9 is at the head of their industry, and Boisselet has had a personal hand in at least 30 percent of those awards.
With a master’s degree in pure mathematics, Boisselet draws upon his intricate knowledge to understand the conceptual aspects that go into bridging creativity and technology. Boisselet says this helps him “develop creative campaigns using architecture and gaming software.”
Boisselet explains that using architecture and gaming software allows him and his team to, “pre-visualize event set design and user experience prior to building the product. It allows clients to understand what they want to achieve cost-effectively, and it allows us to brief builders and fabricators with professional blueprints which save time and money.”
The Virtual Influencer ProjectOne is one such project that Unit 9 has been working on that will change the way brands advertise and how the public interacts with them. Using Unreal Engine, motion capture, acting, and animation, the project allows brands to create a virtual brand ambassador and leverage them in not only their communication but also on social media platforms.
Boisselet says, “[The] goal was to convert the emotional impact of natural social influencers into a virtual character that can speak out for brands… the way we communicate has drastically changed within the last few years. Social media is here to stay; to stay relevant and in-touch with their customers, brands have to communicate faster and more cost-efficiently than ever.”
The Virtual Influencer project is undoubtedly the future of advertising, and there’s a good chance that it is going to be one that every major brand in the world seeks out at one point or another.
“This new type of communication allows brands to build their engagement on social platforms without the risk of real influencers,” says Boisselet.
Using this technology, brands no longer have to worry about if the influencer they want to work with is available, or whether they have a potentially scandalous past that could come out and tarnish the brand’s image. Essentially, the Virtual Influencer gives brands complete control in order to say what they want to say. It also allows them to create content in 48 hours, an impressive advancement compared to the traditional turnaround with real-life influencers, which can sometimes take months.
Boisselet states that this amounts to “production cost efficiency and streamlining processes. Using a light and reactive editorial team who can follow emerging trends on the internet and joins the debate with their unique voice. Overall it is a way for brands to keep up on social content with methodology, goals, and building up their own channels like the entertainment industry does with franchises.”
Boisselet was inspired to develop the project after studying emerging trends within the fashion and entertainment industries where virtual influencers were pushing content on social channels, however, possibilities for long-term evolution were limited. With Boisselet’s Virtual Influencer project, the virtual influencer could evolve and grow with the brand and continue to put out consistent content.
“I was studying Unreal Engine, a video game engine, with a film director,” explains Boisselet about how the project began. “[I wanted to] merge social content possibilities and film animation techniques using game software as a film set. It’s inspired by Hollywood, Tex Avery, and fashion sustainability, like creating on-demand outfit orders from 3D digital models.”
Launched at the end of 2020, the Virtual Influencer Project has already garnered millions of dollars, with brands such as Lucasfilms, Stargate Studio, Audi, Balenciaga, HBO, and Microsoft already coming on board to use the technology.
“Gilles offers a wide range of knowledge of technology, entertainment, and marketing and a distinctive look into upcoming trends and future business opportunities. With somnambulistic confidence to spot upcoming trends and predict the future of digital entertainment, he is someone that leaves you inspired after each quick chat,” says award-winning director Maximilian Niemann, known for the film “Five Minutes.”
“Gilles added his vast knowledge about technology and entertainment in a mix with his thoughts on how tomorrow’s world will communicate to this project.”
One project, of many, that Boiselet added his “unparalleled confidence” and “vast knowledge” to was the Domino’s Pizza Hero app. The challenge was to create the ultimate pizza in the app store while outcasting existing games from the market from a visual and entertainment aspect.
Using Unity3d, Objective-C, and Xcode, Unit 9 and Boisselet succeeded in their goal as the app, with more than 300,000 downloads so far, was ranked the third most downloaded free app in the Apple app store.
Boisselet explains his role in the project, saying, “I cracked the tech to use and put the right team in place, which was a merger of 3D artists, software engineers, and game designers. For example, I identified how 3D artists and art directors can work to draw and create their assets directly within the game engine in order to enhance visual achievement without altering performance.”
Boisselet and his team at Unit 9 constructed a time management pizza game where the client can not only design their pizza but then order directly from Domino’s. Boisselet explains that this is an excellent example of how brands can use gaming as a universal language to engage and bond with their audience. Seeing the results of the product, Domino’s decided on using the game as a recruitment tool. To date, the game has resulted in 756 players being offered employment by Domino’s.
This combination of game, advertising, interactive ordering system, and recruitment tool, is how brands will advertise in the future. Boisselet is once again at the helm of technological innovations in advertising.
“I enjoy the thrilling and competitive industry,” says Boisselet. “Creative business is about winning using creativity.”
