Adobe's GenStudio is not something I'd normally think of using. I sat through the Adobe MAX 2024 keynote and it washed over me - a marketing AI app, who needs that? Then I tried it for myself, and well... it's really good.
Artists are so focused on creating the art it can be hard to find time for marketing, you know, the boring bit that makes you money. That's where GenStudio fits in. Designed primarily for small studios to market product launches and brands, there's actually a handy use-case here for solo artists, indie game devs, and any small creative studio that needs to get noticed and fight through the mire of online noise.
My demo at Adobe MAX challenged me to create a brand identity and email campaign, and it took seconds. It was like an episode of The Apprentice compressed to ten minutes but with less botox, fewer Essex accents. Also, Adobe doesn't help itself, describing GenStudio as an "end-to-end content supply chain solution", but get past this word-hurdle and this is an AI app with real world benefits.
My first step was to design a brand image for an imagined company called Halliby and its new hand lotions. The Adobe rep - who exclaimed she's a fan of Creative Bloq - informed me the challenge was to create an image for the packaging and then an email marketing campaign.
Using Adobe Firefly I created an image from text prompts, but this stage can also simply be used to import your own art and graphics into GenStudio (your work is protected and you can opt out of Adobe's AI training). If you're a designer you can upload templates, set guardrails and generally protect the brand from drift. I created a bumblebee image, composed a background and merged the two for a simple design. Using Firefly I could have iterated on this more, but I tend to find gen AI lacks real control so made do with my simple 'buzzy' brand.
The magic of GenStudio comes in the next step, with the app's marketing tools. In this case I was creating an email campaign. Some text prompts around hand lotions and the broader brand identity were already entered, I simply needed to add a couple of 'buzzy' marketing words and GenStudio would do the rest - in a click the tool created four marketing mail-shots, each with slightly different headers and body text. It built in links to my make-believe store.
The real power is in the platform's use of large language models, connected to data from partners including Meta, Microsoft, TikTok and Google it can rate the wording, headers, art and effectiveness of the campaign, with simple scores and suggested changes to improve the overall impact of the marketing materials. Once released the same process will track performance, offer feedback and suggestions for changes to improve the campaign. It can even be as granular as tracking colours your audience prefers.
While this Adobe MAX demo created an email campaign, the same process can be used to make and launch social media posts, social ads and even to your own website. For artists seeking to launch new books and projects, get work noticed for sales, or for crafters on Etsy, GenStudio could really give you a boost.
GenStudio is not the most exciting AI app announced at Adobe MAX 2024, that's clearly the new AI image rotation tool, but it does look to be taking the work out of artwork when it comes to marketing and wording social posts, something I know many creatives hate doing.
GenStudio is perfect compliment to Adobe Express (which has some new AI features), but it can also be connected all Creative Cloud and Adobe's best software, including Photoshop.
