Toys R Us creates first brand film to use OpenAI’s text-to-video tool

Dive Brief:

Toys R Us created what it claims is the first brand film to use OpenAI’s new text-to-video tool Sora, per a press release. Sora, which is currently only available to alpha testers, can generate up to one-minute-long videos based on text prompts.
The toy retailer’s entertainment production arm, Toys R Us Studios, partnered with creative agency Native Foreign to make a film that tells the story of how founder Charles Lazarus created the brand and its Geoffrey the Giraffe mascot.
Sora allowed the content to be produced in just a few weeks, in time to premiere at Cannes Lions, demonstrating how marketers can save time and money using generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

Dive Insight:

As it prepares for a major relaunch, Toys R Us is embracing generative AI tools that have become the focus of the marketing and media industry. OpenAI kicked off the current AI frenzy with the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 and is prepared to take another leap forward with the forthcoming release of its Sora tool.

Toys R Us Studios relied on Native Foreign and Chief Creative Officer Nik Kleverov, who has alpha access to Sora, to create a one-minute photo-realistic video about the retailer’s origin. The video imagines how Charles Lazarus, the son of a bike-store owner, dreamed up Toys R Us and its iconic mascot. Toys R Us Studios President Kim Miller Olko served as executive producer and Kleverov acted as director on the project.

The full video, which is hosted on the brand’s website, includes a mention of the retailer’s pop-up stores in Macy’s locations. Parent company WHP Global last year announced a partnership with Go Retail Group to open up to 24 flagship stores in the U.S. starting in 2024. Toys R Us filed for bankruptcy in 2017 before liquidating its stores in 2018, but now generates $2 billion in annual retail sales, according to WHP Global.

“The creative industry is experiencing a renaissance, much like Toys”R”Us,” Kleverov said in a statement. “Through Sora, we were able to tell this incredible story with remarkable speed and efficiency. Toys”R”Us is the perfect brand to embrace this AI-forward strategy, and we are thrilled to collaborate with their creative team to help lead the next wave of innovative storytelling.”

By using Sora, the brand and agency went from concept to final product in just a few weeks, condensing hundreds of iterative shots down to a few dozen. The video was created almost entirely with Sora but includes some corrective visual effects and an original score by Aaron Marsh of rock band Copeland.

Toys R Us is one of the many brands, including Coca-Cola and Starburst, that have used generative AI to create campaign materials. The technology is also key to growth plans for tech platforms like Google and Meta, as well as agency holding companies including Publicis, WPP and Havas.