The Intersection of Creativity and Technology With Rei Inamoto of I&CO

Welcome to another special episode of the Marketing Vanguard podcast. Today, our guest is Rei Inamoto, founding partner at I&CO, a global innovation firm that helps brands navigate change. 

Inamoto has been named among Creativity Magazine’s annual Creativity 50, as well as one of the Top 25 Most Creative People in Advertising by Forbes. He shares his experience growing up as an identical twin and how it shaped his creative career. He talks about his roles at R/GA and the birth of the digital era in the late ‘90s. 

He also discusses the role of brand-side marketers in pushing agencies to embrace new technologies and the rise of the creator economy. 

Inamoto emphasizes the importance of experimentation and caution when it comes to using artificial intelligence in marketing. He also highlights how brands like Nike and Apple face challenges in maintaining their inspirational creativity.

“Brand-side marketers play a crucial role in driving innovation within agencies,” he says on the podcast. “They are the ones who have a deep understanding of their brand’s objectives and can push agencies to think outside the box. By constantly challenging agencies to embrace new technologies and stay ahead of the curve, brand-side marketers ensure that creativity and innovation remain at the forefront of the industry.”

At I&CO, Inamoto helps clients simplify and break new ground. As the founding partner and head of design, he is a designer by trade and a minimalist at heart. Prior to founding his own company, Inamoto spent over 11 years at AKQA, a design and marketing agency where he was responsible for delivering creative solutions for the agency’s top clients, including Audi, Google, Nike, Xbox, and Verizon. 

Key takeaways:

07:48 Creativity Meets Technology: The Epiphany — Inamoto reflects on the pivotal moments that shaped his creative career, beginning with his fascination with the internet in college during the late ‘90s. The instant connection he experienced while live chatting with a friend in Singapore inspired him to explore the intersection of technology and creativity. Frustrated by the limitations of early digital tools, he pursued a double major in fine art and computer science, eventually laying the foundation for his professional journey as a digital designer at R/GA.

14:10 How Nike Pushes Agencies to Adopt New Technologies — Inamoto shares how Nike played a pivotal role in transforming the marketing landscape by pioneering the concept of a digital agency of record, challenging traditional advertising methods. Through collaborations with agencies like Wieden+Kennedy, Nike pushed creative boundaries, leading to a new generation of innovative marketing. Their initiatives, such as Nike+FuelBand, Nike+, and Nike ID exemplified their influence in driving the industry forward. Nike’s impact extended beyond their own brand, as they helped redefine what was possible in marketing, making brand-side marketers key players in shaping the future of the industry.

19:32 Navigating Marketing Evolution: From Digital to AI — Inamoto reflects on the evolution of marketing over the past few decades. Since launching their company in 2016, Inamoto and his partner have focused on helping brands navigate constant change. He highlights the progression from the digital era in the early 2000s to the mobile era post-iPhone in 2008 and the social media era from 2012 to 2022. Now, with the rise of AI, sparked by tools like ChatGPT, he anticipates a similar decade-long transformation from 2022 to 2032 as AI becomes increasingly integrated into mainstream business and marketing practices.

22:53 Advice to CMOs on Adopting AI in Marketing — Inamoto highlights the current challenges and opportunities of AI in marketing. While AI offers exciting new possibilities for creativity and ideation, it remains an unproven area, particularly concerning copyright and legal issues. Inamoto advises brands to experiment with AI in the early stages of creative work but to approach its use in final executions with caution, given the ongoing legal uncertainties surrounding AI tools.

24:20 The Rise and Evolution of the Creator Economy — New technologies have led to the democratization of creativity, like photography and Photoshop that made creative processes more accessible. Inamoto acknowledges that while creators now have powerful tools and platforms to express themselves and promote brands, the role of professional creatives remains distinct. Creators focus on personal expression, while creatives solve specific problems for brands. Despite similarities in output, the underlying intentions differ. Inamoto believes that while creators are valuable for brand promotion, the strategic context provided by creatives is essential for effective brand communication.