BCG partners with Pencil to help companies make AI ads

Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has entered a global strategic partnership with Pencil, a platform for artificial intelligence-based advertising content creation.

Founded in 2018 by a team from Google, Facebook, and Uber, Pencil was acquired by Brandtech Group, a New York based marketing technology firm, in 2023.

The Pencil technology platform uses various AI models – including Runway and Stability – to generate complete ads. The London-based firm says AI ads are 10 times faster and cheaper to make and twice as performant as ads made without the use of AI.

Pencil recently generated 235,000 pieces of content for three of the world’s ten largest advertisers – purportedly delivering an average 40% uplift in performance while reducing cost by 62% and production time by 55%.

“Pencil has already shown how GenAI can deliver performance improvements at a global scale. Together with BCG, we will help brands implement this capability across their entire marketing ecosystem,” said Rebecca Sykes, partner and head of emerging technology at The Brandtech Group.

The global partnership will combine BCG’s services in strategy, operating model transformation, and change management with Pencil’s leading tech platform for content generation, testing, and optimization.

“CMOs are under pressure to prove AI’s value beyond pilot programs,” said Nicolas de Bellefonds, managing director and senior partner, and global lead for AI at BCG. “Through this partnership with Pencil, we’re empowering clients to move from experimentation to adoption at scale—unlocking measurable value and supporting the end-to-end transformation of marketing in the service of performance and brand building.”