Créativité, IA et nouvelles règles du jeu : trois Alumni face aux professionnels de demain
Artificial intelligence is redefining professions, advertising is reinventing its norms, and creativity has never been more strategic. But in this rapidly changing industry, what role remains for humans?
It was around this question that three alumni—Olivier Guetta, Claire Varlet, and Pierre Bellefleur—came to share their experiences and exchange perspectives with IIM’s first-year master’s students at the start of the academic year.
Iconic advertising campaigns, a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process in the age of AI, new challenges facing businesses, and reflections on the role of advertising in society. Three complementary presentations to take the pulse of an industry that is rapidly reinventing itself.
AI changes the tools, not the ingredients of a great idea
What makes an ad memorable? For Olivier Guetta (IIM 2012), Director of Generative AI & Creative Intelligence at L’Oréal, the answer lies neither in the budget nor in the technology, but above all in the power of the idea.
From L’Oréal’s iconic “Because I’m Worth It” to the viral CeraVe campaign featuring Michael Cera, he took students behind the scenes of advertising creation, highlighting what makes a campaign powerful: a strong message, a deep understanding of the brand, and, above all, emotion.
But while the fundamentals remain the same, the ways we create are undergoing a true revolution.
Virtual production, AI-generated environments, real-time adjustments… Olivier presented the new possibilities offered by generative AI, which is transforming both campaign production and collaboration between creative and business teams.
Production is becoming more agile, timelines are shrinking, and content can be adapted to different markets, cultures, or seasons. This transformation was illustrated by a sneak peek at an excerpt from a commercial featuring L’Oréal, YSL, and Google.
However, innovation must not replace expertise. At L’Oréal, the principle “No skin, no hair, no GenAI” sets a clear limit on the use of artificial intelligence to represent skin and hair.
The challenge, then, is not simply to produce content faster or at a lower cost, but to use these new technologies to create stories that would have been impossible to tell before.
An Alumnus to follow!
In the face of AI, what skills will truly make a difference?
What if AI were to transform not only our tools, but also each person’s role within the company?
This is the question raised by Claire Varlet (IIM 2017), Insights Center Manager at KPMG France.
To kick off the discussion, she invited students to envision their professional futures: if AI were removed from their work environment, how much would they be affected?
Behind this question lie very concrete challenges: process automation, the development of AI agents, data protection, cybersecurity, and the evolving nature of the roles entrusted to recent graduates.
The rise of AI presents new dilemmas for recruiters. Should its use be limited? How can we ensure that employees maintain a critical perspective on its results? And above all, how can we enable junior employees to develop their skills when certain tasks that traditionally served as training opportunities are now automated?
These are all questions that are forcing companies to rethink their work methods and expectations.
In this context, Claire emphasized the importance of skills that cannot be easily automated: critical thinking, the ability to challenge the results produced by AI, and, above all, empathy.
This message resonated particularly strongly with IIM students, whose curriculum places a strong emphasis on hands-on projects: mastering the tools of tomorrow is essential, but knowing how to think critically, ask questions, and understand others will be just as important.
This message resonated particularly strongly with IIM students, whose curriculum places a strong emphasis on hands-on projects: mastering the tools of tomorrow is essential, but knowing how to think critically, ask questions, and understand others will be just as important.
An Alumna to follow!
Can advertising do more than just sell?
Changing the rules of the game also means daring to challenge the norms of one’s own industry.
With his perspective as an independent advertising professional and an approach he himself describes as a bit “punk,” Pierre Bellefleur (EMLV 2012) Managing Director of La Chose agency, invited students to reflect on the role and responsibility of advertising.
Because the reality is clear: advertisers don’t always have a very good reputation. Yet behind the campaigns that fill our daily lives lies a tremendous power to influence. What if that power could be used for something other than purely commercial goals?
Through his experience at advertising agencies and several examples of socially conscious campaigns—notably in partnership with Greenpeace—Pierre has championed advertising that raises awareness, challenges behaviors, and conveys messages that go beyond simply promoting a product.
This vision sometimes requires making bold choices, even when an advertiser’s decisions no longer align with his convictions.
But how do you create a campaign that truly leaves a lasting impression, especially when resources are limited?
“Advertising isn’t a scientific formula. However, there are ingredients. ”
And among these ingredients, Pierre identifies two essentials: vision and emotion. Having something to say, knowing why you’re saying it, and finding the right way to reach your audience.
It’s another way of reminding us that creativity isn’t just about producing beautiful images—it’s also about championing ideas.
An Alumnus to follow!
New tools, but still ideas and people behind them
Technologies are evolving, and professions are changing, but creativity, critical thinking, and emotion remain essential assets.
Whether it’s pushing the boundaries of creativity through AI, rethinking the skills of tomorrow, or giving advertising greater meaning, the three speakers encouraged students not simply to follow the changes in their industry, but to become active participants in them.
What a great way to kick off this first year of the M1 program—with concrete insights into the careers that await them and a few assumptions to challenge!
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