Recently, a deepfake video of actress Rashmika Mandanna went viral on social media. The ‘synthetic’ video made the netizens furious and sparked a heated national debate on ethics and morality, the government sprang into action by sending an advisory to social media platforms and Rashmika exclaimed the deepfake video was "deeply disturbing".

The term entered mass vocabulary in late 2017 when an anonymous Reddit user, named "deepfakes" (a combination of deep-learning and fake) started sharing morphed videos of celebrity faces edited onto the bodies of actors in adult content. The technology uses AI and ML algorithms to create or manipulate video content so that it appears you and I are saying or doing things that we never actually did.

While we should be concerned about deepfakes for spreading misinformation and invading individual privacy, the technology can also be used in creative and innovative ways in marketing communications. Here are two examples in the Indian context:

• In 2022, Pepsi India used deepfakes to create a video ad featuring 56-year-old Salman Khan and Prem, the character he played in the superhit 1994  Bollywood movie "Hum Aapke Hain Kaun" coming face to face.

• In 2022, Ageas Federal Life Insurance used deepfake technology to create a video ad featuring 11-year-old Sachin Tendulkar.

Deepfake technology can also be used by non-profit campaigns. ‘Malaria Must Die’ a public awareness campaign used deepfake technology effectively where the football celebrity David Beckham spoke in nine languages using deepfake.

The growing use of deepfake technology may change marketing communication in a way we never thought possible. Are we ready?

Reference

• https://futureofmarketinginstitute.com/deepfakes-will-influence-the-future-of-marketing-whether-we-want-it-or-not/

• https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jan/13/what-are-deepfakes-and-how-can-you-spot-them

• https://www.wired.com/story/deepfakes-getting-better-theyre-easy-spot/

• https://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/advertising/deepfake-technology-in-advertising-adtech-pepsi-salman-khan-ad-artificial-intelligence-synthetic-image/90789726