Malaysia – Advertising agency Naga DDB Tribal has unveiled its first-ever generative AI certification programme that invigorates creativity within its agency team in partnership with US-based business innovation and inspiration consultancy OK Tomorrow.
The AI masterclass for creative excellence is expected to be a game-changer for the creative agency. The 9-week mandatory training programme will cover the three core learning modules and will involve even the agency’s internal AI experts.
As part of the masterclass’s core learning module, the members will learn about AI fundamentals for creative agencies, which will focus on understanding the AI landscape and its role in the creative process. This will also include the creative use of genAI tools such as ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion.
The training will also cover how to leverage AI for ideation and brainstorming to equip the agency team with techniques to spark creativity in the early stages of the creative process and AI-assisted time management and task prioritisation, which will tackle how to use AI in day-to-day tasks.
The generative AI masterclass will be led by Nilesh Ashra, founder and programme trainer at OK Tomorrow.
Nilesh has a background in business, advertising, storytelling, and technology. He founded Wieden+Kennedy’s innovation business, “The Lodge”, and served as the creative executive overseeing the business’s creative output. He is also familiar with the challenges and opportunities faced by the creative industry today.
The training programme this year is part of Naga DDB Tribal’s internal initiatives to intensify training efforts in the four key pillars: core creative, new skills, collaboration, and leadership.This is in addition to other initiatives such as The Bernbach School, led by DDB veteran Craig Lonnee, and other various external training programmes such as Effective Communications & Presentation Skills by Enfiniti Academy and Digital Marketing Mindset by The Monster School.
Alex Goh, chief strategy officer at Naga DDB Tribal, said, “AI holds the potential to assist us in multiple ways—either by guiding us towards ‘better’ outcomes through exploring a wider array of possibilities at a faster pace or by freeing up time through the automation of routine tasks. This time can then be channelled where it matters most—in crafting brand experiences that are not just valuable but also leave a lasting impression.”
He added, “This bespoke training programme aims to empower its creative, brand management, and strategy teams to harness the capabilities of artificial intelligence to generate superior ideas and creative content at the speed demanded by the business landscape.”
Speaking on the training, Clarence Koh, CEO at Naga DDB Tribal, added, “The only way to continually improve and stay relevant in our field is through continuous learning. Fresh ideas emerge from a collaborative and curious mindset, and we are committed to offering more structured training like this, along with our monthly virtual learning sessions, where experts from diverse fields share their experiences, perspectives, and skills with our team.”
Meanwhile, Nilesh said, “I’m convinced by the power of inspiration for creative businesses. When I started OK Tomorrow, I had a belief that if I could help creative companies stay ahead of the curve, it would make the process of creativity better. And better creativity means better products and brands. With Naga DDB Tribal, our goal is to equip each individual with a set of potential AI-assisted superpowers through the AI Masterclass and encourage them to seek not just efficiency but greater insight and breakthrough creativity. When this compounds across the entire company, some very exciting innovation will happen very quickly.”
