Ogilvy Spain CEO: ‘AI Works With the Past. Only Humans Can Sell the Future.’

Artificial intelligence can scale promoting to at least one message per individual, but it can not substitute human creativity, in response to Jordi Urbea, CEO of Ogilvy Spain. He argues AI solely processes the previous, whereas creativity builds the future.

Urbea spoke with BeInCrypto at the Ibiza Tech Forum 2026. He deploys AI each day throughout main model campaigns. That practitioner’s view provides weight to his declare that emotion and shock keep human.

AI in Advertising Personalizes at Massive Scale

In an interview with BeInCrypto, Urbea framed his position merely. His job is to take a model and make it shine. Ogilvy Spain ranks amongst the nation’s largest companies and belongs to the WPP community.

He isn’t any skeptic of the expertise. Instead, he treats AI as a software that breaks an previous manufacturing restrict. Traditionally, a marketing campaign produced one movie, possibly two or three.

“With AI, I’ve the capability to create one advert for every individual.”

The economics help his enthusiasm. Retailers utilizing AI personalization report 10% to 25% increased return on advert spend, in response to Bain & Company. Roughly 65% of senior executives now identify AI personalization a main progress driver.

However, scale alone carries danger. About 71% of customers anticipate personalised interactions, whereas 76% really feel frustration when these efforts miss. That hole units up Urbea’s central argument.

Why AI in Advertising Cannot Touch the Heart

For Urbea, knowledge solutions solely half the query. AI can map what folks did, however not why they’ll select one model tomorrow.

“AI is 1000’s and 1000’s of knowledge factors and details about folks. That’s essential for analyzing what’s potential to make for every one. But to really contact the coronary heart of an individual, it’s a must to uncover the actual language they’re prepared to listen to.”

He then drew the line that anchors his total view.

“AI works with the previous, however creativity works with the future. That’s the key level.”

Academic analysis echoes him virtually phrase for phrase. A University of California, Berkeley research discovered generative AI works by remixing the knowledge it was educated on. It recombines historical past reasonably than breaking from it.

One 2025 paper goes additional. It describes a mathematical ceiling that holds AI to amateur-level creativity. Until a brand new structure emerges, the authors argue, people stay the supply of high-level creativity.

That conclusion touches a wider debate about human essence in an automatic economic system. Urbea locations himself firmly on one aspect.

“I’m fully positive it’s unattainable for AI to interchange that. 100% positive.”

His confidence has a sensible edge. Studies present customers choose emotional messaging as much less authentic as soon as they be taught AI wrote it. Engagement falls even when the phrases keep an identical. The restrict is about belief, not output high quality.

The Rose and the Chocolate Cake

Urbea defined the hazard of pure optimization with a home story. Feed an algorithm what works, he warned, and it’ll inform you to repeat it eternally.

“Imagine you’re at residence along with your associate, and daily you give her a rose and a chocolate cake. The algorithm says she likes the rose and the cake, so daily you give her the similar factor. I’m fully positive that by day 20, the message you’ll get is: ‘Okay, there’s extra to life than roses and chocolate muffins. Slightly creativity, please. Surprise me.’”

Advertising analysis validates the parable. Repetitive, low-creativity adverts endure wear-out shortly, particularly for much less acquainted manufacturers. Creative adverts, in contrast, put on in quick and resist fatigue throughout repeated publicity.

The knowledge subsequently mirrors his instinct. Optimization with out shock burns out, whereas creativity is what survives repetition. The similar logic shapes how AI now boosts advertising content with out proudly owning the thought behind it.

There is one wrinkle price noting. Newer analysis suggests advert wear-out can itself fade over time. Repetition is just not at all times deadly, so the parable marks a bent reasonably than an absolute legislation.

Urbea’s warning lands hardest on manufacturers that duplicate rivals. He believes imitation erases identification sooner than any algorithm.

“When everybody repeats the similar system, your model disappears. You’re an enormous ship misplaced in the evening.”

His prescription returns to first rules. Effective storytelling wants a definite voice, not a borrowed system. AI can provide the quantity and the personalization at scale.

The thought, the shock, and the emotional attain nonetheless belong to folks. As AI reshapes the workplace, Urbea’s break up provides a transparent take a look at for entrepreneurs. Let the machine deal with the previous, and preserve the future human.

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