Episode 75 / Sowmya Gottipati / Estée Lauder / Vice President, Global Brand Technology

Every week, Automated Creative founder Tom Ollerton interviews advertising industry leaders about their experiences, views on technology and innovation and the future of marketing in the Shiny New Object podcast. This week, he spoke to Sowmya Gottipati, Vice President, Estée Lauder, Global Brand Technology.

Building relationships is the single most important aspect of life

Somwya is a huge advocate of building relationships. They shape who you become in life – and while they may not always help today, they may benefit you in years to come in ways you never expected. Somwya believes her success in navigating her way through the various companies she’s worked at due to her relationship building abilities.

Team relationships are paramount of course; providing your team with the right mix of guidance and autonomy. Somwya’s top tips for those looking to improve their relationship building skills: focus on the present when you’re with someone. Listen, and take a genuine interest in what they’re telling you.

We’re in golden age of technology and it’s shaping our future

Regardless of vertical or industry, Somwya believes that everyone should try and incorporate some tech knowledge or skills into your lives. Not least because she believes that the future of marketing lies in artificial intelligence.

Her thoughts on the future of AI is that predictive models are more popular, though with that there’s a careful line to draw. Instead of being creepy towards consumers, she sees it with more of a focus on future trends: “When it comes to predictive models – the way I see it in some of the industries I’m familiar with, the way I see it going is predicting the trends, so you can create a product that consumers would want in the future.”

AI is not going to replace human judgement

Somwya believes there needs to be the balance between tech and human intuition when it comes to AI. She gives an example of how AI can work for marketers using Facebook – machines can look at your Facebook data and provide insights into what you like (or dislike).

AI can understand the data and observe patterns – but then it’s humans who decide what to do about these insights. Her view is that “as much as we all love data and AI giving us insights, I still see a big need for human involvement. AI is not going to replace some of the human judgement.”

In the near future – the next 10 to 20 years – Somwya believes that machines and humans working together will provide enhanced experiences and efficiencies. Humans will still make decisions, but they will be better ones, informed by machines. After all, nothing can replace the very human trait of building relationships and connections with others – and all this has a major role to play in how we work.

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