Imagine Apple CEO Tim Cook at a live iPhone product launch giving his speech in Cantonese. And French, Spanish and Japanese – simultaneously. It sounds like something from a sci-fi film, but groundbreaking AI technology has already made this possible.
During an engrossing roundtable talk in our “CEO 123 Tell Me More” series on 21 February, Zyviz.com Founder and CEO Patrick Lam and COO Leslie Chu presented the company’s pioneering “Real Time Facial Translation” and showed the audience how it can be a total game changer for businesses of all sizes.
They demonstrated how the technology smoothly translates not only language (several at a time) but also facial expressions, lip movements and even emotions, instantly giving companies and KOLs (key opinion leaders) international reach while significantly cutting costs.
They also explained video background marketing technology, which involves inserting animated ads or 3D images seamlessly into the background of a KOL video. This allows uninterrupted participation as the ad cannot be skipped or closed, transforming the way businesses can approach advertising.
KOLs play a huge role in marketing on platforms like YouTube and Instagram. With millions of followers, they are an effective way to spread the word about your business. Joining the discussion were well-known KOLs and industry experts who shared their individual experiences as well the pros and cons of adopting AI in KOL marketing.
Paul Pong, Managing Director, Pegasus Fund Managers Limited, said unlike television and radio, social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram required more time and focus, as videos and content have to be self-produced, and also demand instant and regular interaction. He added that revenue was also an issue, especially for those KOLs just starting out.
Examining the cost benefits, Raffi Kamalian, Head of Greater China, Collab Asia, Inc, said both the technologies offered exciting advantages, like allowing old content to be remonetized repeatedly through minimal post-production work. It would also reduce cost and labour, especially the need for subtitles or translation services.
Lifestyle and beauty Insta influencer Ada Pong said the technology could completely change how a KOL can grow their revenue. However, she highlighted the importance of staying true to one’s message, and not letting the advertisements to overshadow the content, which could turn off followers.
For Arthur Chan, known for his YouTube channel “Cook King Room,” the pros of using AI outweigh the cons, especially as sponsorship for his channel did not have to be related to cooking or food. He said it would also mean access to a larger demographic of potential followers, as well as more opportunities to explore third-party sponsorship.
In the Q&A session afterwards, the KOLs shared tips on how to become a successful influencer. The secret sauce to going viral? There is no secret sauce, said Kamalian. He explained that it was important to have a unique selling point, stay committed, and consistently put out content for at least six months before expecting positive results, breaking even or becoming the biggest thing on the internet.