Imagine: Warum die KI-Unit von Grabarz & Partner Grundlagenforschung betreibt

Having a few AI experts is not enough, believes Bastian Goldschmidt, Chief Strategist at Grabarz & Partner. That’s why the agency has established its own AI unit called Imagine. We inquired about what the team does there.

With the founding of Imagine, Grabarz & Partner aims to closely intertwine creativity and technology. The unit has been in existence since May 2024, and has carried its current name since January 2025. Currently, 14 employees work for the department, including Boris Noll, Felix Burger, and David Giesen, all of whom transitioned from Jung von Matt to G&P, as well as Milan Kastenmüller, who joined in June from Thjnk.

"It’s not enough to just bring in a few AI experts to the agency. It requires a fundamental commitment from management for this transformation," says Chief Strategist Bastian Goldschmidt, to whom the team reports. "We are consistently investing in this transformation – this is evident, among other things, in the Imagine unit. It is large and professional enough to keep an eye on the latest developments and even conduct research in part within the inner circle of tool providers."

Imagine sees itself as a mix of a GenAI production unit, R&D department, and sparring partner for the creative teams. "Although Imagine is bundled in a separate unit, we act as a bridge to the entire agency," explains Creative Innovation Lead Felix Burger. "As a kind of translator, we transform technologies into ideas and possibilities, which we use to expand briefings and brainstorm with creative teams. In this sense, we are a separate unit – but conceived as integrated."

While initially the focus was on educating the entire agency, it has now shifted more towards targeted project involvement and opening new perspectives with tech know-how. "We are a kind of supplier of possibilities and approach the creative or strategy teams with new tools and application examples – or even project management when we see potential here. We keep an eye on all disciplines and try to collaborate everywhere," says Burger.

"We keep an eye on all disciplines and try to collaborate everywhere." - Felix Burger

Another focus of the unit is specifically on media production with AI, especially for the agency's automotive clients. "Automotive is, of course, a royal discipline in which we are strongly represented through our clients. Here, the demands for product presentations and aesthetics are particularly high. This can only be achieved if we push the tools to their technical limits and beyond with our own workflows," says Goldschmidt.

Goldschmidt emphasizes that AI should not be used for its own sake in spot production: "In our bubble, we like to talk about tools and new possibilities – but out there in the real world, no one cares how an Insta reel or OOH motif was created. What matters is that it stands out and emotionally rewards people. And for that, we need classic disciplines like strategy, storytelling, and empathy. We are not interested in impressive feasibility studies for the marketing bubble, but in real impact.”

"We are not interested in impressive feasibility studies for the marketing bubble, but in real impact." - Bastian Goldschmidt

Burger also thinks a step further and wants to explore how AI can be used throughout the entire customer journey with Imagine: "We think far too little about awareness phases. And in doing so, we overlook fields where technology can play an important role. This would elevate campaigns to a new level. Campaigns are still too often viewed as completed stories. And technology gives us the chance to make them endless. They become 'fluid', can adapt, or even be influenced by the user."

Burger believes that brand communication will also move towards conversational marketing and avatars with which people can interact conceptually. "This goes hand in hand with brands becoming more and more trust anchors and needing to engage more with customers."

To stay up to date with rapid developments or even influence them to some extent, Imagine also conducts a kind of fundamental research, sometimes in direct collaboration with tool providers. "We ask ourselves how AI models could be expanded or how training materials can be optimized. The AI community even celebrates us for pushing the output boundaries and delivering images in unprecedented resolution and quality. Or we achieve breakthroughs in product accuracy in AI moving images. However, this research should not be an end in itself, but always help us solve everyday problems," says Burger.

The fact that agencies are currently drivers of AI development is also due to the needs of clients. "Client briefings have changed significantly recently. It’s no longer just about the one big idea and a 360-degree campaign, but increasingly about content automation and AI competencies. This requires comprehensive skills and technical know-how," explains Goldschmidt.

As part of Omnicom, G&P has the advantage of accessing competencies and tools within the network. "This means we can offer certain special disciplines without having to build them all in-house. When new topics like GEO arise, not every agency in the network has to start from scratch, but can rely on existing tools and solutions," says Goldschmidt.

"Imagine is like a transformation engine that always runs in the background." - Bastian Goldschmidt

According to Goldschmidt, the need for a dedicated tech unit remains despite the network and increasing general knowledge of AI: "Because technological progress continues to advance, there will always be a need to test new tools and expand the creative toolbox with them. It’s like a transformation engine that always runs in the background."

He also emphasizes that the agency always sees tech in combination with creation: "While the technological possibilities are increasing exponentially, one principle never changes: communication must emotionally touch people. The way we can trigger these emotions with communication is changing – but the necessity to do so remains." Therefore, it was important for him to have creative know-how on board alongside tech expertise at Imagine. "Because no matter how communication is created, it must ultimately resonate emotionally. That’s what Felix ensures with a team of AI artists and creative technologists."