REAL SMART: For jeweler David Morris, artificial intelligence is the latest creative involved in its 2023 Christmas campaign, released Wednesday.
But don’t call this an AI-generated campaign.
Given it also called for a live model, jewelry and real props, “mixed media” is a better descriptor, said the jeweler’s brand content manager, Cecily Morris.
“AI is not quite to the point where you press a button and it spits out a campaign,” she continued, calling it no replacement for human creativity — or artistic ability, especially when it comes to details of human anatomy like hands and eyes.
Using AI slotted in with the brand’s technophile approach that saw it launch high jewelry through e-commerce pre-pandemic, thanks to a hookup with Farfetch, but also felt an apt tool to trial in a social and video-first campaign.
What it does facilitate is agility, helping the brand was “achieve more, with a better-suited timeline,” said Morris. Compared to computer-generated imagery, the process had taken around two months, rather than a year.
Each collection also received a full complement of assets thanks to AI, with videos up to a minute, rather than 30-second clips and limited still imagery, with a cost on par with a classic shoot with a model — and half of what a live production involving bold-face creatives would be.
Created in collaboration with London-based Junction 11 Creative Studios, the holiday lineup explores eight of the brand’s collections, including Miss Daisy, Fortuna and Rose Cut. Stepping into David Morris’ rose-hued box, the model is then taken into a whirlwind tour of unique sceneries inspired by the narratives behind each line.
The agency’s creative director Darren Giles said “integrating data-driven and generative AI brought new ways to channel our creative aspirations, allowing us more opportunities to craft, play and refine.”
The jeweler’s Christmas campaign will be released across its social media and digital platforms.
