By Sahil Chopra
The quest for the most attention-grabbing and memorable campaigns is never-ending in the advertising industry. Among the most powerful tools that advertisers have is Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI). It is thanks to CGI’s extraordinary ability of building worlds beyond any imagination, bringing life to inanimate objects and even creating scenarios that could not be captured using customary shooting techniques, that this technology has brought a huge revolution in advertising. Nevertheless, like all other tools, it can have negative aspects as well as positive ones.
Pros of Using CGI in Advertising
Unlimited Creativity and Imagination
CGI removes real world boundaries thus allowing ad makers to create anything their minds conceive. The scope ranges from flying cars to talking animals. By doing so, brands can uniquely design their ads hence making them unforgettable even with their competitors flooding into the market.
Cost Effective Production
Despite requiring high initial capital investment on quality CGI, it finally becomes cost effective over time. Traditional methods may necessitate expensive locations; settings and properties while those can be digitally created by using CGI, resulting low production costs.
Consistency and Control
Every aspect of the visual elements of an ad can be controlled far better using CGI than any other method, and this quality is particularly essential for constructing predetermined images and aesthetics by brands. In doing so, directors can make alterations to their work not only fast but also without having to reshoot scenes till desired outcomes are achieved thus cementing its link with the brand’s vision.
Versatility
CGI can be used all across various platforms as well as media types including television commercials through social media advertisements even virtual reality environments. It is this feature that enhances brand recognition through different channels.
Overcoming Practical Limitations
There are certain concepts and ideas that cannot be realized or impractical by using traditional filmmaking techniques. Whether it is showing a product in space or displaying complex data, CGI makes it achievable in a believable manner.
The Cons of CGI in Advertising
High Initial Costs
For smaller brands or campaigns with limited budgets, this initial investment can be a significant barrier because the creation of high-quality CGI is costly, requiring skilled artists, advanced software, and significant time.
Risk of Unrealism
Even though computer graphics image (CGI) is capable of producing remarkable imageries; however, there remains the possibility that it might be perceived as exceedingly unreal or completely different from the truth. Such unreality could result in the absence of originality, perhaps causing people who are looking for true and believable stories to feel isolated.
Time-Consuming Process
Creating excellent CGI is something that will consume much of a person’s time. It may take weeks or even months to exhaust from the onset of a concept until the end of rendering process. However, this long duration may turn out to be a niche which is not appropriate for the fast-paced nature of advertising industry since its characteristic traits are quickness and agility around such environments.
Technical Challenges
The development of computer-generated imagery (CGI) in terms of technique tends to be very complicated. This is so because it can be time-consuming and expensive when a mistake or conflict occurs at certain levels. Consequently, keeping abreast of new platforms or systems remains another tough task for anyone involved with it.
Potential for Overuse
Advertising risks a generic appearance due to excessive use of CGI, making many adverts alike. This diminishes their effectiveness and ultimately leads to lower viewer engagement.
Finding the Balance
In order to effectively use CGI in advertising, one has to strike a balance. It is possible to combine the creative ability of CGI and genuineness of conventional methods to build adverts that are visually pleasing and emotionally appealing at the same. Whether or not to incorporate CGI in their campaigns should be carefully evaluated against their targets, financial constraints and customers by brand owners.
CGI is a very strong tool that if used properly and strategically, can take advertising to the next level though with some thoughtful considerations. All things considered, it is important for advertisers to critically think about CGI’s advantages and disadvantages and have a good knowledge of its possibilities alongside its constraints. By acting in this way, advertisers will be able to take full advantage of the capabilities of CGI but not suffer from its drawbacks, thereby producing exciting, captivating and inspiring commercials.
Sahil Chopra is the Founder and CEO of iCubesWire, one of the leading ad tech platforms. Views expressed are personal.