We Asked OpenAI’s ChatGPT to Write Us a Super Bowl Ad and It Served Us Michael Scott.
We’re big believers in the power of AI.?
So much so, that we even built our own creative automation platform, ReMake. A product of needing to find efficiencies in the necessary (but repetitive) process of content versioning. It’s been a huge success.
… Yes. Our belief in AI is rooted in more than Kubrick fandom and a love for the Spielberg directed 2001 classic.
The power of AI is undeniable.?
But then there’s the subject of creativity. A potentially contentious topic (depending on who you’re talking to) when it comes to AI conversation.
Some argue it’s strictly human power. While others suggest AI is ready to threaten the role of the creator. Some are for it. Some are against it. It’s a dichotomy among creatives. But what’s clear, is that the lines are beginning to blur.
By now, anyone reading this will have at least seen one form of AI-generated art on social. Most likely a Lensa AI or AI Time Machine avatar, two trends that peaked on Instagram and TikTok before the turn of the New Year. Both good fun. But OpenAI’s DALL·E 2 (much like Midjourney) is taking it a step further.?
OpenAI refers to DALL·E 2 as: “A new AI system that can create realistic images and art from a description in natural language.” And they're not wrong. Some of the output is palpable. Quite easily mistaken for the work of a person. Some are a little more subjective. Though you can see why some creators may be starting to get fidgety.?
But execution is one thing. To conceive an idea is entirely different. Surely that’s where the real creativity lies? And this is where it gets interesting.?
While DALL·E 2 relies on human ideas and instruction to facilitate its creations, ChatGPT (OpenAI’s conversation language model) is slowly stating its case for a role in the process of creative ideation - with some voices suggesting it's ready to be embraced by agencies and brands alike.?
They’re big words. So we decided to put it to the ultimate creative test: to help ideate an ad for this year’s Super Bowl.?
Yep. No small feat, and perhaps the very pinnacle of creative advertising. But ChatGPT is receiving a lot of high-profile attention. So there was no way we were going to go easy on it.?
We started with the most obvious ask we could think of: To simply provide us with five great ideas for a Super Bowl 2023 commercial. Could it really be that simple? As far as starts go, it certainly wasn’t bad.
All great thought-starters (and suspiciously on brand). But by no means fully-formed ideas. We needed to dig a little deeper. So we asked ChatGPT to expand on idea 5 (we’re so obvious). This is what it had for us.?
Sure! For example, a parody of a hit TV show like "The Office" could feature employees at a company competing in a fantasy football league and using the brand's app to manage their teams. The humor and familiar characters from the show would grab the audience's attention, while the product placement would highlight its features and benefits.
The goal would be to make the audience laugh, feel entertained, and remember the brand.
Impressive stuff. Especially since the above came back in the time it took us to write this sentence. ChatGPT is a quick returner (get it?). But there’s something oddly familiar about its recommendation. So we asked the question: Just how original is this idea?
This is not necessarily an original idea. The example given uses common themes that have been used in past Super Bowl ads and are likely to be used again in the future. "The Office" is also not original and has been used in past Super Bowl ads or in ads for other products and brands.
The idea behind this type of ad is to tap into the audience's love of familiar pop culture references and bring a new twist to them by incorporating the brand's product. While these themes may not be entirely original, a creative execution can still make for a successful and memorable Super Bowl ad.
Fair enough. Determining originality* is difficult. Even for humans. And even more challenging when creating an ad based on a pre-existing franchise. Some things will need to be fresh though.
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Since the premise was a little vague, we delved a little more into some specifics. Asking ChatGPT to expand on the humour-lead narrative. Most notably, asking it to create a joke specifically for Steve Carell’s character, Michael Scott.?
Sure! Here's a joke that could be used in a Super Bowl ad parody of "The Office" featuring Michael Scott:
Michael is using the brand's app to manage his fantasy football team and is feeling confident about his lineup. He turns to the camera and says, "I declare this the year of the Scranton Stranglers. Bunch of winners, if I do say so myself. But, let's be real, I'm the real MVP. That's 'Most Valuable Papermaker', of course."
The joke is based on Michael's character and his tendency to mix up common phrases and acronyms. By combining that with a nod to the popularity of fantasy football, the joke could connect with a broad audience and add an element of humor to the ad.
It turns out ChatGPT is pretty funny. But has this joke been told before?
No, this joke has not been told before and is entirely original in that sense.
Now we were really getting somewhere.?
The humor could [also] come from the characters' interactions with each other, such as Dwight's competitive streak or Jim's prankster nature. The app could also have some unexpected and humorous features, like a virtual assistant that makes sarcastic comments or a feature that allows users to trash-talk their opponents.
Our Office Super Bowl ad was getting funnier by the minute. The more we probed, the more ChatGPT delivered. We were particularly intrigued by Jim’s prank; and what that might possibly involve.?
Jim is using the brand's app to manage his fantasy football team and realizes that his opponent, Dwight, has made a mistake in his lineup. Instead of correcting him, Jim decides to have some fun and send Dwight a fake notification from the brand's app, congratulating him on winning the league. Dwight, being his competitive self, falls for the prank and starts celebrating, only to realize later that it was all a joke.
Nailed it! ChatGPT had us in tears. Now we had our setting, a narrative, characters and the jokes. All that was left was the Fantasy Football App’s value proposition. We quizzed ChatGPT and settled on its ‘Community’ recommendation.
Community: The app allows users to connect and compete with friends, family, and other fans, creating a social and engaging experience.
Bingo. And there it was. Our Super Bowl ad: An office of employees (a community), brought together through their love of a Fantasy Football app; rich in typical The Office tropes, humour and its loveable characters. Ideated in just a few minutes. Surely it’s a winner?!
The truth is we’ll never know. But what we do know is that ChatGPT is pretty smart. Rich in enough data points to understand what (historically) makes for a successful Super Bowl Ad. And that’s what we really need, isn’t it? Being creative is fun. We’re certainly not in a hurry to replace that any time soon. Creativity, however, isn’t always immediate. So having a tool on hand to help stimulate the creative senses (when required) can only be a good thing. Hell, it’ll even do the pesky research for you.?
Whether it threatens the role of the creative is another question. DALL·E’s interpretations of our ad may suggest there’s a little way to go (although totally subjective).
Right now, both require intervention. And in our humble and human opinion… you’ll never beat the real thing.?
Why not try creating your own Super Bowl ad? Sign-up to ChatGPT here.
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*On the subject of originality. ChatGPT had the following to say:?
There is no such thing as a completely original idea, as every concept is influenced by existing ideas and previous experiences. The goal is to bring a fresh perspective and unique execution to an idea, rather than trying to create something entirely new from scratch.
It has a point.