Why creatives are rooting for this adidas 'Floral' spec ad crafted entirely by AI

Film director Blair Vermette has captured the attention of adidas fans, creatives and brands with his new speculative ad. The speculative ad, created entirely by artificial intelligence (AI), promoted a floral collection by the athletic apparel and footwear brand.

The ad showcased "people" dancing in vibrant floral-printed clothing and shoes to Megan Thee Stallion's latest song, Mamushi. It also featured various locations associated to Japan such as an onsen, a train station, a temple and a park full of Sakura trees amongst others.

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In an Instagram post, Vermette revealed that the speculative ad was created by AI tools RunwayML, Midjourney, Adobe creative suite and Upscaled by Topaz. Meanwhile, in his LinkedIn post, the director said that "AI keeps evolving folks. We see it all around us." 

"It's a matter of time before AI agencies will be competing in the ad space, if not already happening. My intent is to build Rabbithole to be exactly that," said Vermette about his speculative ad and his digital studio. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has also reached out to adidas to see if the brand had any involvement in the creation of the ad. adidas did not comment at the time of writing.

Creative professionals that MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke to agree that the ad is visually appealing. "I hate it, I am left feeling incredibly jealous. This AI film looks fantastic and has such great energy," said Robert Gaxiola, managing partner of Playbook XP, who spent much of his career as a ECD and chief creative officer for major ad networks. 

He added that the look is "so Midjourney fresh", "imaginative" and "super entertaining". Gaxiola complimented Vermette for using AI tools to push the concept and make something fun. "The product looks great, the casting works and the overall composition is spot on. It's obvious that it wasn't overhandled by a committee," explained Gaxiola. 

Adrian Yeap, founder of Sweatshop, applauded the ad for its well-cut edit and the choice of a trendy, catchy track. "The overall consistency of the imagery generated, the sharp editing and the choice of music are critical components of this ad. Without which it will be tediously average," added Yeap. 

That said, not all creative professionals are fans of the AI-generated spec ad.

Rudi Leung, founder and director of Hungry Digital said that it was visually stunning at first glance. However, after watching it for a while, it starts to feel somewhat artificial, lacking the emotional depth and nuance the human touch can provide, said Leung. 

He explained that the ad is an exciting proof-of-concept and could work well in specific contexts such as pitching ideas to clients but not as a long-term strategy, adding that: 

I believe that ads need more than just aesthetics—they need to connect emotionally and tell a compelling story where human creativity still excels.

Leung said that the ad is aesthetically impressive in terms of its visual effects and polish but did not resonate with him. He added that while AI can generate beautiful, high-quality visuals, but the challenge will be avoiding uniformity.  "With AI's ease of use, we might see a flood of ads that look similar. The key will be how brands differentiate their messages and ensure their ads stand out emotionally—not just visually," said Leung. 

The role of creatives in an AI-ad future

AI, undoubtedly, introduces new challenges, particularly for those in post-production roles. According to Leung, AI can swiftly perfect images and achieve technical precision that is hard to match but the human element - storytelling, capturing authenticity, and crafting meaningful narrative - remains irreplaceable.

"I am confident that professionals who excel at revealing their subjects' raw, authentic side will survive and thrive in a world where consumers crave realness and emotional depth amidst the flood of AI-generated perfection," said Leung, adding that:

The future of photography and videography may evolve, but creativity and human insight will always have a significant role.

Similarly, Lara Hussein, CEO and founding partner of M&C Saatchi Kuala Lumpur said that "AI definitely can transform and create magic but I don’t believe it will diminish the roles of photographers and videographers".

"Human creativity is needed for crafting narratives conveying ideas and understanding emotions, elements that are still irreplaceable," said Lara. She added that photographers can use AI to enhance and speed up their creative and that AI tools will help supplement not replace.

Lara is also of the opinion that using real people as talents adds emotions and makes ads more expressive. "While AI can generate lifelike visuals the attributes of live talent is still important and integral to establishing human connection," said Lara. 

Gaxiola agrees that the role of photographers and videographers will have to evolve quickly. He said that some will embrace AI tools the same way photographers transitioned to digital photography and editing. Meanwhile, others might experiment with combining real-life photography, illustrations, choreography and AI-generated visuals to create something totally fresh, added Gaxiola. 

This means that rather than simply point and click, photographers and videographers have to pitch higher, said Yeap. "They will have to pitch higher - to bring their intuition, their expertise and their creativity to the fore, and produce something that defies convention," Yeap added. 

At the same time, Yeap emphasises that there are still limitations to AI technology. This is especially since the role of the video editor and the music artist - which were critical in making the ad appealing - are not AI. 

"Could AI edit the video and create a track like that? Maybe but the fact is it wasn't. The video was edited and the music created by someone with years of experience, taste and a shot of creativity. Something that’s not easy to achieve with AI currently," said Yeap. 

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