At the beginning of 2015, the vision of the online furniture search engine FAVI was clear – to make choosing furniture on the internet easy and accessible to everyone. Now, as a brand, it wants to move forward and show that it is "not just a practical helper, but someone who understands that home is much more than just four walls".
The creative duo of Václav Píša and Jakub Smoljak is behind the entire concept of the commercial. "For FAVI, we designed a concept that was designed for AI multiplication from the outset. The editing of the spots remains the same, but we change the entire context using synthetic voices, AI lip-syncing and generated environments. Where you would previously have had one spot, the client now has three full-fledged adverts," they explain.
The magical world of furniture hunting
"The aim of this advert is to show how it works when you use FAVI. Because people already know that FAVI has furniture, and lots of it, thanks to years of media spending. Now our goal is to show what happens when you use FAVI," describes Smoljak.
That is why the main character is Míša, who travels through a magical world full of furniture, movement and fantasy to the FAVI interface on the end user's phone. However, she is not just an observer of the virtual world, but also directly influences how the furniture around her changes according to her wishes, for example, according to type or colour. In this way, the commercial shows how customers can use filters to tailor the world of furniture to their needs.
When AI creates: A new perspective on advertising
The FAVI creative team used generative 3D modelling for the visual part of the commercial. The furniture and environment were created digitally, without the need for a real scene.
"Together with the animators, we modelled the entire world in Blender and prepared a simple animation that showed Míša floating on furniture through a fantasy world to the phone. In post-production, we just work with individual pieces of furniture, place Míša on them, and combine the animation with the filmed material. Everything fits together and works," describes Václav Píša.
The main involvement of artificial intelligence was in the voiceover, which was provided by AI voice-over technology. This allows text to be converted into natural speech in different languages, without the need for traditional dubbing. However, to ensure that the result did not come across as cold or distant, it was important to choose the right partner for its creation. This was the creative technology studio Brainz Studios.
"For us at FAVI, it is crucial that we come across as human in our communication. That's why we weren't just looking for someone who could master the technology to create a synthetic voice, but a creative partner. Brainz Studios uniquely combines cutting-edge technology with sensitivity and craftsmanship," explains the FAVI team.
The result is a variable campaign that can be easily adapted for multiple markets. Outside Czechia, it will also be broadcast in Slovakia and Hungary. According to FAVI, without the use of AI, it would be necessary to shoot separate versions for each market, including dubbing and scene editing, which would be significantly more time-consuming and costly.
A look behind the scenes
The project was created under the leadership of producer Barbora Pošepná in collaboration with Seeya production and the KW Creative agency. The final form of the spot was also significantly influenced by the 3D & VFX processing, which was done by Vojtěch Beznoska. The spot was produced by the Dogga Clan team. The approach to directing was also original – three directors joined forces: Václav Píša, Jakub Smoljak and Daniel "Daivi" Vitešník.
"We don't use AI because it's trendy, but because it allows us to do more interesting and daring things on a smaller budget. In my opinion, being cool isn't about doing big things with a big budget, but about being able to create strong emotions even with limited resources. And that's what this campaign is all about – courage, ideas and the desire to take the brand further," explains FAVI CMO/COO Jakub Macenauer.
Source: mam.cz