By Beatriz Marie D. Cruz, Reporter
FREAKOUT Philippines, Inc., an advertising technology (adtech) company, is looking to invest in more artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help in brand promotion and work alongside human creatives.
“I think, in the coming years, we would be using a lot of AI as well in terms of tools to help the brands spend their advertising [budgets] more efficiently,” Hazel Cantos-Dominguez, general manager and country lead of FreakOut Philippines, said in an interview with BusinessWorld.
“We’re putting serious effort into building smarter tools for the Philippine market. Our focus isn’t just on using AI for planning and targeting but embedding it into the creative process itself.”
While FreakOut Philippines uses AI to better serve its clients and streamline its operations, Ms. Dominguez said these technologies cannot replace the human touch and creativity in advertising.
“Before, our creatives were like, ‘Oh no, there’s AI, what if they replace us?’ So, we keep on really telling them that, ‘Okay, these are tools that are supposed to help make our lives easier, but it doesn’t mean that we don’t need actual people to really manage it.’”
FreakOut Philippines is part of under FreakOut Holdings, Inc., a global technology solutions group listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. It entered the domestic market in 2017, bringing the first native ads platform to Southeast Asia.
The company has since expanded to providing rich media formats, such as video, animation, and interactive ads. It also provides AI-driven tools such its “alpaka” solution, which analyzes search, viewing, and engagement behavior on TikTok.
FreakOut Philippines has clients in sectors like banking, fast food, media, travel, over-the-top platforms, and fast-moving consumer goods.
According to Ms. Dominguez, a mobile-driven economy like the Philippines would be more attracted to interactive and gamified ads across different media formats like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.
“These formats break through the clutter and drive better results compared to traditional ads,” she said. “While they may not resonate as strongly with older audiences, the overall market signals major growth and is projected to grow, showing a clear appetite for creative, immersive experiences.”
However, one of the challenges that advertisers face is the shorter attention span of consumers, especially when it comes to online advertising, Ms. Dominguez said. “Getting the attention of one person is very challenging because it is in the first two seconds that you should capture their attention. Otherwise, they just skip the ad.”
While AI is expected to help brands make targeted advertising decisions, she said human insight remains important in the process, even as she emphasized the need for creative workers to upskill.
“It’s part of our vision to bring AI into adtech in a meaningful, scalable way. This is designed to not only boost efficiency but help brands stand out creatively and perform where it matters,” Ms. Dominguez said.