“I’m an avid follower with these guys now, and I think the future of this is quite bright,” they said. “It would be silly to say that it’s just a fad.”

Distorting content while maintaining trust

When experimenting with CGI ads, or faux out of home billboards and installations, Fryer emphasized that brands should approach this trend with an understanding of how it could enhance, instead of replace, the creative process.

“When you make a special build happen somewhere like The Truman Brewery in London, it doesn’t live there. It lives on social,” he said, emphasizing that the new work flow allows for brands to “cut out the middle guy” and move straight to the design. “The tone of what you’re producing has to be so massive that it’s clear you’re playing with it. If you don’t have that ambition, I’m not sure it’s going to work.”