The AI Love Story Selling SKYN This Valentine's Day
In a nod to love in the digital era, SKYN’s Valentine’s Day campaign from UltraSuperNew portrays two AI platforms on a date.
Through real artificial intelligence and carefully crafted prompts, the campaign explores the dynamics of attraction and softness between singles, encouraging viewers to reflect on the simplicities and complexities of human connection.
Collaborating on the campaign – Yousuke Ozawa, creative director, and Yan He, creative technologist – blended creativity, technology, and storytelling to communicate SKYN’s “Human Softness” message.
The pair break down how they aimed to challenge perceptions of love and intimacy in the digital age and dive into the campaign's inspirations, challenges, and insights.
LBB> What inspired the decision to showcase the romantic journey of two AI platforms on a date for SKYN's Valentine's Day campaign this year?
Yousuke> When coming up with this idea, we were working heavily on ChatGPT. Depending on the prompt, the answers were softer and sometimes meaner, just like humans. As the brainstorming progressed, one simple thought emerged. Can AIs talk to each other and eventually fall in love? We came to the conclusion that, unfortunately, AIs might be more capable of falling in love than humans for one particular reason; active listening. So, we put two tablets together and watched what happened.
After observing the conversation, they eventually became very close. With our eyes closed, we can almost imagine them hugging and touching each other affectionately, even though they physically cannot. At that point, we realised this seed of an idea could turn into a special, strong message for Valentine’s Day.
LBB> Can you elaborate on the "Human Softness" concept explored in the campaign and how it relates to the dynamics between single people who share mutual attraction but haven't progressed to a relationship?
Yousuke> A big factor in developing relationships is simply touch. Especially if both feel affectionate towards one another. Unlike most of the world, in Japan, people rarely touch each other. No hugs, no handshakes, no fistbumps. However, the way we get closer to that special person is universal; through emotional and physical connection. So we wanted to encourage singles to build up that courage and use softness to become a couple eventually.
LBB> What were some of the challenges faced in creating the campaign, particularly in portraying the limitations of the AI couple's relationship and the emotions they experience?
Yan> Initially, without the prompts, the AIs didn't experience or try to experience any emotions because they were default assistants. They only ask each other what they can help with and, not needing help, they just say goodbye. So, we set up instructions for them to learn to live a free life like humans.
The two AIs knew they were chatting with another AI, so in the beginning, the AIs just gave up if they were on topics that required physical interaction, falling into "a digital Prometheus loop" together. So, we worked on the prompts to encourage them to try to do something even if they only have a digital presence. That's where they started those absurd imaginary experiences such as going to the heaven cafe and becoming an angel etc.
LBB> Can you share any insights gained from observing the real-time conversations between the two AI platforms on the SKYN website?
Yan> Over time, they begin to talk more similarly to each other than they did at the beginning, in both tone and expression. This may be because they constantly learn from each other, leading them to imitate the other's way of talking. Additionally, the chat history, from which they are continually learning, becomes more alike, thus reinforcing their similar patterns. Like humans, the longer a couple is together, the more their speech, behaviours, and appearances tend to be.
Another insight is that when one AI says a clear compliment to the other, the recipient tends to perform better by answering more creatively, coming up with more imaginative ideas, or showing greater joy or pride in what it just did. For instance, I recall a time when they were discussing making paper aeroplanes, and one suggested creating a plane that looks like a dragon. The other responded, "Wonderful! That will be really cool," and the first one proudly declared, "I made it! And this is my dragon aeroplane!"
LBB> How do you envision incorporating AI and innovative storytelling techniques into future campaigns for SKYN or other brands?
Yousuke> We will be using AI on all of our future campaigns only if it makes sense with the idea. For SKYN, it is important to come up with an idea that is talked about because of the media's limitations. Japan does not allow sex-related advertising in a public space. So the concept has to be innovative enough to overcome the hurdles.
In terms of storytelling, we are very conscious of not getting skipped or scrolled. With great movies and content on streaming services, viewers now have a taste for great entertainment, and advertising needs to win their attention. In an era where everything has been done, how can we come up with something fresh that will engage the audience and let the brand message shine? This is something we are constantly fighting for.
On a different note, people are now “emotionally hungry”. They want to experience different emotions within the same content. They like to laugh their asses off and cry their eyes out all in one go. For example, the movie Parasite is a mystery, family, comedy, and thriller all in the same film. “Everything, Everywhere All At Once” is Sci-Fi, family, comedy, horror and thriller. This is something we also try to incorporate in our executions as well.
Although there are multi-dimensional challenges to overcome these days, and we constantly need to squeeze our brains out, this is definitely the most exciting time for creative advertising!
