Howatson+Co opens AI-enabled Plus Also Studios with Endeavour Group as foundation client

Howatson+Company has launched a sister agency, Plus Also Studios, an AI enabled creative technology company, pioneering high quality brand asset creation, endless personalisation and automated orchestration, all with complete performance attribution.

Plus Also Studios exists independently of Howatson+Company, cofounded by data and technology leader Hoang Nguyen, and operated under the leadership of Managing Director, Jessica Coulson and Creative Director, Effie Athanassiou.

Says Hoang Nguyen, co-founder Plus Also Studios: “2024 was the tipping point of AI being a viable alternative for branded asset creation and high quality creative rollout. Where other market offerings have aligned to an AI partner, we remain agnostic, creating value in how we train, secure, fine-tune, and combine multiple AI models to create the perfect, highly crafted output to the brief. It’s not unusual for over 50 AI models to be ‘canvassed’ to create a campaign visual indistinguishable from the traditional production process. In this way, the Plus Also difference is in the people, compliance and process. We leave the AI development to well funded global tech innovators.”

Says Renee Hyde, Group Managing Director, Howatson+Company: “Plus Also Studios offers a blend of traditional and AI production methods, but most importantly is investing in people and process with a view that 85-90% of brand asset creation will be informed by AI in the next 3 years. PAS will ensure all our clients benefit from the most cutting-edge applications of IP compliant AI in marketing communications.”

The foundation client of Plus Also Studios is Endeavour Group and their portfolio of Australia’s leading retail and hospitality consumer brands.

Says Jo Rose Chief Marketing Officer, Endeavour Group: “At Endeavour Group, our vision is to be the leading platform enabling social occasions. A key part of this strategy is to deepen how our customers experience the benefits of Endeavour Group as a whole, more fully than the sum of their engagement with each brand alone. This experience is core to Endeavour’s transformation from being a family of retail, hospitality and product brands to an intuitive ecosystem of beloved brands that come together to make good times happen for customers.”

Adds Katie Dally, GM of Brand, Creative and Operations, Endeavour Group: “It was the combination of creativity and innovative technology that spurred us to establish this market leading capability that transforms the traditional production mindset to deliver both efficiency and effectiveness. Endeavour is delighted to be Plus Also Studios foundation client.”

Says Chris Howatson: “With Jo and Katie we have built a world class team, inverting the traditional focus on rollout that exists in production models and reinvesting in upstream strategic, creative and technology roles. This enables content to be more strategically aligned to audience and business needs, and therefore play a more fundamental role in commercial performance. This is not a me-too AI capability. Instead, Plus Also Studios reflects 3 years of significant investment, application and testing to create a market leading proposition.”

Plus Also Studios is also licensing its technology to enable internal production teams at Qantas, Foxtel and Petbarn across static, motion and email use cases.

Pictured above L to R: Katie Dally, Endeavour Group General Manager Brand, Creative and Operations; Hoang Nguyen, Plus Also Studios Co-Founder and Chief Data & Technology Officer; Jessica Coulson, Plus Also Studios Managing Director; Renee Hyde, Howatson+Company Group Managing Director; Joanna Rose, Endeavour Group Chief Marketing Officer; Chris Howatson, Founder & CEO; Effie Athanassiou, Plus Also Studios Creative Director