R/GA Leverages Google Veo for 'Impossible' AI-Powered Ad
Earlier this year, advertising agency R/GA faced an ambitious challenge from Google: to produce an advertisement that would have been virtually unachievable without the aid of generative artificial intelligence. The goal was to demonstrate the capabilities of Veo, Google’s advanced generative video model. Adding to the pressure, R/GA was given a mere four weeks to deliver the final product. Nicholas Pringle, R/GA’s Chief Creative Officer for EMEA, candidly described the timeline as “slightly terrifying.”
The result, unveiled in June, was “From the Mountains to the City,” an experimental short film featuring luxury fashion brand Moncler. This innovative spot, crafted with Veo, quickly became a talking point on social media and at the Cannes Lions festival, where Google showcased it to a gathering of creative leaders. Pringle acknowledged that while the platform had its limitations, it compelled his team to forge new methodologies, underscoring the rapid progress of AI technology in a remarkably short period.
Traditionally, filmmaking follows a rigid, linear progression, moving from scriptwriting and storyboarding through to shooting, editing, and post-production. Reverting to an earlier stage in this process is typically cost-prohibitive. However, Pringle observed that AI fundamentally transformed this dynamic, introducing unprecedented fluidity. Flexibility became paramount, as the creative team discovered that Veo didn’t always generate scenes precisely as envisioned. While it could be “frustrating” when a specific shot, like a man zipping up a tent, proved impossible to render, the tool also delivered “amazing” and unexpected results, such as the evocative ice sculptures that ultimately appeared in the ad, enriching the narrative. As Pringle put it, AI can become a “creator,” with its inherent randomness occasionally presenting unanticipated creative avenues. Sadie Thoma, Director of Google Ads Marketing, echoed this sentiment, noting that filmmaking with AI enables more “real-time direction,” broadening the scope for creativity beyond the confines of a storyboard.
Navigating this randomness and fluidity posed a unique challenge when working with a luxury client like Moncler, known for its exceptionally high standards. Nevertheless, Moncler reportedly embraced the technological experiment with enthusiasm. The use of Veo also altered the client approval process. Instead of a singular “ta-da” reveal, ideas were presented through “moving and living” scenes, necessitating a consistently clear vision from the outset. To facilitate this new workflow, R/GA developed an internal application called Shot Flow, built with Google’s AI assistant, Gemini. This app served as a shared workspace, allowing teams in different offices to deconstruct every element of a scene, streamlining global collaboration and ensuring more consistent outcomes as various team members prompted Veo.
Despite these rapid advancements, generative AI tools still present notable limitations for creative professionals. Pringle highlighted character consistency as the most significant hurdle, noting subtle shifts in character appearance from scene to scene within the Moncler ad. Visual glitches, such as the distorted tent zipper, also persist, indicating areas where tech giants like Google are still seeking comprehensive solutions. Beyond technical issues, legal concerns represent another substantial barrier. Pringle pointed to the “big limitation around the legal framework of using AI commercially,” emphasizing that brands and agencies are still navigating how to mitigate copyright risks effectively.
While Veo undoubtedly accelerated R/GA’s creative process, it is not a substitute for human ingenuity. Pringle stressed that while the video itself was AI-generated, the compelling musical score was composed by musician Tom Gallo. Crucially, the script, the specific prompts fed to the AI, and the overarching visual direction all stemmed from human creatives, who infused the project with their unique taste, experience, and storytelling instincts. This synergy, Pringle concluded, ensured the final product felt like “the vision of people, not just a machine.” He underscored that AI serves as a powerful enabling tool, but its effective leverage demands human ingenuity, refined taste, tactical prompting, and a profound understanding of the technology itself. For creatives hesitant to explore AI, Pringle offered simple advice: “Get into these tools and start playing around with them, no matter how idly. Just try and make your first thing.”