Yoshinoya partners with Vpon and Tencent Music to roll out AI voice over ads

Japanese fast-food chain Yoshinoya has joined forces with big data company Vpon and Tencent Music to roll out a series of AI voice over ads. The cooperation between Yoshinoya and Vpon aims to bring new possibilities for AI commercial applications, including cooperation in the playback of AI virtual sounds on music platforms.

Targeting office workers and students in Hong Kong, Yoshinoya cooperated with local artists Gin Lee, Vincy Chan and Jocelyn Chan to generate virtual voice advertisements for the three artists leveraging the AI voice over technology developed by Vpon.

The ads are then displayed on the music streaming platform JOOX, a music streaming platform owned by Tencent Music Entertainment Group. The use of the technology only requires the legal consent of the artist and the manager's company to use the sound, which aims to reduce the artist's time cost and shorten the production time.

In order to insert ads into the music streaming experience, JOOX developed an artist-targeted advertising model for the first virtual sound advertisement on the platform, such as using Chan's virtual voice to generate ads. The ads will be placed immediately after users listen to her songs, making the transition between ads and music smoother.

Prior to the execution of the campaign, Vpon conducted a comprehensive preliminary study based on the data from the CRM system created by the Yoshinoya team.

It used AI algorithms to analyse Yoshinoya customers’ preferences and habits for meals and then combined it with data such as branch flow, busy hours, and popular meal combinations to accurately select office workers and students are the main target audiences for this promotion.

With the power of AI, the Vpon team then calculated the visual preferences of the target audience, such as colour palette, sense of space, and visual elements, amongst others, and used data as the basis for creation to generate mobile advertising materials faster, more efficiently, and more creatively.

Vpon has applied AI generation technology (Generative AI, GAI) to the ad materials, which are displayed on bus bodies, conveying the brand image to the streets and alleys, at the same time breaking public perception about the pixels of AI-generated images.

As this is the brand’s first AI campaign done in the Southeast Asian market, Yoshinoya team said: "What surprised our team the most was that Vpon's AI technology can create soundtracks with different contents based on the preferences of multiple audiences in a short period. In the past, for example, after recording the soundtrack, Modifications can only be completed by re-inviting artists, renting recording venues, and cooperating with various parties.”

In order to embrace the trend of digitalisation, Yoshinoya has also launched the loyalty app "Yoshinoya Reward Card" and a series of exclusive dining discounts to promote it, attracting customers to join the membership.

The app allows customers to place in-store and takeaway orders and access various discount coupons, so that Yoshinoya can gain valuable insights into customers' preferences and spending habits. It also helps address the long-standing issue of labour shortage in the food and beverage industry.

Join us this coming 26 June for Content360 Hong Kong, a one-day-two-streams extravaganza under the theme of "Content that captivates". Get together with our fellow marketers to learn about AI in content creation, integration of content with commerce and cross-border targeting, and find the recipe for success within the content marketing world! 

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