Qatar’s Innovative Travel AI Ads
Qatar Airways is redefining customer engagement with an innovative advertising campaign that integrates artificial intelligence (AI) to create a uniquely personalised travel experience. This approach transcends traditional personalised advertisements by placing customers at the heart of their own travel narratives.
The ‘AI Adventure’ ad allows viewers to see their own faces integrated into a custom travel story. By transforming passive viewing into active participation, this campaign fosters a deeper emotional connection between consumers and the brand through a powerful blend of technology and storytelling.
Source: Future Travel Group
Why The Piece Works in a Busy World of Digital Advertising
From the early days of marketing, personalisation has been a key driver of consumer engagement. There’s an innate appreciation in receiving something that feels tailor-made. However, traditional methods of personalisation can feel stale and cheap, like a mug with your name on it. Qatar Airways has revitalised this concept, taking personalisation to new heights.
With the rise of AI technologies like ChatGPT and Gemini, brands are rapidly embracing these tools to enhance customer interaction. Today’s consumers crave brands that not only communicate directly but also resonate with their values and needs. In a world where marketing can be overwhelming with all the different types and in a sea of amazing campaigns it’s important to do something which genuinely feels on topic and on trend. But the ability to evoke genuine feelings and connections is more vital than ever.
Storytelling is not just a marketing strategy; it taps into a fundamental human desire to connect and feel.
Source: Aircraft Interiors International
The Qatar Experience User Journey
Engaging with this innovative campaign is quite simple. Users access the experience by scanning a QR code, which directs them to a webpage. There, they can either take a photo or upload an existing image. In approximately 30 seconds, the AI works its magic, seamlessly merging the user’s face into scenes from their own travel film where they can choose which scene they want to star in.
The experience encourages users to try out different scenes to see how their face appears in various contexts. It invites experimentation with different photos and poses to discover which ones work best. There’s also an element of playful experimentation, as users might pull funny faces to see if the technology can be caught off guard but the process is seamless, taking key features of the user’s face and recreating them rather than merely swapping heads.
The experience truly motivates users to share it with friends, fostering a new connection with Qatar Airways and prompting thoughts about the brand that may not have occurred before. The excitement of seeing yourself as the protagonist of a travel adventure is both bizarre and captivating, encouraging viewers to spread the word/invite others to try the experience.
Source: Qatar Airways
How We are Adopting AI-Driven Experiences
At Ambient, we have been advocating this kind of advanced technology through various brand activations. The technology available today is extremely sophisticated, allowing for the creation of truly innovative personalised experiences that combine customer engagement with storytelling. One similar experience we pitched for Rockstar before going down the route of a glambot involved a photo booth that took users’ photos and then used AI to transform them into a ‘rockstar.’ The draft idea was that people could then repost their rockstar images on their socials, spreading awareness for the brand even further.
Source: Ambient
Synergy of AI and Human Insight
We truly believe that AI is a powerful tool, but it should be used in conjunction with human insight and other marketing strategies, rather than on its own. Think of AI as pen and paper; it needs a human touch to be effective. When utilised properly, this technology can not only generate new content but also create engaging material that enhances and extends the capabilities of your human teams.
Try the experience here.
To find out more about how Ambient can help bring your brands to life or to request a free copy of our book please email us at info@ambientww.com