How VMLY&R Created a Jennifer Lopez AI for Virgin Voyages

Jennifer Lopez has been appointed chief celebrations officer for Richard Branson’s new travel brand, Virgin Voyages. However, this is less ‘Jenny from the Block’ and more ‘Jenny from the Matrix’. Tapping into augmented reality and AI technology, Virgin Voyages has partnered with VMLY&R to apply J. Lo’s likeness to a ‘Jen AI’.

As well as a comedic film which shows people ‘taking control’ of the Jen AI, the campaign also includes a tool that allows people to send customisable invites to family and friends, persuading them to sail on an adventure with them. Just answer a few questions and your chosen recipient receives a personalised message from the J. Lo-bot herself!

To find out how this technology was deployed, what Jennifer Lopez thought of being turned into an AI and how it all ties into Virgin Voyages’ brand platform, LBB’s Ben Conway spoke to the travel company’s chief brand officer Nathan Rosenberg, as well as two of VMLY&R’s creative minds behind the project: creative director Perle Arteta and group creative director Gretchen Menter.

LBB> How did this campaign come about? What was the brief like?

Perle and Gretchen> With the pandemic continuing to fade into the background, leisure travel has made significant strides in the last several months. Cruisers and other travellers who were not able to plan or attend celebrations in recent years now want to mark major milestones and events. But, life still seems to get in the way. The brief was centred around the notion that most of us need a catalyst to stop making excuses and start making time for celebration. And we figured that despite the many reasons to say no to a celebratory trip, you can’t say no to J. Lo. 

LBB> The campaign both uses AI and pokes fun at it - where did the celebrity deepfake idea come from?

Perle and Gretchen> In the past few years, it’s been nearly impossible to avoid the conversation around generative AI. Everyone is talking about gen AI - but a lot of that talk tends to be negative and quite frankly… scary. So we decided to put a Virgin twist to it and keep it playful and inviting. That's why we created ‘Jen AI’.

LBB> Virgin has been partnered with J. Lo since 2021 - how did she react to this idea and to using her likeness with AI technology?

Nathan> Jennifer’s no stranger to being on the cutting edge of entertainment, and she’s someone who’s spoken openly about believing in the importance of celebrating all of life’s milestones. Jennifer was excited to be at the forefront of inviting people to voyage in a creative way with a brand that’s quickly becoming known as the ultimate celebratory getaway.

Perle and Gretchen> She was thrilled! We also assured her that certain parameters would make sure her likeness wasn’t used in any way that she might not condone. 

LBB> How does this campaign follow on from and develop the previous work with J. Lo?

Nathan> Last year we introduced our partnership with Jennifer Lopez, announcing her plans to influence the sailor experience across entertainment, fitness, wellness and beauty. We worked with her to surprise 1,000 sailors with free voyages and welcomed JLo Beauty into our High Street retail shops. This year, we debuted the first-ever Limitless Voyage, which was a change-making partnership designed to inspire female entrepreneurs, and now, as our newly minted ‘chief celebrations officer’, Jennifer is inviting people to experience the allure of this incredible, exclusively adult product. Plus, our sailors trust Jennifer’s taste and trust her to know how to throw a celebratory voyage!

LBB> In addition to the film, the campaign also allows people to create a customised message from the Jen AI - what technology makes this possible? 

Perle and Gretchen> AI learning and voice banking technology make it possible. We decided very early on that we’d use these elements to make sure the experience was as seamless and compelling as possible. Deeplocal brought Jen AI to life visually, while SpeakUnique worked to develop her voice, making sure it was as authentic to J. Lo’s real voice as possible. 

LBB> What was it like seeing the Jen AI in action for the first time?

Nathan> Seeing Jen AI in action for the first time was pretty surreal. Taking the campaign through the entire arc of the design process, from ideation to execution, it’s been incredible to witness how well-received the project has been from our sailors and even our crew. The functionality of the platform and invite is a culmination of multiple teams coming together, and it’s wonderful that our sailors are loving it. 

LBB> Are we looking at the future of celebrity endorsement advertising? We’ve seen Cadbury achieve success with their Shah Rukh Khan campaign that used a similar technology - will you seek to use it more in the future?

Perle and Gretchen> That’s really the big question right now. Obviously, we love the idea that this industry is ever-evolving and always looking for new, innovative ways to inform and entertain people. But we’ve also always believed in the power of human beings to connect through their respective crafts. The future will definitely be interesting, but it’s hard to tell what balance we’ll strike when it comes to celebrity endorsements. AI is a powerful new tool but like every tool, we still need to work out ways to be inventive with it.

LBB> What are the main considerations when using this technology? Is there lots of extra work for your legal teams, regarding the usage of the celebrity’s image?

Perle and Gretchen> The main consideration, really, is assuring that we’re not using a celebrity’s image in a way that disrespects them or their brand. With Jen AI, it was imperative that we assured Jennifer her likeness would be used respectfully in a way that complemented her as a person. All of these guard rails are built into the platform.

LBB> The film blends information about Voyages with some really funny lines and performances - why does this approach work so well for the Virgin Voyages brand?

Nathan> The Virgin brand was founded as an entertainment company, so we’re always wanting to tap into its rich history and create content that is both engaging and speaks to Virgin Voyages specifically. Our brand voice is cheeky, modern and inviting, so we were able to inject a mix of humour and futuristic thinking into the script to create a successful campaign that feels very us and very now.

LBB> What are some key learnings or fulfilling moments from this project that you’ll remember fondly and take forward to future projects?

Perle and Gretchen> Creating seamless and believable AI is still an undertaking, despite what its prevalence would lead us to believe. Watching Jen AI come to life was a labour of love and a great reminder that the best things take effort and heart.