DMA Convo: HSBC's Cheuk Shum on how to better work with AI-generated celebrities in digital campaigns

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Joining us in the debate on whether licensing celebrity assets using generative AI for novel digital campaigns is too risky or an opportunity for a new sponsorship format, is Cheuk Shum (pictured), head of marketing, wealth & personal banking, HSBC, who oversees full-funnel marketing strategies across the segment continuum to deliver brand priorities and business growth. 

As user-generated content featuring celebrity likenesses grips the internet, many brands seize the moment and leverage their connections with celebrities to make an impact in 2024, including HSBC. Its AI-powered campaign “Wealth Decoded” featuring Hong Kong comedian and actor Dayo Wong and "AI Dayo" looked to engage with a wider audience by delivering out-of-the-box ideas that leveraged the latest AI trend. 

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In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Shum said the campaign was part of HSBC’s commitment to highlighting its significant investments in digitising its services and offerings to the local community. 

“These campaigns, which utilise generative AI, demonstrate that we embody new technologies and showcase how these can be in how we communicate with customers,” he added. 

Cheuk said this campaign also opened up questions that drove conversations, including intellectual property.  “For example, who owns what in an AI-enabled production? Generative AI technology facilitates the creative process. The paradigm has shifted where the artist is no longer solely responsible for the end product,” he added. 

With the advancements in AI technologies, it is possible to create compelling narratives and visually stunning representations that can turn celebrities into superheroes. 

However, for a financial services brand such as HSBC, Cheuk said it is looking for consistency in its branding as well as in its spokesperson’s persona. “Who is Dayo Wong? This is a question we had to address before we could start working on an AI version of him,” he added. 

Speaking of how marketers can approach working with generative AI celebrities, Cheuk said honest representation and adequate ad control would be critical to guide them in using generative AI responsively, and the industry should work together and promote it. 

Click on the picture to watch the video!

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: Why did HSBC come up with a generative AI version of a celebrity in a recent marketing campaign? What message was meant to be conveyed to millennials and why was Dayo Wong picked?   

We are one of the early adopters of using generative AI in our marketing campaigns – if not first in the market. We are well known as the biggest bank in Hong Kong but we also want to let HongKongers know we invest heavily in digitising our services and offerings. These campaigns, which utilise generative AI, demonstrate that we embody new technologies and showcase how these can be in how we communicate with customers.

"Wealth Decoded" breaks down trends in financial markets into easy-to-grasp financial insights and actionable investment strategies. We used AI-powered campaign imagery and the use of an AI avatar to demonstrate the immense potential of machine-learning technology.

In this campaign, we got the AI version of Dayo Wong to get the audience thinking about wealth management, investing, and building a financial strategy for themselves and their families.

A team of technicians scanned Wong’s facial features through an intricate and time-consuming process. Additionally, an estimated 1,500 hours were dedicated to the AI voice cloning process.

While we adopted traditional shooting methods with our spokespersons in our past campaigns, this AI-powered campaign doesn’t require Wong to act. Instead, all campaign materials, including key visuals and voices are generated by AI tools such as Midjourney.

Among Hong Kong people, Dayo Wong is well known for his sharp wits shared in his standups – and we think an AI version of him sharing with our customers' investment insights will be equally well-receiving.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: What were the internal discussions like before launching the Wealth Decoded: HSBC x Dayo Wong Collaboration? What were the risks that needed to be considered and which teams were involved?  

This campaign opened up questions that we never thought about, and first, it’s about Intellectual Property. 

For example, who owns what in an AI-enabled production? Generative AI technology facilitates the creative process. The paradigm has shifted where the artist is no longer solely responsible for the end product. Technology brings something new into existence and our conventional understanding of copyright doesn’t exactly apply. So how do we create a commercial framework that works for everyone?

Secondly, does AI put authenticity in danger? AI expands the realms of creativity and it has the power to turn every celebrity into superheroes. But for a financial services brand like HSBC, we are looking for consistency in our branding as well as in our spokesperson’s persona. Who is Dayo Wong? This is a question we had to address before we could start working on an AI version of him.

Banking is a highly regulated industry so when we first have this idea we’ve business, products, legal compliance, and of course ourselves involved in the discussion. Intellectual Property is a key area of discussion, and other topics that we touched on included potential fraud and customer protection.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: What is your message to the community of marketers on how they should approach working with generative AI celebrities? 

For us as marketers, AI-generated replicas of celebrities could give us more flexibility and creativity in leveraging celebrities’ brands. Potentially, it makes our production more effective with significantly lower production costs.

For customers and audiences, generative AI celebrities also create brand-new and more entertaining experiences.

I’d say a proper licensing regime, honest representation and adequate ad control would be critical to guide us in using generative AI responsively, and this is something the industry needs to work together and advocate for.

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