Social media and artificial intelligence: how can businesses stand out?

Through his experience at It’s up to you, Ludovic Chenaux advises businesses on their social media communications and digital strategy. In this interview, he shares his views on the evolution of social media, the keys to an effective brand strategy and the challenges of measuring performance. He also discusses the growing role of artificial intelligence in the communications sector, as well as the importance of preserving brands’ creativity and uniqueness.

Looking back, what were the most decisive stages in the development 'Up to you'?

In 2012, social media was only just beginning to make its mark in corporate communications.
It was yet another secondary channel, often regarded as of secondary importance, to which very few companies allocated a proper budget.
Our first crucial decision was to believe in it right from the start. We took a gamble that social media would profoundly transform the way brands interact with their audiences.

This early positioning enabled us to become one of the pioneers in the sector in Switzerland and to gradually establish ourselves as a leading player.
The second decision, which was just as pivotal, was to become and remain a pure player. Right from the start, we decided to focus exclusively on social media, without seeking to become a generalist communications agency. And we have never strayed from that course.
Fourteen years on, this is precisely what makes us strong. Our entire team keeps pace with the platforms, explores new ways of using them, analyses how they are evolving and experiments with new creative approaches.
In an environment that is constantly evolving, our strength has been to remain highly specialised whilst at the same time being able to continually reinvent ourselves.

What sets apart a brand that builds a genuine relationship with its a brand’s community that posts regularly?

I believe that the brands that are successful on social media today are, above all, those that have managed to clearly define their brand territory.
Many companies still maintain a presence on these platforms simply because they feel they have to. They post regularly, but without having properly defined what they want to say, the tone they wish to adopt, or the role they want to play within this vast ecosystem.
Conversely, the brands that excel are those that have established a clear positioning, a strong identity and, above all, a genuine editorial promise to their community. When you discover their world, you should be able to see what they have to offer. Why would anyone want to follow our account?
Every communication must have a purpose, offer genuine added value and form part of a coherent narrative. A brand must know exactly what story it wants to tell, but above all, why people would want to listen to it. 

How to measure the effectiveness of a social media strategy beyond views and «Likes»?

«Likes» are what are known as vanity metrics: indicators that look good but do not necessarily reflect the actual performance of a strategy. Everyone likes to see their posts generate likes; however, this does not guarantee any return on investment.
At Up to You, we start by identifying the goals that really matter to each client.
Is the client looking to boost sales, generate qualified traffic, acquire new customers or raise brand awareness amongst a specific audience?
It is on the basis of these objectives that we define KPIs and build bespoke dashboards. Every business has its own specific challenges: it would be inconsistent to measure all strategies using the same indicators.
Community engagement and growth remain valuable indicators, but it is important to know how to interpret them. The challenge also lies in distinguishing between what the platforms allow us to measure and the actual impact we can attribute to our actions.
Attitudes have changed: our clients are increasingly coming to realise that performance is not simply a matter of how popular an account is. Our role is not to produce impressive figures, but to measure what social media actually brings to the business.

What specific opportunities does generative AI offer businesses, and What limits should we bear in mind?

I see artificial intelligence as bringing about a structural transformation of our professions, rather than simply a means of producing things more quickly.
At Up to you, our aim is not to produce more, but to produce better and in a different way. The ‘I’ gives us the opportunity to rethink the way we work, create and support our clients.
I really like this idea: AI shouldn’t be creating on our behalf; rather, it should be doing the washing-up for us, so that we have more time to be creative.
We aim to automate repetitive, low-value-added tasks in order to free up time to focus on our true areas of expertise: strategic thinking, creativity and understanding our clients’ challenges.
We are also increasingly integrating AI into our creative work to enrich our thinking, explore new avenues and push certain technical boundaries. But our teams remain the source of the ideas: AI enhances their capabilities; it does not replace their thinking.
The main risk would be to confuse ease of production with creative merit, and to end up producing more content, but of increasingly little value.

How to maintain a distinctive brand identity and a genuine Creativity when the tools are accessible to everyone?

As I mentioned earlier, I am convinced that artificial intelligence cannot replace the insight of our creative directors and strategists.
Their experiences, their culture, their sensibilities and their understanding of brands enable them to develop effective strategies and unique concepts. AI can produce spectacular images or generate a multitude of ideas, but the difference lies not solely in the quality of execution. It lies in the intention and the idea.
I don’t believe that our value lies in what we are able to produce, but in our ability to know what to create, why to create it and how to give it meaning.

What skills will communications professionals need to have? Develop to remain relevant?

I can see three key skills.
Firstly, a genuine technological understanding: understanding AI, data, algorithms and automation, going beyond simply knowing how to use a tool.
Next, strategic judgement: knowing how to ask the right questions, interpret signals, question a proposed response and link a communication initiative to a business objective.
Finally, creativity in the broadest sense: curiosity, sensitivity, general knowledge, and the ability to formulate an idea and give it direction. Creative professions will evolve, but their ambition must not diminish. On the contrary, tools can free up time for imagining, experimenting and refining.
It also changes the role of managers. At It’s up to you, we strive to learn continuously, particularly by seeking input from external experts.
My role is not to build an agency that is simply proficient in today’s tools, but an organisation capable of embracing those of tomorrow.
The key factor will be our ability to keep learning.

We would like to extend our warmest thanks to Mr Ludovic Chenaux for the time he gave us and for sharing his experience and thoughts on developments in digital communication.

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