Earlier this month, dentsu took home the Generative AI Innovation award at the Microsoft Advertising Partner Awards in New York City. From collaborative workshops, to pilots, to product feedback sessions, trainings, panels, office hours, success stories, interviews and more …dentsu’s Performance & Activation team has been moving at pace building out a robust AI innovation story with our partners at Microsoft.
Dentsu recognized early the transformative potential of generative AI and partnered with Microsoft Advertising (MSA) to enhance performance, efficiency, and drive AI adoption. The initiative aimed to solidify dentsu’s reputation as an AI innovation leader, benefiting internal operations and client solutions alike.
The goals set out in the partnership were to:
- Boost Performance and Efficiency: Harness AI and Copilot to optimize productivity.
- Establish AI Leadership: Position dentsu as a pioneer through workshops, pilots, and co-marketing initiatives.
- Increase AI Adoption: Drive the integration of AI tools across global dentsu markets.
Key strategies included collaborating with MSA to develop innovative AI programs and combining Microsoft’s expertise with dentsu’s innovative approach to deliver impactful solutions.
Left to Right: Kevin Villatoro, Group Director, Partnerships - Amplifi US; Cara Lewis, Chief Investment & Activation Officer – Media US; John Fraze, VP, Paid Search – Media US
Implementation and results
- AI Workshops: Dentsu launched the first holding company-level AI Workshops in collaboration with MSA, reaching over 500 participants across North America, EMEA, and APAC. These workshops featured custom content and practical AI use cases, showcasing dentsu’s thought leadership.
- Copilot Pilot: As the sole US holding company in the MSA Copilot pilot, dentsu provided critical feedback that informed product improvements, leading to co-marketing opportunities and dentsu’s inclusion in MSA sales collateral and success stories.
- Co-Marketing Initiatives: including dentsu insights featuring in MSA blogs, sales collateral, and presentations, quotes from dentsu leaders highlighted by Satya Nadella, amplifying visibility and participation in Accelerate Roadshow panels in NYC and Chicago.
- AI Feature Adoption Tracker: developed with MSA to monitor and increase AI feature adoption, reflecting dentsu’s progress in embracing AI-driven innovation.
Ongoing Projects include the development of the d.SCRIPTOR AI tool for text ad creative end continuous collaboration on initiatives like Project GIA to explore further AI applications.
Through these efforts and now winning the Generative AI Innovation award at the Microsoft Partner Awards, dentsu has firmly positioned itself as a leader in generative AI, driving adoption and delivering cutting-edge solutions for clients and the industry.
Huge congratulations to the dentsu Performance & Activation team, who have helped dentsu lead in the Algorithmic Era!
