Red Lobster used all AI music for their latest advertising campaign (with examples)
- Thread starter GtrString
- Start date
There we go....
The bar is really low, they don't even use the latest tech from the sound of it (sounds like a previous gen AI creepiness and crapyness), they really don't give a damn do they..
Hope it's a fake, it's so bad, the videos are AI as well I guess, the lyrics AI for sure or they put their accounting department to write them
The bar is really low, they don't even use the latest tech from the sound of it (sounds like a previous gen AI creepiness and crapyness), they really don't give a damn do they..
Hope it's a fake, it's so bad, the videos are AI as well I guess, the lyrics AI for sure or they put their accounting department to write them
OP
OP
GtrString
Senior Member
Yeah, I would think the marketing dept wrote the lyrics. Maybe using AI makes sense in this case, as they would probably have a hard time finding musicians who would do cheesy funny stuff like this. So it's likely about convenience, money, fast workflow, rights, no one to argue with..
ScarletJerry
Senior Member
Even cheesy AI music about cheesy AI biscuits may not be enough to save them.
Red Lobster is in financial trouble
Red Lobster is in financial trouble
Vladinemir
Active Member
It's like those funny videos in which they write different silly lyrics and it really sounds like the singers are singing that.
In the advertisement world it unfortunately really makes sense for them, and honestly who cares about the art part in this case, and who cares about exclusivity.
Those jobs/license deals are lost forever.
Still this is so bad it might backfire in a sense it might not really entice? Evoke a sense of unease connected to Red Lobster in people's subconscious? (one can hope) Dunno.
More like:There's a killer on the road
His brain is squirmin' like a toad
Take a long holiday
Let your children play
If you give this man a ride
Sweet family will die
Killer on the road, yeah
OP
OP
GtrString
Senior Member
I think it can make sense for certain brands, for certain (maybe smaller) campaigns, to use the AI tools. This Lobster one could be an example, but ultimately they would need to monitor how well these adcreatives perform, and evaluate the sales results. Nothing is guaranteed just because it's cheap. They also risk to roast in their own oven. Maybe they even tried AI out of desperation?
They surely saved a lot of dole here. 30 adcreatives, with 30 different pieces of music. What would that have cost them if they were to create briefs, select, and license these tracks? They would all need to be custom briefs. Probably around 250.000 USD at least for this campaign, all included with supervision ect ect, maybe more +running time, and renewals.
There are other brands, and other types of campaigns where using AI music like this would be completely off brand, and make zero sense. Like with big brands like Nike, Apple ect. But also for anyone claiming anything "natural", "real" and "authentic".
Maybe AI is particularly geared towards tacky, corporate-funny stuff?
They surely saved a lot of dole here. 30 adcreatives, with 30 different pieces of music. What would that have cost them if they were to create briefs, select, and license these tracks? They would all need to be custom briefs. Probably around 250.000 USD at least for this campaign, all included with supervision ect ect, maybe more +running time, and renewals.
There are other brands, and other types of campaigns where using AI music like this would be completely off brand, and make zero sense. Like with big brands like Nike, Apple ect. But also for anyone claiming anything "natural", "real" and "authentic".
Maybe AI is particularly geared towards tacky, corporate-funny stuff?
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They're ads so I suppose annoyance is a factor the client can ignore but the artefacts, particularly in the operatic one, may wind up being a block on large-scale use. If the brand wants to push "this sounds amateur because we're so edgy" it's workable but I can see it dying out as a fad in the short term until the models get better at stitching together the source material.
The pop versions could also wind up being plagiarism-lawsuit magnets for any company or brand with money (so maybe not a problem for Red Lobster).
The pop versions could also wind up being plagiarism-lawsuit magnets for any company or brand with money (so maybe not a problem for Red Lobster).
Alchemedia
Decomposer
There have been countless non sensical commercial campaigns over the years that were extremely successful. On the other hand...
My brother was a successful advertising copywriter and consultant for over 30 years. He has published numerous books and was a keynote speaker at worldwide conventions. Within the past 6 months AI has replaced all his clients and he is suddenly out of work.
Ivan Duch
Senior Member
That sucks, and could be any of us in one year. I imagine many of his copywriter colleagues are facing the same?
nolotrippen
Senior Member
Another reason not to eat there.
marclawsonmusic
Senior Moment
Does anyone else find it hard to listen to these? Like nails-on-chalkboard hard to listen? Cause this 'music' creeps me the fuck out.
AnhrithmonGelasma
Senior Member
It's about:
- publicity
- showing investors and the public that they're willing to innovate and embrace the new major trend
- humor (opera singing ("high culture") about Red Lobster is humorous to begin with, made funnier by time distortion, emotionally inappropriate vocals, low audio quality---they probably could have used higher quality generative AI but chose not to)
- ... and saving money
So it seems like the music in these ads is mostly a gimmick that won't stay fresh for long... for now.
- publicity
- showing investors and the public that they're willing to innovate and embrace the new major trend
- humor (opera singing ("high culture") about Red Lobster is humorous to begin with, made funnier by time distortion, emotionally inappropriate vocals, low audio quality---they probably could have used higher quality generative AI but chose not to)
- ... and saving money
So it seems like the music in these ads is mostly a gimmick that won't stay fresh for long... for now.
jbuhler
Senior Member
Yes, it's even more irritating than most ad music, which is already mostly irritating.
I thought the theory of advertising was that it mostly served as a barrier to entry to other firms, especially in mature industries. Reducing the cost of ads lowers that barrier to entry, so I'm not sure that once the fad of the gimmick quickly runs its course it will have any staying power at all, since I've yet to see AI do anything I'd call clever on its own. (And decent ads generally have at least a clever hook, the hook in these cases being the novelty of the AI.) AI is great if all you need to do is flood the zone with shit, and though a lot of ads are shitty that doesn't seem their aim.
Onemandown
Probably an AI
AI music = bankruptcy. How much clearer can it get?
In all seriousness, I imagine this kind of thing will become more and more frequent as the tech gets better. Because composers aren't improving the same way AI is. John Barry's dead: but the theory behind AI is that it can listen to and reproduce any musician's work.
Reminds me of the robot-girl in Black Widow. It's studied every song available to study and now it's just a matter of removing edge-cases and making a flawless product. Yay.
In all seriousness, I imagine this kind of thing will become more and more frequent as the tech gets better. Because composers aren't improving the same way AI is. John Barry's dead: but the theory behind AI is that it can listen to and reproduce any musician's work.
Reminds me of the robot-girl in Black Widow. It's studied every song available to study and now it's just a matter of removing edge-cases and making a flawless product. Yay.
I'd already decided not to eat red sea cockroaches long ago. But this has definitely sealed the deal.
Onemandown
Probably an AI
What? Giant bugs from the seafloor don't awaken your tastebuds?
wing
Senior Member
I feel like these aren't exactly an ad campaign and more of a social media marketing shtick, which is obviously leaning into the hoakiness of it all. (the article doesn't call it an ad campaign, so beyond journalistic and online buzz, it doesn't seem like they are running these with an ad buy on any platforms). Probably an idea by an internal social media department who are all likely under 30, not unlike how Wendy's has a popular Twitter(X) account, trying to do something intentionally quirky and comical for social media likes and attention.
I'm not trying to justify it, but in context I think it's a bit less offensive since they are obviously leaning into it as a joke and probably have almost no budget for execution, plus AI is seen as a fun toy on the cutting edge of culture (good marketing ploy) – to that end I can almost appreciate they are clearly owning it as AI rather than trying to pass it off as real music. But agree, this music is painful to listen to.
I grew up going there as my dad loved it. I remember not liking anything on the menu except the cheddar bay biscuits, which to be fair are pretty good, which I blame on all the butter and cheese lol.
I'm not trying to justify it, but in context I think it's a bit less offensive since they are obviously leaning into it as a joke and probably have almost no budget for execution, plus AI is seen as a fun toy on the cutting edge of culture (good marketing ploy) – to that end I can almost appreciate they are clearly owning it as AI rather than trying to pass it off as real music. But agree, this music is painful to listen to.
I grew up going there as my dad loved it. I remember not liking anything on the menu except the cheddar bay biscuits, which to be fair are pretty good, which I blame on all the butter and cheese lol.
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