Ad of the Day: Swedish retailer’s Blade Runner-inspired spot imagines AI advancements
It's for the retailer Jotex and stars Dutch dancer Marie-Louise Hertog.
Titled ‘Living With Human,’ this long-form ad features an AI being who robotically moves around a room as it begins to fill with furniture. As the scene plays out, it becomes apparent that the protagonist is struggling with her surroundings, and things begin to intensify.
“But just like in every good story, the main character has to go through a lot and learn something on her journey," says creative director Nikolaj Fremming. “Creating widely different moods with furniture combinations from the eclectic range of Jotex, is a very visual way of expressing both the darkness and the hope in the story.”
Inspiration for the ad came from Japanese architect Tadao Ando and the first Bladerunner movie. Fans of the Ridley Scott sci-fi film will spot some easter eggs throughout.
The final look of the set was first tested out by creating different 3D visualizations before being built in the Jotex studio.
Advertisement
“It’s easy to assume the worst and historically that is how humans have reacted to major scientific breakthroughs," noted chief marketing officer Markus Danielsson. “So, we’ve been very conscious about striking a balance that leaves a lot of room for interpretation.”
Yet, at a mammoth seven minutes long, the team stressed that this is tricky in the age of social media but after seeing Hertog’s performance, they were not afraid to go for it.
Advertisement
“Like most people, we are extremely fascinated by the rapid development of AI that comes with seemingly endless possibilities. But the excitement also comes with a great deal of uncertainty,” adds Peter Keerberg, chief executive at Swedish homewear retailer Jotex. “I think we all have a sense that AI will have an unprecedented impact, we just have no idea how. That was the starting point for our approach to the campaign narrative – we aim to raise questions rather than give answers.”
Created in-house by the Jotex team, the ad will be running in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland and Finland on owned channels.
Interested in seeing more creative campaigns? Check out our Ad of the Day and the Best Ads of the Week sections.