Toys R Us, the former toy retail giant, is trying to use artificial intelligence technology to get back on top after going bankrupt. Recently, they released a branded movie that they claimed was produced by OpenAI’s Sora text-to-video tool, which attracted widespread attention in the industry. The video, which tells the story of Toys R Us founder and brand mascot Jeffrey, is intended to evoke nostalgia for the brand and promote its plans to revitalize the brand. However, the film's production process and material sources have also caused some controversy, which has raised new ethical and technical issues for the application of AI technology in brand marketing.
Toys "R" Us, the once popular global toy retail giant, is seeking brand revitalization with the help of artificial intelligence technology. The company, which went bankrupt due to private equity operations in 2018, recently released a "branded movie" claiming to be produced using OpenAI's Sora text-to-video tool, attracting industry attention.
The video was led by brand management company WHP Global and produced by Native Foreign creative agency. Director Nick Klevelov said that Sora completed about 80-85% of the work, and the team then performed visual effects corrections. However, industry insiders discovered that some of the footage in the video seemed to reuse material from Native Foreign’s previous collaboration with Sora.
The 66-second video tells the story of Toys R Us' young founder, Charles Lazarus. He dreams of transforming the toy store with the help of the brand's mascot, Geoffrey the giraffe. Jeffrey appeared in his dream. Reaction to the video on social media has been mixed.
Although the chief technology officer of OpenAI refused to disclose the source of Sora’s training data, there is widespread speculation in the industry that it may come from YouTube. Since its introduction in February this year, the technology has attracted attention for its photorealistic video generation capabilities, and OpenAI has reportedly pitched the technology to Hollywood.
Toys "R" Us's attempt reflects a rebranding effort. WHP Global has currently licensed its brand to stores such as Macy's Department Store and plans to open up to 24 physical stores in 2024 while expanding channels such as airports and cruise ships. It is worth noting that this is not the first time Toys R Us has used emerging technologies to attract customers. When it filed for bankruptcy in 2017, the company launched AR applications to enhance customer experience.
However, the actual impact of this "AI brand movie" remains to be seen. Currently, the video is only played on toysrus.com and the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, and has not been released on other commercial channels.
Toys "R" Us's road to resurgence has been fraught with challenges. Although some specialty stores and WHSmith shop-in-shops have been opened in the UK, as well as two large stores in the United States, it is still unknown whether these efforts can restore the brand's former glory.
This case not only demonstrates the potential of AI technology in brand marketing, but also triggers discussions about data sources, creative ethics and the boundaries of technology application. As AI technology continues to develop, there may be more and more similar rebranding attempts, and we will continue to pay attention to how AI reshapes traditional industries and consumer experience.
The road to revival of Toys R Us remains to be seen, but this brand movie produced by AI undoubtedly provides new ideas for brand marketing and brings new thinking to the application boundaries of AI technology. In the future, AI technology will play an increasingly important role in rebranding, and its development deserves continued attention.