We keep hearing that AI image and video generation is great for testing out ideas – and it is. Generative AI can be really useful for storyboarding and iteration before starting work on the real production. It can even be useful for filling gaps in the final project when really necessary. But it seems some brands are jumping the gun, deciding that unfinished AI storyboards are good enough as final assets.
Volvo's new AI advert looks like it must have started as a brainstorming exercise: a series of generic ideas thrown on a timeline as a rough concept to get approval to move forward with production. Perhaps someone then asked how much it would cost to produce and decided, f**k it; just slap some film grain over it, and it will look fine as it is.
The controversial Jaguar rebrand last year was notable for many things, one of them being the lack of any cars in the initial reveal. To be fair to Jaguar, it didn't have any cars to show. Volvo already has electric cars, but it's chosen not to show them in the new ad, presumably because in AI-generated video they would look as bad as the trucks in the Coca-Cola AI Christmas advert.
Volvo's AI ad is intended to announced the brand's comeback in Saudi Arabia. Petromin Corporation's e-mobility division Electromin is also involved somehow. The piece aims to create an emotional connection with the audience rather than focus on product design, seeking to tap into Saudi culture and resonate with people through storytelling.
According to Hussein M. Dajani, Petromin’s Chief Marketing Officer, "By harnessing AI, Volvo has transformed the way stories are told, delivering a film that is both visually stunning and executed with remarkable agility. This is what the future of marketing looks like, a perfect balance between vision, technology and creativity."
OK, sure: AI slashes production times, but it also slashes quality and authenticity. The finished product looks so cheap and the supposed emotional connection feels so empty that it's hard to imagine such a shoddy advert resonating with anyone.
Sensibly, Volvo has turned off comments on the YouTube video to avoid any human feedback. If this is really what the future of marketing looks like, it's going to be a sad and ugly future.
In other car branding and design news, it seems the Tesla Cybertruck disaster is complete.
