TOKYO, JAPAN — Leading condom brand SKYN has launched its annual Valentine’s Day campaign for the Japanese market, showcasing the romantic journey of two AI platforms on a date.
Traditionally focused on relationships between long-term couples, this year’s campaign, “Human Softness,” explores the dynamics between single people who share a mutual attraction but have yet to pursue it further.
Created by independent agency UltraSuperNew, the heartwarming story is set in the confines of an office, where two AI neighbors discover love. The AI couple’s cute first date sees them ordering pizza, dancing, and saying goodnight. The story is tinged with sadness when they realize their limitations and that they can’t be physically close, unlike humans.
The campaign utilizes real artificial intelligence, with UltraSuperNew developing two AI programs with voice recognition and generative visuals. These programs were set up in abstract scenarios with basic characteristics, allowing the AIs to explore and engage in conversations with each other. Guided by prompts focusing on elements like speaking Japanese, tone, expression variety, active chatting, and reflection on chat history, the AIs developed organic communication styles, complete with their own “in jokes” and fantasy language.
Annie Hou, Associate Director for Sales and Marketing at MAM LifeStyles, said, “We’ve always communicated that ‘softness’ is important in a relationship and a key element for a healthy relationship, allowing them to stay close with one another. When we looked deeply into what defines ‘softness,’ not only was it about the physical feel and caring for one another, but it was also actively learning about each other.”
She furthered, “The new campaign is focused on singles who are not dating yet, as opposed to our previous campaigns, focusing on the bond between couples with a long history. We wanted this campaign to be the extra push for singles who are in love but yet to take action. Hopefully, this Valentine’s Day they are able to build up the courage to get together with that special person.”
Yousuke Ozawa, Creative Director at UltraSuperNew, added, “The most interesting thing to me was that the AIs were much more straightforward with their love language as they learned more about each other. That is when we thought… If AIs can express that much love to one another, why can’t humans do it more easily? And created this campaign focusing on appreciating physical and emotional softness between two people who are attracted to each other.”
Yan He, Creative Technologist at UltraSuperNew, also commented, “We focused on making sure the AIs were actively talking to each other in a stable framework. We didn’t want phrases and sentences randomly thrown at each other, with choppy conversations, so we developed prompts that would act as guidelines. In the end, we were quite surprised that the two AIs were getting along better than we imagined, developing their own lingo and even inside jokes.”
The film will be running on SKYN’s X and digital channels until Valentines Day.
Real time conversations between two AIs can also be seen on the SKYN website.
