Automated asset generation is necessary for large companies such as consumer packaged goods (CPG) firms. It lets companies respond quickly to their customers, even when the firms offer thousands of products.

This article illustrates the problems that firms face when having to create large amounts of content. It then describes how Newell Brands, a major CPG firm, uses Adobe Firefly for automated asset generation.

And if you think that only multi-billion dollar firms like Newell Brands need Adobe Firefly…read on.

How can firms maximize content velocity?

Over a year ago I discussed why firms need to maximize content velocity. A company that offers 1,000 products has to create more than 1,000 pieces of content. For example:

Each of the 1,000 products requires 25 assets, resulting in a total of 25,000 assets.

Each of the assets must be distributed in 25 global regions or markets, resulting in 375,000 pieces of custom targeted content.

Within each region or market, there are at least 10 audiences or personas that need individual attention. This dictates 3,750,000 pieces of custom personalized content.

This is not unusual. I have personally worked with companies such as Shimano and MSI with demanding content needs.

How can firms create all the content they require?

How does Adobe Firefly help creatives with automated asset generation?

Chances are that your creative staff is using Adobe Creative Cloud tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, and Adobe Illustrator—all of which can be integrated with Adobe Experience Manager (AEM). If so, your staff has access to Adobe Firefly, a tool that helps creatives by providing generative artificial intelligence (generative AI) capabilities directly within their applications. Examples of Adobe Firefly capabilities include:

Adobe Firefly generative fill assists creatives with automated asset generation.
Generative fill. From Adobe.
  • Generative Fill lets you select an area of your image and use a text prompt to allow generative AI to add detail.
  • Generative Expand lets you use the Crop tool in reverse. Rather than reducing the content of an image, Generative Expand increases the content of an image by using generative AI to fill in the details.
  • Generative Recolor lets you type text prompts such as “faded emerald,” “strawberry fields,” or “terracotta desert” and apply custom color variants to your vector artwork.

In short, Adobe Firefly speeds up the work of your creatives to modify and replicate new assets, all while remaining under the direct control of the creative professional.

Now let’s see why Newell Brands uses Adobe Firefly’s automated asset generation capabilities…and how Newell Brands uses them.

Why does Newell Brands need automated asset generation?

A few days ago Consumer Goods Technology published an article, authored by Liz Dominguez, entitled “AI as an Accelerant: Newell’s Strategy for Driving Expedited Innovation.”

Dominguez spoke with Newell Brands’ Melanie Huet, President of Brand Management & Innovation. Huet oversees over 60 brands, with a number of products within each brand. Because of the difficulties caused by Newell Brands’ outdated technology, Huet launched several transformation initiatives, addressing problems such as the following:

  • Siloed retrieval systems that made accessing files difficult; “if someone didn’t have the precise file name and location, it became a problem.”
  • The inability to access data by simple prompts, such as “tell me what we know about pens.”
  • The difficulty in sharing the derived insights across Newell Brands.
  • The need to hold focus groups early on in the development process, rather than using AI-powered personas in “virtual focus groups” at the early stages and validating findings with human focus groups later.
  • The need to spend weeks creating images in the ideation phase, rather than using AI-powered “text-to-images” capabilities that complete the same task in seconds.

In addition to saving thousands of dollars just from the insight sharing initiatives, Newell Brands benefits from much faster responses, getting products to market more quickly without loss of insight. “The company is finding that much of the human insight received matches nicely with what AI is spitting out — and AI gets it done in just a couple of hours.”

Why did Newell Brands select Adobe Firefly?

The transformation of Newell Brands’ processes required a drawn-out, lengthy process of testing and learning.

With one exception.

(T)here are moments in which Newell is comfortable simply leaning into AI investments — as it did with an expanded partnership with Adobe through Firefly AI….

With Firefly, says Huet, Newell had been familiar with the platform for over a year and had put a lot of resources behind it.

Now let’s examine how Newell Brands took this familiarity with Adobe Firefly and applied it to its automated asset generation needs.

How does Newell Brands use Adobe Firefly?

Adobe MAX is an annual conference that xxx. This year’s conference included a session entitled “Reimagining Content Creation for Real Business Impact.” The session, moderated by Adobe’s Ken Reisman, included representatives from both PepsiCo (Gatorade) and Newell Brands.

Newell Brands was represented by Grace Engels, Director, Creative. While Engels obviously could not discuss all of her firm’s 60-plus brands in her ten-minute presentation, she was able to discuss one product from one brand—Sharpie Creative Markers.

This is just one packaging option for Sharpie Creative Markers. Creatives require automated asset generation to support all packaging options.
One packaging option for Sharpie Creative Markers. From Sharpie.
  • Unlike the well-known black Sharpie markers, the Creative Markers are available in multiple colors.
  • They are also available with multiple tips, including both brush and bullet tips.
  • Consumers can purchase the Creative Markers in 2-pack, 5-pack, and 12-pack assortments.
  • When Newell Brands creates Sharpie Creative Markers collateral for the walmart.com website, Newell Brands must create the collateral in 8 different sizes.
  • And, of course, other online and in-store retailers require collateral also.

So this single product requires hundreds, if not thousands, of pieces of collateral.

And as you probably know, there are a LOT of Sharpie products.

And there are many other brands, ranging from Paper Mate to Yankee Candle to Elmer’s to Contigo to Mr. Coffee…and many more.

It’s understandable why Newell Brands requires Adobe Firefly’s automated asset generation capabilities to create assets for all the products within all their brands.

But what if I’m not a multi-billion dollar firm?

You may think that only the very large firms like Newell Brands can take advantage of the artificial intelligence capabilities embedded in Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe Experience Cloud products, including Adobe Experience Manager.

But Adobe’s AI is available to all Adobe Creative Cloud/Adobe Experience Cloud users.

And KBWEB Consult offers the experience you need to implement these technologies on your firm’s website. We understand these and related technologies, and we follow a structured process to implement them on your website.

Does your firm want to speed your processes and convert customers more quickly? If so, schedule a free meeting with KBWEB Consult to discuss your needs and how we can satisfy them.