Introduction
It's an exhilarating time in the creative industry, especially with the rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into all facets of the creative and client management process. In the past year alone, use of AI has become commonplace, simultaneously sparking inspiration and attracting criticism. Given its staying power, a critical question emerges: How can AI effectively benefit our clients and work seamlessly with the creative process?
When Bright Play and Kingsmen Xperience enlisted us to develop the NERF Action Xperience (NERF AX) launch campaign, they presented us with the perfect opportunity to explore this question. Using our AlliedGPT AI hub, which you can learn more about here, we developed a visual campaign featuring a custom suite of assets specifically tailored for NERF AX which helped ensure timely delivery within the project deadlines.
AGM Debuts Its First Ad Campaign Featuring AI-Generated Art
About the Client
Located at Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey, NERF AX is the only official NERF play center in the United States. With plans to cater to a broad age range from children to adults, NERF AX is equipped with a variety of experiences, offering a dynamic and immersive attraction for all visitors.
NERF AX features action-packed zones including team-based 'blaster' battles and sports challenges, as well as thrilling obstacle courses that test agility, speed, and strategy. These activities are geared towards promoting teamwork, problem-solving, and friendly competition, making NERF AX an ideal location for family outings, birthday parties, corporate events, and more.
The Brief
Our challenge was to create a vibrant and exhilarating launch campaign that communicated the ‘thrilling and exhilarating’ experiences awaiting visitors at NERF AX. The client provided several assets, including the official NERF AX logo, a dynamic color palette, and striking interior design artwork; however, no photography or video, save for a few descriptive, minimalist 3D renderings of the planned space.
The Problem
In order to promote such a dynamic, action-oriented attraction, on-site photography and videography would be the natural choice to represent NERF AX and inform consumers of its benefits and style. However, since the attraction was still being constructed, no such assets existed yet and we needed to find a way to showcase the action and energy of NERF AX in some other way.
NERF AX Mall Barricade and initial brand identity design elements.
We were provided with the design, shown above, but were given instructions not to use the images contained therein.
So, despite having a solid foundation with NERF AX's visual identity, the new campaign presented a unique challenge: integrating a human element that resonated with the core messaging while making a visual impact. And since we had no images of the sports equipment or blasters to be used, even working with stock imagery would be challenging.
Initially, the assets at our disposal did not fully harness the potential of NERF's approved aesthetic or align with their preferred messaging. As such, our main objective was to create a library of characters that showcases children and teens engaging with NERF sports games and blasters and, by that standard, actively enjoying NERF AX as a whole.
Our first attempt to do so included experimentation with Adobe’s generative AI tools (recently added to Adobe Illustrator) to create stylized characters, but we struggled to find the perfect fit for our vision.
Initial AI-generated vector imagery via Adobe Illustrator.
The Solution
First, AGM developed a series of compelling taglines that incorporated the themes of “Compete,” “Challenge,” and “Conquer,” to both encapsulate the essence of the NERF AX experience and guide our assets moving forward.
We turned to the DALL-E image generator through AlliedGPT to generate custom characters with a unique yet consistent stylized flair, which we could refine further. We started with detailed prompt engineering, tailoring our inputs to blend with the existing brand elements and the campaign message, emphasizing movement, excitement, and fun. We initiated with an exploratory test prompt to gauge what AlliedGPT might produce:
Test Prompt: "Create a stylized illustration of three teens jumping through the air holding Nerf blasters."
Test prompt and initial image via Allied GPT.
This initial prompt wasn't perfect—the platform created very simplistic characters with minimal depth, whereas we needed options that evoked more emotion and energy. That being said, this was an extremely helpful step in understanding how we needed to refine each prompt with more strategic detail - specifically by tweaking keywords, fine-tuning the language, and adjusting the prompt structure for better consistency with our vision. After numerous iterations (too many to count), we settled on a more effective prompt that could reliably produce the images we were aiming for:
Original Prompt: “Create a digital, rough, textured, geometric vector style illustration of a group of three teenagers having fun. The teenagers are captured mid-action, enthusiastically leaping through the air holding Nerf blasters. Each individual's dynamic movement reflects the excitement and energy characteristic of youth. An action-packed poster design. High quality.”
Updated prompt output by AGPT Dall-E image generator.
Further customization added unique details to ensure diversity and relevance, tailoring each character to represent the full breadth of the NERF AX experience. But image generation turned out to be unpredictable; while the perfect character and pose would occasionally appear on the first try, it usually demanded patience and a clear understanding of our desired outcome.
Eventually, after successfully generating a suite of AI illustrations, we realized it was still not a mere plug-and-play situation. The illustrations required significant manual adjustments, including conversion to vector formats for large-scale assets and refinement of textures and colors to align with the campaign's look and feel. This is where the human touch became crucial.
Initially, we needed to isolate the main subjects from their busy and sometimes chaotic backgrounds, allowing the characters to stand out clearly on the page. These characters were then imported into Photoshop, where we tweaked the colorization of their clothing, skin tones, and other elements.
Raw images output by AGPT once more complex prompt was provided.
Next, we converted these refined PNGs into vector graphics to ensure consistent geometric styling and brand-aligned colorization and scalability for multiple media formats.
Isolated and edited AI characters.
Once our character library was stocked, we designed a full visual campaign, complete with background textures, additional graphic elements, and of course, the logo and copy.
This approach allowed us to offer the client a comprehensive variety of looks for their initial review - as shown below.
Round 1 creative exploration for OOH billboards.
After the initial concept was approved by the client, we enhanced it by adding characters that conveyed greater detail and emotion. Additionally, we incorporated key brand elements by filtering and exporting real NERF sports balls and blasters to match the geometric styling of the characters. We used Illustrator’s Generative Recolor tool, which allowed us to finely tune the colors to appear more realistic while still harmonizing with the overall OOH aesthetic.
Round 2 creative exploration for OOH billboards.
Ultimately, creating campaign assets was far from straightforward, requiring a blend of technical skills and a deep understanding of AI, creative solutions, branding, and overall marketing needs. We brought everything we had to the table, and then some, to utilize our unique expertise and creative insight, which ultimately worked to bring NERf AX to life.
Every character we crafted received special attention during editing, ensuring that the final visuals vividly conveyed the action and excitement of NERF AX.
Conclusion
Final NERF AX launch campaign creative, using approved AI characters.
The NERF AX campaign is a testament to how AI can transform traditional creative processes. Through a blend of AI-generated illustrations and meticulous human-led refinements, we crafted a campaign that vividly captures the excitement of NERF AX. This project not only served as a creative milestone, but also set a new benchmark for our team, encouraging us to find opportunities to lean into new technology, like AI, viewing it as a tool that will help us to elevate brand narratives with innovative and creative solutions.
