Welcome to AME's exclusive interview series, where we shine a spotlight on the 2024 AME Awards Grand Jury. These seasoned strategists are known for creating impactful results-driven work for prominent brands makes them respected globally for their award-winning campaigns. AME's award-winning jury panel includes some of the world’s most creative and strategic minds in advertising, marketing communications, and brand building from around the globe.Their stellar reputations and commitment to both creative and effective work set the benchmark for innovation.

2024 AME Grand Jury member Fredrik Gumpel has been guiding Lion & Lion with steady leadership since 2019 through its recent successful transformation. He brings a deep understanding  of diverse market dynamics coupled with industry insight and strategic foresight to the jury table. His transition from Chief Commercial Officer to CEO is a testament to his commitment to continuous growth and excellence in the marketing landscape.

Prevously Fredrik gained valuable experience at global biotech leader Novozymes, where he served as the Head of Business Development and Innovation in the Food & Beverage division. His strategic roles at Carlsberg Breweries across various European and Asian markets further underscore his adaptability to different industries and geographies.

In the interview below Fredrik shares his perspective on leveraging AI to enhance customer experiences, future forward trends and innovations that brands are using for 2024, and why effectiveness competition are important,

AME Awards: Why are effectiveness competitions like the AME Awards important?

Fredrik B. Gumpel: Creative effectiveness competitions like the AME Awards are significant because they affirm that advertising can drive substantial business impact through the purposeful display of strategy and creativity . Moreover, they highlight that advertising's influence extends beyond the commercial realm, serving as a potent instrument for fostering positive societal and individual change. Lastly, these awards inspire agencies to pursue campaigns that not only capture attention but also provide measurable advantages to their clients.

AME Awards: What future forward trends and innovations are brands embracing for 2024?

Fredrik B. Gumpel: For 2024, AI and the use of first-party data are set to be pivotal topics in the discourse between clients and agencies. Agencies are anticipated to craft impactful strategies in these domains, strategies that will contribute to business expansion. Growth is expected to stem from a focus on creating customer experiences that are not only more engaging and interactive but also highly personalized. Utilizing relevant technology to forge new and meaningful connections with consumers will be at the forefront of this evolution in 2024.

AME Awards: How has the use of data analytics and artificial intelligence impacted the effectiveness of advertising campaigns?

Fredrik B. Gumpel: Data analytics and AI have greatly enhanced the efficiency of advertising campaigns. They've brought about increased speed, allowing for the rapid creation of high-quality content that capitalizes on current trends. They've also introduced greater precision by enabling advertisers to target specific segments and their interests accurately. Furthermore, these technologies have led to enhanced efficiency by optimizing media spend and reducing wastage, which means more effective campaigns can be run with fewer resources. AI-driven analytics have the capability to help predict trends, tailor media spend, and guide the direction of personalized content, all of which can enhance the performance of campaigns.

AME Awards: In terms of conversational marketing, how do you develop and implement strategies that leverage AI-driven interactions to enhance the customer experience?

Fredrik B. Gumpel: In conversational marketing, our teams harness social listening and "social intelligence" to gain insights into how customers prefer to engage with brands and identify any obstacles they encounter on their journey to making a purchase. Leveraging this rich customer data, we employ AI to remove these impediments, thereby enriching the overall customer experience across all points of service and delivery.