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"Agents can do great research, but they don’t shop,” says Arriana Yiallourides, Business Development Director at VML North America. She talks candidly about where marketing budgets should go in the age of algorithms, why investing in people still matters most, and how data combined with creativity delivers maximum impact and ROI.
Born into the social media generation and now working in the age of AI, Arriana has led global strategies, high-stakes pitches and collaborations with top teams across five continents. In this interview with Oikonomiki Kathimerini, she shares her fresh and humorous take on how advertising is changing, where it’s worth investing, and what it means to stay human in the era of algorithms.
Q: From Los Angeles to Nicosia: What three things do multinationals do differently in marketing compared to local companies, and what can Cyprus adopt right away?
A: The advertising giants have three big advantages: big data and consumer insights, large specialized teams, and sophisticated tools. In major markets, multinationals build teams that combine diverse disciplines, which are strategy, data analysis, commerce, content creation, UX design, storytelling, and more. This isn’t accidental. It’s designed to address complex client needs across multiple countries and markets.
Even within the U.S., a campaign might have to “speak” to five different markets and three languages at the same time.
Cyprus, however, wins on closeness to the consumer. Local companies understand the culture, habits and small nuances that can make a big difference. That’s why investing in training local talent is critical. At the same time, our market has a huge agility advantage: you can test an idea today on a small scale and see immediate audience reaction. This “test and learn” capability is priceless.
Q: Marketers are under pressure for ROI. How do you balance data-driven performance with the creativity that builds brands long term?
A: There’s no one-size-fits-all. Every brand needs its own mix. In categories like telecoms or insurance, I’ve seen how humor and entertainment can “humanize” an otherwise faceless service. By contrast, in fast-moving consumer goods, where decisions are often impulsive, performance marketing works best.
The key is not to lose balance. In Cyprus, social media and digital ad spending already runs into tens of millions and is growing more than 12% annually through 2030. This shows a market heavily investing in measurable results. But here’s my advice: don’t get seduced by quick wins.
We’ve all seen the TikTok videos, the influencer everyone’s talking about, and the CGI ad you got for €1,000 that was super cool. But ad hoc advertising will bring ad hoc results. If you want your brand to sell tomorrow as well as today, take the right steps. Communication must be rooted in a strategic, long-term plan, a systematic mix of actions with strong storytelling and creativity. Beyond the numbers, never forget that advertising speaks to people who are not just rational beings but emotional ones. People respond to what makes them feel something special, that’s where the focus should be.
Q: In an era where ChatGPT writes slogans in seconds, what’s left for human creatives? Does the advertiser–agency–media relationship still play a starring role?
A: AI has firmly entered the daily life of advertising. According to a recent survey, 95% of marketers say they use generative AI tools daily, most often in the brainstorming phase. That’s impressive in itself.
Yet human creativity remains unmatched. Communication isn’t just words or images; it’s about understanding people, emotions, and cultural nuances. We’re entering a time when audiences will crave the authentic, the handmade, and the personal. In that sense, the advertiser–agency–media triangle still gives a brand its backbone. AI is an ally, not a replacement.
*Arriana Yiallourides | Business Development Director, VML North America
