In 2018, the global communications consultancy of Spanish origin, Llorente y Cuenca (LLYC) set out to digitally transform the offer of services in six years. A mission with a double task: developing technologies and digitizing services, while the consultancy itself was digitally transformed to take on these challenges.
The task is led by Adolfo Corujo, partner and CEO of LLYC’s Deep Digital Business unit, which was created in 2021 and which today represents 35% of the company’s total revenue, present in 12 countries, including Chile.
“The information consumption patterns of media audiences continue to change systematically.”
The marketing and communication expert explained that this unit is a new line of business to promote the digital transformation of its clients with new technologies -such as Big Data, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI)- in the field of communications, with application in marketing , publicity and communications as such.
He commented that his unit has the goal of representing 50% of LLYC’s total income in two years, so that “beyond 2025” there is no distinction between the digital, technological or transformative of the conventional business, “said Corujo.
Regarding the digital transformation in the media, he pointed out that due to the market they have had to go to “forced marches”, like other items, which would be triggered by the business model of this segment, “which has been in check for the last two decades.
– What technologies apply to third parties?
– We apply technologies for communication, marketing and advertising, known as Commstech, Marktech and Adtech, respectively. We have large fields: data, with the extraction of patterns, prediction and the ability to generate training models; process automation, very important in marketing to automate business strategies with the client (CRM); and then there is generative artificial intelligence, which is using part of the data and automation capabilities to generate content structure and analysis. In this field, AI makes the work of creating, directing and modifying content easier, and it will be one of the areas of greatest development.
– The new unit is already two years old. What have been the lessons so far?
-The first is not to turn technology or the digital element into an end, because when you fall in love a lot and apply it to all your projects it doesn’t make sense. The important thing is the end: What challenge does my client have? Can this technology help you?
A second learning is the rhythm in which you have to achieve the transformation of a consulting services firm in its entire operation worldwide in the same way and at the same time, to deliver the same technological services in all countries. Then there’s how you manage to ensure that communication consultants who have worked their whole lives on this are not overwhelmed or overwhelmed by the adoption of these technologies.
media innovation
– Which have been the most advanced means of communication in adopting new technologies?
– The Guardian was one of the first to use AI to write articles in 2019 with GPT-2 (Generative Large Language Model), when no one knew what GPT was.
We all look at examples like The New York Times, which from a data visualization point of view is absolutely incredible what they do, because you can use Big Data as a tool, but the hard part is telling a story and the capacity it has to achieve it fascinates me.
In Latin America there are large media groups doing very interesting things, like . O Globo (Brazil) from the point of view of branded content and technology.
– And how do you see the digital transformation of the media? Are they on a par with other sectors?
– It is taking place at forced marches forced by the market as in the rest of the sectors. It is not the pioneer and the reason is probably due to issues that have to do with the business model of the media itself, which has been in check for the last 20 years by the digital world. It is not the one who is marking the initiative or proposing something new, but rather the people who are demanding something new. In that sense, the media have been a little more reactive.
– What worries the media?
-Many things and I think they still don’t have an answer. The information consumption patterns of media audiences continue to change systematically. At first it was social networks and now it’s Bing, Sidney or Bard at Google, so how will it affect people’s consumption of information if I can talk to an AI? How will the media react to AI given the role they have in sorting out what is relevant and what is not? We are all challenged and the media too.
