Adobe & Henkel extend partnership for AI-driven automation

Adobe has announced today an extension of its partnership with German company Henkel in a dynamic shift towards AI-driven automation. Using Adobe Firefly and Adobe Experience Cloud, Henkel will amplify and augment its content supply chain using generative AI, creating increased personalisation across its global brands.

Operating a diversified portfolio, Henkel holds leading positions in industrial and consumer businesses via brands like Loctite, Persil, and Schwarzkopf. The company has observed a rising demand for high-quality personalised content, which modern digital marketing and omnichannel campaigns require. Adobe's AI models will enable Henkel to produce an extensive variety of this tailored content using its own assets.

The advanced capabilities of Adobe Firefly Custom Models will allow Henkel to train and fine-tune Firefly's generative AI models. The use of their own brand's assets to create content will boost production speed and efficiency by automating routine tasks. A practical example might be the creation of a range of visual assets for a variety of product recommendations, personalised according to the customer's hair colour, style or length, promoting Henkel's hair care brand Schwarzkopf.

Henkel is already exploiting personalised customer experiences through its existing digital business platform RAQN, powered by Adobe enterprise applications. This gives Henkel a unified view of both B2B and B2C customers. Furthermore, Henkel will utilise generative AI capabilities in Adobe Journey Optimiser to create automatic message variations that stimulate customer engagement. Used in combination with visual assets produced in Adobe Firefly, swift delivery of personalised marketing campaigns will be a reality.

Prior to this, digital marketing campaigns were limited in terms of asset and copy variations. However, the power of generative AI allows Henkel to mix and match content for different channels, thus greatly increasing the volume of personalised messages they can produce. Chief Digital & Information Officer at Henkel, Michael Nilles, said, "Generative AI is disrupting the economy and society similar to the internet – but at lightspeed." He highlighted the importance of adopting these technologies early to "[drive] innovation and open up new opportunities for Henkel".

"Generative AI is reshaping what we thought possible to deliver personalisation at scale across data, content and customer journeys," said Luc Dammann, President of EMEA at Adobe. He regards this leverage of Adobe's natively integrated generative AI capabilities as a game-changer for Henkel, enabling their iconic global brands to reshape their strategy in terms of content production, campaign optimisation, and personalised customer experiences.