Volkswagen’s Elis Regina campaign (also its 70th anniversary in Brazil campaign) by AlmapBBDO is not the first to use AI to bring back a deceased music artist but gosh it attracted fans.
Shortly after it went live, its hero film became a Twitter trending topic for over 24 hours. On digital platforms, including the brand’s social media and influencers’ posts, it reached over 50 million organic views. It also ranked 1st in Google Trends searches, 1st in YouTube’s trending videos, and got 99% positive comments on the brand’s social media.
The campaign used artificial intelligence to reunited Elis Regina, one of the greatest Brazilian singers of all time, with her daughter Maria Rita, a modern-day icon with 8 Grammys to her name, four decades after Elis’s untimely death. The reunion meant that Maria Rita, who lost her mother when she was just four years old, was able to sing a moving duet alongside her mother with the help of technology. In the two-minute film, Maria Rita is at the wheel of the 100% electric version of the Kombi, when a van pulls alongside her on the same highway. The driver is Elis, at the whell of the classic Volkswagen model.
The campaign also connects to Volkswagen’s announcement that the much-loved Kombi is back. Ten years after the brand ceased production of the model that won Brazilians’ hearts, the ID. Buzz, the electric Kombi will be released in Brazil as a limited run of 70 units, as a nod to the brand’s 70th anniversary. The Kombi’s return underscores Volkswagen’s global electrification strategy in Brazil.
To illustrate this moment, the mother-and-daughter reunion is intermingled with memories of classic Brazilian Volkswagen models, and the decision to bring together two renowned artists, alongside a montage of Volkswagen do Brasil’s hits from across the decades, was designed to rekindle memories and pay tribute to the generations that have shaped the country’s history.
To produce AlmapBBDO’s idea, Boiler Filmes and director Dulcidio Caldeira, used artificial intelligence trained specifically on recognition of Elis Regina’s face, unlike IA projects that use pre-trained technology using generic databases. The agency and the production company then teamed up with Flow Effects, a post-production company with expertise in special effects. For days, the AI was trained on a battery of different technologies, combining scenes of the stunt double with footage and stills of the singer to arrive at a groundbreaking and breathtaking result.
Elis Regina was the voice behind classics such as Águas de Março and O Bêbado e a Equilibrista. She became a musical legend, not only in Brazil, but worldwide. This tribute, 41 years after her death, was understandably moving for countless Brazilians. For her daughter, Maria Rita, the project was a chance to make a dream come true. Since she was only a little girl when her mother passed away, this was the first time that they were able to perform a song together.
“This film represents so much for everyone involved. It’s about Volkswagen’s story with Brazil, it’s the story of Elis Regina and Maria Rita, which was cut off far too soon, and, for us at AlmapBBDO, it’s about a story that spans over 60 years, which is the time we’ve been working with the brand here in Brazil. The campaign puts sophisticated technology in the service of an extremely human goal: to touch people’s hearts. We’ve taken a groundbreaking duet out of the realm of imagination and made it absolutely real, for the two minutes the film lasts,” stated Marco “Pernil” Giannelli, AlmapBBDO chief creative officer.
Credits:
Client: Volkswagen
Client Team: Roger Corassa, Livia Kinoshita, Cristiano Mineiro, Arthur Rocha, Agnes Marques and Helena Oliveira
Agency: AlmapBBDO
President & CEO: Filipe Bartholomeu
CCOs: Luiz Sanches & Pernil
ECDs: Rodrigo Almeida & Rafael Gil
Creative Directors: Iron Brito & Felipe Cirino
Creatives: Francis Allan & Gustavo Tasselli
Production: Diego Villas Bôas, Vera Jacinto & Murillo Moretti
Account Management: Christiano Bock, Mariana Nanes, Stephanie Gasparini, Juliana Stern, Fernanda Waniarka & Bruna Nascimento
Planning: Sergio Katz, Marcelo Bazán, Bruno Ortiz Machado, Tomás Garnier Coutinho, Julia Albero, Lavieri Junior, Giulia Arruda, Ana Carolina de Losso, Giovanna Orsatti & Beatriz Freitas
Media: Rafaela Alves, Luana Gallizzi, Everton Maciel, Lucas Fanti, Stephanie Santos & Isadora Lee
Strategy: Diego Rodrigues, Guilherme von Brewer, Amanda Rosa, Sara Ribeiro, Matheus Rodrigues & Victor Castilho
Content: Cristiana Uehara, Talita C. de Souza, Hannamy Layla, Samanta de Melo & Beatriz Amâncio
Head of Creative Tech: Lilian Cavallini
Project Lead: Sabrina Ramiles
Film Production: Boiler Filmes
Director: Dulcidio Caldeira
Executive Producer: Juliana Martellotta
2nd AD: Felipe Luisari
DP: Juliano Lopes
Production Director (São Paulo): Roberto Bellezia
Production Director (Florianópolis): Magali Heinze
Post Coordinator: Ricardo Quintela
Editor: Ricardo Quintela
Assistant Editor: Fabio José Bento
Post-Production: Flow Effects
Post-Producer: Rafael Barão
Post Assistants: Renata Dalbem & Jean Neto
Colour Grading: Acauan Pastore
Sound Production: Raw Audio
Musical Production: Fernando Forni, Ricardo Pinda & Rogerinho Pereira
Musical Direction: Hilton Raw
Sound Design & Mix: Enrico Maccio & Philip Braunstein
Sound Engineer: Flavio Senna
