Toys 'R' Us deploys OpenAI's Sora in promotional efforts
A popular toy brand, Toys "R" Us, unveiled a short promotional video during the 2024 Cannes Lions Festival in France this week, primarily created with the aid of OpenAI's fresh text-to-video tool, Sora. The brand's in-house entertainment studio collaborated with creative agency Native Foreign, one of the first to access Sora. Toys "R" Us claimed to be the pioneer brand to debut a film using this technology, as the tool is not yet open to the public.
The 66-second promotional video tells the story of Charles Lazarus, the young founder of Toys "R" Us, who dreamt of revolutionizing toy stores with the help of the brand's mascot, Geoffrey the Giraffe. Reviews on social media were split, with some finding it a captivating glimpse into the future of film, while others labeling it "creepy."
According to Toys "R" Us, in addition to Sora, they employed some visual effects adjustments and an original musical score.
In a statement, Toys "R" Us expressed, "Charles Lazarus was a visionary before his time, and we wanted to pay tribute to his legacy with a spot utilizing the most advanced technology available."
In February, OpenAI, the company behind the widely-used ChatGPT chatbot, presented AI model Sora, which they claimed can generate realistic and imaginative videos based on brief text prompts. The tool is capable of producing videos lasting up to 60 seconds, with scenes featuring multiple characters, specific types of movement, and detailed backgrounds.
Upon the announcement, experts predicted that AI models like Sora could possess the potential to shake up the digital entertainment market.
As of now, OpenAI has not set an official launch date for Sora, but whispers suggest it might debut this summer.
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To expand their promotional strategies, Toys 'R' Us might consider incorporating more advanced technologies from the tech industry. With the eventual public release of OpenAI's Sora, businesses like Toys 'R' Us can leverage its video generation capabilities to create engaging promotional content.
Given the success of the Sora-powered promotional video, Toys 'R' Us could explore collaborating with tech companies to adapt such advanced AI tools for further business-related applications.
