Digital Horizons

Brand News: The Toys R Us Ad Fiasco & Google's Strange AI Search Results

• James Walker • Season 1 • Episode 20

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Can AI really replace the creativity of human marketers? Tune in to our latest episode as we break down a controversial AI-generated ad from Toys R Us that left everyone scratching their heads. We kick things off with a light-hearted chat about podcast listening speeds and then jump straight into the hot mess that is Toys R Us's latest ad. Poor quality, inconsistent character models, and outright awkwardness highlight the current limitations of AI in commercial use. We debate the readiness of AI for marketing, emphasizing the need for a balanced integration of technology and human creativity.

Our conversation then shifts to the broader impact of AI on marketing, focusing on Google's ambitious Gemini project. Can AI technology really revolutionize ad revenue and search results? We share some laugh-out-loud AI blunders and discuss the serious implications these could have on businesses and SEO strategies. Plus, we explore the shifting landscape of search behavior—could TikTok reviews really be the new Google search? Find out how these trends are reshaping content creation and online information consumption. And don’t miss our teaser on a hilarious AI search results mishap that promises more intriguing discussions ahead!

The Digital Horizons Podcast is hosted by:

James Walker - Managing Director Walker Hill Digital
Brian Hastings - Managing Director Nous

Speaker 1:

What speed do you listen to podcasts on?

Speaker 2:

Well, anything business-related is like 1.5. Fuck, that's slow. Yeah, I've seen yours.

Speaker 1:

You're gross. I download shit like it's a matrix, like I've got an app called Overcast and it has smart speed so it cuts out all the little gaps in between when they're talking, and then it also can pump up to three times speed. So I've got three times, I'm on three times plus no gaps. So then it tells you the real speed and so it's up to about 3.5. So I guess, if you're thinking about that, I can get through like an hour podcast in 15 minutes.

Speaker 2:

This is why you're so quick at talking and why it takes so long to form my sentences, James.

Speaker 1:

You'll get used to it. I listen to 1.5 and I'm going what are these guys? This is boring. I need it coming in quick. But anyway, today we are trialing a new topic. Yeah, we thought we'd do something new.

Speaker 2:

We thought we would look at recent marketing advertising branding news and see what our take is on it. Marketing advertising branding news and see what our take is on it. So, in true Digital Horizons fashion, we're going to not spend too much time on pre-work on this. We're just going to get our sort of hot take on article headlines as it comes.

Speaker 1:

I don't even know what the articles are, so let's go.

Speaker 2:

So I have the privilege of actually finding them. So I have read the headlines before, so I'm going to start. I'll just read it out, give you a little bit of background, and then we'll just chat about it. We'll keep it short and snappy, maybe five minutes already. So the first one is from forbes toys are us ai generated ad controversy? Explain. So I don't know if you've seen this ad it was so shit.

Speaker 1:

It looked like a joke ad like I was like how they can't be serious about it. It was like the corniest, like hey, what does a toy shop look like? And it was something that looked like it was out of a Disney movie from 20 years ago.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely For a little bit more context, if you haven't seen it or seen any articles about it. Toys R Us tried a video generator tool called Sora, which isn't open to the public properly yet. There's just a few people who are able to use it, and they created a full ad showing the founder's life story, from a child all the way up to opening the toy store. But it was completely made with AI and it was so awkward it felt like a skit show it did. And also another thing that people are calling out and the reason why there's so much backlash is because the child in the video looks some have said grotesque, some have said alien-like. It's because he changes constantly these AI video generators. They can't keep a quality character model or a consistent character model, so it looks like a quality character model or a consistent character model, so it looks like a different kid every scene as well.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it was kind of I don't know how they actually got it passed, but I mean it's got people talking about it right, like it's given them awareness, but I don't know. It just seemed like something. It was almost like a lesson of what not to do with AI commercials.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and one. I love when articles just pull a random Twitter X post. Chris Alaskan says this Toys R Us commercial is made entirely with AI, which means the kid is disgusting and ghoulish. The sentiment is hollow and the Toys R Us brand is dead for at least the third time. So probably not the brand sentiment they were looking for with this.

Speaker 2:

I'm a little bit disappointed that it didn't turn out better, because it's exciting. I'm excited to see what AI can do. I'm surprised a brand like this has gone with going ahead with something like this.

Speaker 1:

Taking it to public.

Speaker 2:

absolutely, we're just showing what it can do and going oh, that's not our actual ad.

Speaker 1:

That's it, because I think, as we've talked about before, a lot of these AI platforms are not quite there yet. So then, to release to the world an ad which it thinks at a quality you want to release, it didn't hit it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I also think people are pretty sensitive to the feeling of brands tricking them into thinking something's real and when it's pretty easy to pick up that there's something off about a video, you're not going to gel with it, you're not going to connect with it, you're going to feel like you're being duped. Yeah, so I do think there's an exciting future in AI generated video, but I don't know why they went down the path of doing it all that way. Why not just do the toys in the background or the sparkles? Yeah, why not film the kid and blend it with the AI video? So more to come on that. It'll be interesting to see what other brands jump into it after that response.

Speaker 1:

I think they'll all be holding until it gets a bit better, you'd expect.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely. I have to say there's parts of it. I was like, oh wow, that's impressive. But just when it came back to the, yeah, it was impressive for AI, not impressive in general. So, all right, that's one. That was one of them. What's the next thing we're talking about? That's a good point. One of them. What's the next thing we're talking about? That's a good point. Give me a second and I'll go grab it.

Speaker 2:

So, brand news, article number two. Yes, I don't know if we're going to call it brand news, but I'm starting to like it. This one's on the Verge article by Kylie Robinson. Google defends AI search results after they told us to put glue on pizza. So Google blames data voids and edge cases for its AI generated search results. I also think Google has got access to Reddit for its language models or its best responses, so it's pulling weird answers to recipes for a pizza from silly posts on Reddit. So people are finding all the weird solutions Google's giving it when they're asking quite simple questions. Yeah, so what do you think about Google's introduction of AI into search for search?

Speaker 1:

results. I think they've got to do it because I mean, obviously Bing's starting to push forward on it and they've got that connection with ChatGPT, so Google's got to implement. But they're going to fuck up, I imagine, as they have been Like I think that's not the first thing in their rush to get it out. Yeah, but they're they've got to do it. But I'm I mean a lot of the search results anyway in general are kind of shit. So I mean, as long as people aren't just believing everything they're reading in ai, just like they're not, if you click on the third link on google search results, you're probably going to read something potentially isn't 100 correct anyway. So I feel that it's going to be incorporated're probably going to read something that potentially isn't 100% correct anyway. So I feel that it's going to be incorporated and it's going to get better, the same way as Google search and all kinds of searches evolved over the time.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think expectations are really high and then, once it releases, everyone expects perfection. But I think it's just the humor around how wrong it is on some of the things Like AI delivered all sorts of weird results, like saying people should put glue on their pizza to help the cheese stick and eat rocks. From a literal point of view, it kind of makes sense. But I can see where they're coming from. I think Google doesn't have a chat GPT connection.

Speaker 1:

They've got their own Gemini, Gemini yeah.

Speaker 2:

So, yeah, there's obviously a fair bit to work on there, but I kind of want the AI technology generated support, like I want it to be more powerful than it already is. Otherwise I'm going to just, you know, shift into TikTok for all my Google searches for things like that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I mean Google's going to also deal with how it's going to affect its ad revenue, because that's going to be the hardest part. It's like, well, how, because it makes so much money off ads, how is that going to approach? Well, people are just jumping on AI and getting their answers. Where ads? How is that going to approach? Well, people are just jumping on AI and getting their answers when does the ads fit to that ecosystem? Because I'm sure they're not going to let that go. So everything that they're working towards has to include ad revenue, because how are they going to monetize the AI side of things?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and I think they've been doing that for a while, where they're bringing the answer to the question within the Google environment, and that's been upsetting things like the weather websites and cinema websites, because you can get everything and recipes even to a level of detail on the Google search engine results pages for years. But this is just, I think, the next step. It's just pulling out the answer. But you're right, why would you do all this work to make your site as findable as possible, as relevant for search as possible, and then they just swipe your answer and deliver it on their platform, exactly?

Speaker 1:

But there's also like I was chatting to our SEO guy and he was saying that he's seeing this AI is not showing up a lot on the commercial intent searches. So if I'm searching for hey, I want to buy I don't know a fucking podcast microphone online, ai is not going to show up at all in that, because they want their ads to show up so you're going to get the shopping ads and all the different stuff.

Speaker 1:

So I think it's going to be more for that info-seeking type terms that people are looking for. Top of final information is where Google is going to be really pushing the information, but I can't see it sort of, in the short term, taking center stage on the commercial terms. Yeah, definitely.

Speaker 2:

Off topic a little bit. Well, on that topic, do you find you're using Google for searches for like tech products anymore?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I do, but I'm still not used to using TikTok for shit. I get told by my team all the time that I'm fucking an old guy. Even I still use Google reviews for checking out restaurants and they're like that stupid jump on TikTok and you get to know the vibe and what's going on in the restaurant, whereas your Google reviews are a bunch of bullshit reviews anyway.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, I would say I'm partway through the transition to that and I'm not naturally pulling out TikTok, but it's happening more and more. I think because of the volume of SEO specific content that is delivered, when I'm looking for real answers like top 10 lists and best laptops in 2024. Everyone's got their lists all sponsored or promoted. It's hard to swim through the SEO or the promoted content to get a real, accurate result.

Speaker 1:

But then we're paying people to do content on TikTok right? So, in a similar sense hey content creator, go to that restaurant, enjoy their food, put a post about it. I mean it's sort of a similar way like, hey content creator, go to that restaurant, enjoy their food, put a post about it. I mean it's sort of a similar thing, as this is paid content, but at least you get to see a bit more of the experience.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you get, especially if you're looking for restaurant ideas, happy to see that delivered. Then it is nice actually seeing what it's like getting the vibe rather than just a text ad result for it. Yeah, it's true, all right.

Speaker 1:

So that's topic number two. All right, we're done. Thanks for listening today. This is another one of the short sort of format episodes that we're going to be trialing out as well. If you are enjoying any of this type of content, please leave a comment and please subscribe, follow us, like us. I don't even know what happens on the podcast side of things that We'd love to hear more about any kind of feedback that we can Thanks. Thanks, see, ya.