Driven by Innovation: Kaare Wesnaes, Ogilvy PR

Ogilvy Worldwide

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New York, Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika

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Kaare Wesnaes

Head of Innovation — Ogilvy

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In our continuing series of interviews on the role of the Creative Technologist, we spoke with Kaare Wesnaes, Ogilvy's North America Head of Innovation and Group Director of Creative Technology, on the intersectionality of creativity and technology.

What does the role of a creative technologist entail?

The role and impact of creative technology has been defined and redefined many times over the years. In my 20 years in the field, I’ve seen one constant through the evolutions: The need to be able to synthesize cross-disciplinary insights and apply these in the making of creative applications for emerging technologies.

Creative technology aims to solve business challenges in a way that positions our clients at the vanguard. We start by understanding the challenge, conducting research, and identifying the most compelling solutions. We can help inform the brief and also ideate and execute on it. We draw from our longstanding practice of monitoring technological advances, becoming early adopters and fluid users, and drawing from this toolset to serve brands and consumers. We aim to find opportunities that create longevity beyond a pulse impact. Our goal is to leverage technology in a smart way, so that brand messaging can live beyond the moment, and naturally becomes an earned first approach due to the curious nature of the experiences we create.

What kind of skills do you need to be effective in your role?

The most effective creative technologists can speak knowledgably and with confidence because they know how to make things. Having experience in actual production increases problem-solving abilities and opens the realm of strategies when the emerging technologies do the unexpected (which they often do). An understanding of end-to-end process enables informed opinions and allows for greater influence and impact on the process.

In addition to coding and configuration, creative technologists employ skills across multiple disciplines – from experience design to technical development, applying strategic insights into consumer behavior, and always valuing the role of design and aesthetics. We are right-left brained imaginative thinkers who are driven by innovation.

Where do creative solutions intersect with functional design?

The best solutions are highly creative and highly usable. Whether in the service of utility or entertainment, creative technologists weigh the requirements for usability with aesthetic value based on the unique client challenge. The experience must be intuitive and delightful, no matter if the engagement model is a physical product, a click, a tap, via voice, or at the wave of your hand.

What’s the most challenging aspect of the creative technologist role?

Creative technologists always want to see the most innovative solution delivered to market for our clients. The most challenging aspect of our role is pushing the limits of emerging technologies to develop a mass market solution. Working with technologies which have not hit primetime or achieved wide adoption requires dedication and grit to produce a creative technology product with the integrity for wide use. We’re always aiming to help guide our clients to lead consumer behavior, and to identify spaces of growth and opportunity that help strategize for the future.

How do you see the role expanding with the introduction of the metaverse?

There’s a tremendous focus and unprecedented client appetite in this space. The core pillars of the metaverse — such as virtual worlds, NFTs, AR/VR/MR, Web3 and blockchain — are all facets a creative technologist would naturally be a part of to begin with. Where before we were the ones introducing and advocating for use of emerging technologies, we’re now being actively pursued from all sides. The explosion of the metaverse also has pragmatic considerations for the role since the metaverse will impact how businesses staff, run, and operate. Many of our colleagues across the spectrum are affected by this evolution, and we’re blending cross-functional groups to best service our clients and consumer behavior. Ogilvy has a leading edge due to the global nature of our agency, and we’re able to work with specialists across regions, capabilities, and businesses to provide a more holistic and thoughtful approach to the space.

^{Kaare's metaverse avatar | Photo courtsey of Ogilvy} 

Are there any passion projects you’ve worked on that you’d like to share?

I recently became a first-time homeowner, and I’m finding it incredibly satisfying to research and install components that make a smart home—on a bigger scale than an NYC apartment. It’s fulfilling to work with IoT, gadgets and wires again, something I missed when the pandemic halted any need to design social spaces.

In truth, my home is where I find a lot of my passion and inspiration. I have three small daughters, and I’ve often been able to bring them into my world as a creative technologist and see genuine curiosity and natural behavior. From testing voice skills and having conversations with digital humans to being an actress in prototype videos, my daughter Eva has been prominent in a range of my work. Lately she’s been intrigued by my VR headset and has given me funny and insightful words of wisdom from a 1^st grader.