Case Study: How Pitango improved open rate and increased website traffic with AI Avatars

Name: Pitango

Industry: Venture Capital

Company Mission: Investing in visionary founders and groundbreaking companies from stealth mode to mature companies. 

Pitango VC, Israel’s largest venture capital firm, has fostered innovation since its inception in 1993. With over $3 billion under management, Pitango has a rich history of investing in technology startups at founding and growth stages across various industries, including AI, Data, HealthTech, Quantum Computing, and fintech. As a fund that prioritizes innovation, Pitango continuously adapts its communication and engagement strategies to keep up with the ever-evolving market.

Implementation of D-ID’s Studio

With GenAI growing rapidly, Pitango’s marketing team identified an opportunity to elevate their quarterly newsletter, The Juice, in a way that would continue showcasing the remarkable achievements of their portfolio companies while also nurturing engagement with their readers. 

To do so, they turned to D-ID, a portfolio company in which they strategically invested in from the seed stage in 2017, knowing that it had a solution that was both revolutionary and practical. Their primary objective was to leverage GenAI to create a dynamic, unique, and engaging newsletter for their 10K+ audience. Sharon Erde, Head of Marketing at Pitango, believes firmly in humanizing brands.  By leveraging the avatar as an engaging spokesperson who embodies Pitango’s ideals and ethos, Pitango brought their alter ego to life in a modern, engaging way while also thinking tactically, as the avatar can be distributed across different platforms. The project began with the ideation of an AI-generated avatar named Sam. Sharon Erde knew exactly what she wanted Sam to look and sound like,  carefully crafting the avatar to be the ultimate alter ego of Pitango. 

The Process of Creating a Branded Avatar

The design phase involved close collaboration with a designer who utilized AI tools to bring Sam to life, aligning closely with the envisioned traits. Once Sam was designed to their liking, the team uploaded her image to D-ID’s Creative Reality™ Studio and let it do its magic, giving Sam a life of her own. The team then took the recording they had created and handed it to a Video Editor to add transitions, subtitles, and background imagery. Sharon noted that while Avatars are indeed engaging, watching an Avatar speak for more than 30 seconds with no other video effects would cause viewer drop-offs. The additional video editing steps played a crucial role in driving the newsletter home.

Audience Reception and Feedback

The introduction of Sam, the new AI newsletter, received overwhelming positive feedback. Internally, the initiative was seen as a testament to Pitango’s commitment to innovation and progressive marketing. Externally, it significantly enhanced engagement, evidenced by a notable spike in newsletter open rates and website traffic, as tracked through Google Analytics.

The feedback highlighted a sense of admiration from recipients, who appreciated the innovative approach and the refreshing format of updates. The success of this initiative has led Pitango to confirm further applications of AI in their communication strategies, aiming to continuously leverage technology to enhance connection and engagement with their audience. They plan on using Sam and other avatars again in future communications and projects.

Pitango’s use of D-ID’s Studio exemplifies how AI can transform traditional business processes— in this case, communication— into more engaging, efficient, and impactful practices. By integrating AI into its strategy, Pitango enhanced its brand presence and demonstrated the potential of its investments and commitment to pushing boundaries – a valuable model for other organizations looking to make waves in their respective industries.