GoSee CREATIVES TO WATCH: TV Producer & Author Norbert Henning – Shaking Up the Advertising World – on the Revolution of Brand Communication
As Executive Producer, Team Leader, and Producer on the client side, Norbert Henning has worked on all sides of the advertising film industry over the past 25 years, supporting numerous large and small brands. He closely monitors the changes in the advertising industry. New expectations, particularly from younger audiences, new interactive platforms, technological innovations, and the role of artificial intelligence are creating disruptions that affect everyone. He is surprised that TV is still the leading medium, brands hardly use social media properly, and gaming is still not part of marketing plans. He believes the time has come for a fundamental shift in advertising. In 2024, he published a book to present agencies and companies with approaches on how they can prepare for these changes. In the keynote for his book, he entertainingly and engagingly explains the interconnections and impacts of these developments on the industry and its business models. We present the creative in this interview here at GoSee.
Your journey in the advertising industry is impressive – what was the "Aha moment" that inspired you to write this book? Was there a specific incident or change in the industry that opened your eyes? NH: I’ve been following the transformation in how content is consumed by audiences and produced by the industry for a while now. When it comes to production processes, quite a lot happened during COVID simply because people needed solutions as shoots were no longer easily possible. Especially in the realm of “real-time” – the creation of digital effects without render times – a lot happened back then.
The "Aha moment" came after COVID when I was on a large production set in Cape Town and was surprised that the way TV spots are produced hadn’t changed in the last 20 years, except for new cameras and new lights. Shortly after, I flew to SXSW in Austin, Texas, and when I realized who was meeting there and what was already possible, I decided to write a book about it so that people in my bubble – who obviously don’t have the time to engage with these changes – could learn about it.
Your book talks about the “Commercial Content Revolution.” What was the turning point for you when it became clear that traditional advertising is no longer enough and brands need to take new paths? NH: I’m actually surprised that viewers still accept that advertising interrupts the content they actually want to watch. Especially the younger generations, who are growing up with this model, are increasingly questioning it. For years, the industry has been talking about how advertising should entertain and be relevant. But in the end, most commercials still show people being happy because they use a product. Relevance for the real issues of life, especially for younger audiences, is still largely missing. At the same time, these audiences are watching less and less TV, which means several developments are coming together – yet the industry still stubbornly holds on to its old leading medium. I’m rather skeptical and suspect that behind this stance is a lobby that doesn’t want things to change.
In your book, you discuss the relevance of social media and gaming in brand communication. What mistakes are many brands still making in these areas? What are they overlooking when it comes to being authentic on these platforms? NH: Social media has been around for 20 years now, and yet in most cases, it's still used merely as a playback station for linear content that could just as easily be shown on TV. The mechanics that social media offers – interaction, co-creation, and shared experiences – are hardly utilized. And we're not just talking about social media anymore. In gaming, it's even further: audiences create their own worlds, in which they embark on adventures together. If brands want to become active in these areas, they can’t just interrupt the experience to force a brand message onto the audience. That often leads to a “hate brand” experience. There are, of course, ways to authentically exist in these spaces and provide real value to people. But to do so, you have to partner with people who understand the medium and use it regularly themselves. These can’t be creatives who’ve only written TV scripts, even if they were good at it.
You have a clear vision of how advertising will develop in the coming years. Which new technologies, such as AR, VR, or AI, do you see as the most exciting and promising for the industry? NH: I already find AR super interesting, simply because it can be experienced with any smartphone. I’m skeptical about VR until an adequate headset comes to market that doesn’t cost the price of a used car and doesn’t feel like you're on your way to a ski vacation.
AI, I would see separately from that, because it’s going to have an influence everywhere starting now. All the technologies that are being developed now will be accelerated by AI. Soon we won’t even explicitly talk about AI, just as we no longer mention that most devices we use every day are powered by electricity. However, AI is the technology that will have the most direct impact on the industry – both positive and negative, depending on perspective and level of acceptance.
You talk about Virtual Production and the role of Digital Humans. How will this affect traditional advertising production? Are there areas that you think will benefit most from this? NH: The established production processes need to be completely rethought. People often assume that things won’t change fundamentally – especially if they play a central role in the processes and their business models are based on them. Virtual Production has long been a process where you can achieve great results without flying halfway around the world. You don’t need to travel to the sun anymore, and you can instantly go to the Arctic with the push of a button. Even when rebuilding mountain panoramas for shots in a cabin, you save massive time because you can just turn around in large LED volumes instead of having to pack everything up and do a company move.
Industries that will benefit the most (and are already benefiting) include those with their own retail spaces, which normally have to be shut down for shoots. I’ve often filmed in supermarkets, usually at night or on weekends. However, if you build a supermarket in a gaming engine like “Unreal,” you can call up that market at any time to shoot more content without having to close it every time. This can lead to significant revenue losses for businesses like fast food chains, which are often open 24/7.
As for Digital Humans, it’s truly fascinating what’s already possible. It will still be a while before they replace real actors in TV spots, but it will happen – whether we like it or not. Digital characters that are AI-supported and with whom you can converse are already very interesting. Potential uses include customer service or HR. These characters may not be perfect and might not do a backflip, but for many applications, they will suffice and replace real or filmed people.
You lead workshops and lectures on the topics of your book. What are the most common misconceptions or prejudices you encounter in your workshops? NH: People are often surprised by what’s already technically possible and wonder why it’s not being used more often. In my opinion, this is because in established production processes, there is often no time to engage with new approaches because timelines are getting shorter and budgets are getting smaller. The latter will, however, play into the hands of new approaches.
You challenge the advertising industry to develop new business models. What are the biggest obstacles companies face when implementing these new models? NH: The problem isn’t the implementation itself but the willingness to recognize the change and then find the time to adapt. Most advertising agencies and production companies continue with their day-to-day work as usual, following the “old” budgets, and don’t have the time to address the change – even though this change deserves time and attention. Advertising companies are somewhat further along and are thinking in much larger horizons. They are investing in technologies, founding or buying companies, and a lot will happen in the next few years.
What should every creative mind in the advertising industry change immediately to be prepared for these changes? NH: Everyone who has been involved in advertising needs to take off their glasses and look around to see what’s happening around them. Just because you’re right in your own bubble and people are celebrating you for what you’ve accomplished, doesn’t mean that people outside of this bubble feel the same way. Especially with the older generations (no offense), these are probably the people who will buy the advertised products in the future. I’ve long suspected that advertisers make a lot of advertising just for themselves, but the gap between the fish and the fisher is going to grow wider in the future.
How do you see the future of advertising agencies? Will they become creative hubs for digital media and content creation platforms, or will their core business radically change? NH: I don’t often make friends with this statement, but I believe that, in the medium to long term, the creation and production of advertising will take place within the companies themselves. Looking back: When I started 30 years ago, it was impossible for companies to produce their own commercials. Production was expensive, time-consuming, the budgets were enormous, and no one wanted to take the risk. Today, that’s completely different, and with new technologies and AI, it will be even easier in the future. There are already many good examples where companies control the entire value chain and have their own agencies and production departments. If agencies and productions still want to have a say in the future, they will need to offer real added value. In my opinion, that’s not really apparent yet. Additionally, the creative idea for a commercial project wasn’t really considered by agencies for a long time. In the last 30 years, productions weren’t compensated for their creative input – that’s only been established in the past few years, but it may be too late.
If you could start a creative project that embodies the principles from your book – what would it be? What kind of interaction and content would you create to engage a Generation Z or Alpha audience? NH: Oh, that’s a great question! I would probably create an interactive world where young audiences could express their creativity and discover their own skills. I sort of ended up in advertising and film by chance. If I hadn’t been such a punk back then, I probably would have ended up as a mechanical engineer. It’s hard to imagine how many people are doing a job they never wanted to do. With new technologies, career counseling for young people could be structured completely differently – and why not have the right brands support it?
If you had to run a campaign for your own book, what creative decision would you make to best convey the revolutionary ideas you describe?
NH: I’m not sure I could make that decision myself in this case, or whether I would bring in an external specialist just for that. It would be a bit like saying, “the cook doesn’t try their own dish.” So, I’d probably rely on someone who can develop the best creative ideas for the campaign without any bias.
For those who want to learn more, the book is highly recommended, or meet Norbert in person! The Commercial Content Club, led by the charismatic producer and author, brings together leading minds on the most important trends and topics. You can also meet Norbert Henning at the UPDATE on May 16, 2025.
The Commercial Content Revolution (Will Not Be Televised): How Gaming, Virtual Reality, and Artificial Intelligence Are Changing Advertising Now
Norbert Henning / Florian Sievers
commercialcontentconsulting.com
update.salon
CREDITS
Photographer Maite Kossika
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