Isle of Any Turns Everyday Prompts into Tiny Movies for ChatGPT’s Debut Brand Campaign – Little Black Book | LBBOnline
For its first ever brand campaign, OpenAI’s ChatGPT has shied away from slick futurism in favour of tiny movies that feel simple, tactile and human.
The campaign is inspired by real use cases and centres on the small but meaningful ways people bring ChatGPT into their lives. Films highlight moments such as cooking a meal, hitting a fitness goal, or planning a trip – all framed like the closing scenes of a feature film, complete with prompts and answers rendered as rolling credits.
The brand films were created by Isle of Any, in collaboration with OpenAI’s in-house team, and shot on 35mm film by SMUGGLER director Miles Jay.
“Like a lot of the work we do at Isle of Any, we wanted the campaign to play with the medium and media,” say Laurie Howell and Toby Treyer-Evans, founders of Isle of Any, who recently launched high profile work for The New York Times.
“We loved the idea of the viewer feeling like they had just been dropped into the final scene of a movie,” they add, “using the prompt and the answer from ChatGPT as a nod to movie credits. We wanted these small moments to feel elevated, and give scale to how Chat helps co-create these small moments in our lives.”
From the beginning it was important to Laurie, Toby and the wider ChatGPT team that each film felt different with a range of characters, each one with its own unique story. “This meant the prompt and answer act as character development,” they add, “with the details in the answer allowing us to show the magic of ChatGPT and at the same time bring to life the backstories of how they got to this moment.”
They wanted the work to feel “tactile and grounded” but at the same time “like big cinema,” and Miles Jay stood out as the kind of director to realise that vision. “Miles has those muscles,” say Laurie and Toby. “He’s a really talented, technical filmmaker, but still has a sensitivity for emotion, character, pace, and casting. It was fun for everyone to commit to building the feeling of being dropped into the final scene of a movie through a single take.”
With so few ingredients to work with, the choice of music became even more important. The team asked themselves: Could this track close a two-hour film? What kind of movie does it evoke? Does it feel like the character?
“We wanted each film to have its own feel,” they say. “To feel empowering, have the right shape/instrumentation to feel like a climax. Through lots of experimentation and prototyping, we looked to move around the spectrum to find songs you wouldn’t normally hear in advertising, but more in films.” Perfume Genius’ ‘Fool’, Simple Minds’ ‘Someone, Somewhere (In Summertime)’, and Neil Diamond’s ‘Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show’ ended up soundtracking the spots.
Previous marketing efforts from OpenAI have prioritised cultural moments, such as earlier this year when it debuted ChatGPT’s first Super Bowl ad. Other initiatives have included collaborations with major US sports teams and leagues, as well as student campaigns across campuses designed to help students use ChatGPT to support their studies.
This first broader brand campaign will run in the US, UK and Ireland across outdoor, primetime TV, streaming, and social. The first film will debut during NFL Primetime in the US, followed by out-of-home and paid social placements across the UK including Piccadilly Lights, Old Street Roundabout, Manchester Arndale, Birmingham, Westfield plus further locations in Dublin.
“Connecting with people on a human level is at the heart of what makes this work so meaningful,” says Michael Tabtabai, VP of creative at OpenAI. “It’s in OpenAI’s nature – the way we think, collaborate, and create – to focus on what ChatGPT can do for people in their everyday lives. I’m proud of the way our teams and creative partners came together to create this campaign. It sets the intention for how we want to show up as a brand: with humanity, creativity, and a clear focus on people.”
“The joy of creating this work began with shared intention and partnership,” adds Zach Stubenvoll, OpenAI’s executive creative director. “At OpenAI, creativity is a team sport. We brought together our in-house creative teams along with our partners to create a new approach to craft. We shot the TV spots on film using custom made lenses and used ChatGPT as a co-creator throughout the creative process. This helped us expand our thinking, brainstorm new characters, and as you’ll see, became a critical part of the spot itself.”
The campaign will continue to run in the UK through tentpole sports broadcasts and primetime consumer shows across streaming and TV on ITV, Sky and Channel 4, through to the end of the year. The out-of-home photography was produced directly by OpenAI’s in-house team in collaboration with photographer Samuel Bradley, across the US and UK, with styling by Heidi Bivens. Global media strategy and placement were led by OpenAI’s media partner, PHD.
Elke Karskens, international marketing director at OpenAI, says the campaign shines a light on the “everyday magic” of ChatGPT. “Whether that’s learning something new, reaching a fitness milestone, or unlocking new forms of creativity. With more and more people across the UK using and loving ChatGPT, we want to showcase how it can make your life easier and help you do more of what matters to you.”
The campaign launch comes as AI use grows. In the UK, for example, ChatGPT’s user base has quadrupled in the last year and new research from OpenAI and The Harris Polls shows seven out of ten AI users under 45 in the UK say that AI helps them ‘succeed in life’.
“AI use is deeply personal,” adds Elke, “and the most powerful stories come directly from how people experience ChatGPT. That’s why this campaign is rooted in authentic, product-led storytelling – building emotional connection by showing, not telling.”
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