If the past week is any indication, the future of AI in marketing has officially arrived. Read up on how brands are creatively using the technology and catch up on more notable stories in our Weekly Must Reads.

Mint Mobile Uses ChatGPT to Create Its New Ad

In the past few weeks, OpenAI’s generative AI chatbot ChatGPT has caused a public frenzy. The tool can scour the Internet in seconds to answer users’ questions and create long-form work like essays or computer code. Naturally, Ryan Reynolds tapped the service to write a script for his latest Mint Mobile ad that mirrors his usual work. The new spot shows Reynolds explaining the instructions he gave to ChatGPT – make a joke, use a curse word, tell people about the brand’s ongoing holiday promotion. In Reynolds’ words, the results were “mildly terrifying,” as the script sounds eerily similar to ads Mint Mobile has run in the past.

Given the growing popularity of ChatGPT, Microsoft has entered talks to invest $10 billion into OpenAI. As generative AI battles controversy and continues to pick up steam, expect to see more brands utilizing the service in the future. Watch the new (and terrifying) ad here: https://www.fastcompany.com/90833253/ryan-reynolds-used-chatgpt-to-make-a-mint-mobile-ad-and-the-results-were-mildly-terrifying

McDonald’s Celebrates Lunar New Year

Another brand is also using AI in new and creative ways this week. To celebrate Lunar New Year, McDonald’s created an ad that uses neural radiance fields (or NeRF) technology, a form of AI that can generate a 3D scene. The ad stars Karen X Cheng, a viral digital creator, who narrates the video while it scans across the scene. The spot is meant to evoke childhood memories of McDonald’s and the Lunar New Year in an effort to connect with the brand’s Asian American and Pacific Islander audience.

In addition, McDonald’s is launching an AR filter on Instagram that allows users to add a Year of the Rabbit filter to their Stories. Spatial users can also access a Lunar New Year metaverse experience through their connected device. Learn more about the new campaign here: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/mcdonalds-lunar-new-year-ai-ad-metaverse-AR/640255/

A New Campaign from Burger Burger Burger Burger King

Burger King’s fan-favorite limited-edition Stacker King is back. To mark the return of the sandwich, which features four hamburger patties, the brand replaced its restaurant signs in select cities. They modified their usual Burger King logo to stack the word “Burger” four times above the word “King,” in a visual reference to the product. To draw attention to the signs, the brand also released a new commercial that depicts their design process and includes other details about the burger.

In addition to their larger size, the new signs also offer special benefits to Burger King app users. Members can scan the logo within the app to access an offer tomove up their place in line for their order. Find out more about Burger King’s latest effort here: https://adage.com/creativity/work/pole-signs-tell-story-burger-kings-massive-king-stacker/2463046

Heineken’s Super Dry January Push

In a continuing effort to push their non-alcoholic beer, Heineken is encouraging beer drinkers to shrink their responsibility with help from Ant-Man. In the brand’s new ad, we see the hero drinking a Heineken in his lab while dressed in his official superhero suit. Thankfully, Ant-Man isn’t drinking on the job – he’s just enjoying a Heineken 0.0 non-alcoholic beer.

The campaign coincides with both Dry January and the upcoming release of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” the newest film in the Marvel saga. In addition to the first commercial, the brands will also release related digital spots, in-store promotions, and sweepstakes. Check out all the details here: https://collider.com/ant-man-heineken-ad-alcohol-free-beer/