ADGEEK
Creative technology’s advantage beyond access to AI tools
Laurent Thevenet discusses how Publicis embeds technology in creative work, arguing that culture, structure and taste matter alongside tools, regional capabilities and local market understanding.
The conversation
On Episode 27 of The Indian AdGeek, Vishal Mehra sits down with Laurent Thevenet, Head of Creative Technology APAC, Publicis Groupe.
What does creative tech actually look like inside a large agency network? Laurent talks about how AI is being used in day-to-day creative work, where it adds the most value, what still needs to stay “technologically inefficient", and why the real moat is not just tools but culture, structure, and taste.
Also, APAC’s most underrated innovation pockets, the rise of India as a creative-tech force, & the technologies that may matter even more than AI in the years ahead.
📺 Why AI is a foundational utility rather than a differentiating competitive moat
📺 How Le Pub and Le Collective are discarding traditional agency models to make tech an organic reflex rather than a final layer
📺 Centralising tech capability in Singapore without losing the hyper-local cultural nuances of markets like India, Vietnam, and Indonesia. (Plus, a shoutout to the incredible work coming out of Leo Burnett Mumbai!)
📺 Why advertising is currently underestimating the physical web (Apple Glasses) and why quantum computing, not AI - will be the next massive technological leap
📺 Laurent's top creative tech bets and hiring advice for independent agency founders looking to survive the next 12 to 24 months