SKF advert review – let’s hope this dull AI Greta Garbo is not the future
TL;DR
The Guardian's reviewer pans SKF's 99-second advert starring an AI recreation of Greta Garbo as bizarre and humourless, calling it another reason to resent AI. The piece recalls the 1970 Peter Cook and Dudley Moore TV sketch that already sent up the reclusive star shouting through a megaphone that she wanted to be alone, and argues the new synthetic Garbo fares worse. For brands, the verdict is a warning that technical feasibility does not replace a creative idea.
Nauti's Take
The pan is also an opportunity: it shows early that digital resurrections without a strong idea fall flat with audiences, which saves other brands expensive failures. The limit is creativity, since a perfect face does not make a good advert, and a humourless performance damages the brand's reputation more than the technology's.
Agencies benefit when they use AI doubles as a tool inside a concept; anyone chasing only the wow effect should be careful.
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