"AI will also play an increasingly important role in advertising in the future"

"You've never seen Klopp like this before," was the headline in Deutsche Image-newspaper a few days ago. That one sees the outgoing Liverpool FC coach in a commercial for "Deutsche Vermögensberatung" as a yogi or, for example, as a dentistwas worth a headline in the tabloid. It is the first TV commercial on German television in which artificial intelligence (AI) plays the leading role, it proudly states in the making of the commercial. The commercial is only running in Germany. "But there with considerable media pressure," explains Caspar Heuss, Senior Partner of the Wirz Group. They are very proud that as a Swiss agency they were able to win the pitch against the well-known German competition and that they are now also present on German advertising television.

All image and sound recordings in the commercial are real, but were subsequently edited with AI. The film was therefore shot with body doubles and the actors' faces were simply replaced with Jürgen Klopp's afterwards. However, "simple" may be the wrong word here. The production took longer than conventional campaigns, reveals Heuss. Because the initial filming process was the same as for any other campaign. But then there was also the very complex post-production process. In concrete terms, this means: "We shot the film in Frankfurt and Bucharest in mid-November, and it was only finished last week."

The costs for this AI production were therefore also higher than usual. Much more important than the production price, however, was the fact that this film could never have been made without AI. This is because the currently most popular German simply wouldn't have had the time to make himself available for such a long shoot. "Above all, he simply wouldn't have wanted to do it," adds the 45-year-old ECD.

Klopp enthusiastic about AI deputy

The master trainer thought it was a great idea to just have to stand there quickly for a few photos. "That certainly has something to do with the fact that he himself has neither the desire nor the need to act," says Heuss with a grin. This was a unique opportunity for him to present himself from a different angle without having to do much.

The external reactions to the TV commercial were also very positive across the board. Of course, it helped that Jürgen Klopp is currently on everyone's lips anyway due to his announced departure from Liverpool and half the (football) world is speculating about what the coach will do next. That the Image The Basel native, who has lived in Zurich for ten years, says that the idea of Jürgen Klopp jumping on the bandwagon as a yogi was therefore perfectly conceivable. "Of course, we were delighted that it actually happened."

Deepfakes are mostly associated with negativity. When asked whether this is the future of advertising, Heuss replies: "As is so often the case, you can create great things with new technical achievements, but you can also do a lot of shenanigans with them. What is certain is that AI will also play an increasingly important role in advertising in the future." However, it is not yet conceivable that artificial intelligence will completely replace creative intelligence.

The right to one's own image

Moreover, the new technology will not change the legal situation, says Heuss, who heads up creation at Wirz together with Lorenz Clormann. "The right to one's own image is and remains protected." To reassure us, he says that Jürgen Klopp "happily" consented to his deepfake ego.

But could it be that in future, "lookalikes" (with their consent) will simply be sought to show a star in an advertisement? Caspar Heuss studied law over 20 years ago, which is why he should not be held responsible for this statement: however, he is of the opinion that the choice of a lookalike would be a typical circumvention of the law, which would be sanctioned in the same way as the circumvented law. The right to one's own image therefore also applies if only one doppelganger appears in the commercial. This is the case if the commercial implies that it could be the "real" person.

The advertising and creative agency Wirz, whose clients include Migros and Switzerland Tourism, currently has hardly any projects in which AI no longer plays a role. "AI is increasingly becoming part of our daily work, which is why we no longer differentiate between AI projects and conventional projects." This is also the reason why the company has deliberately refrained from setting up an internal AI department. "On the contrary: we want all our employees to incorporate artificial intelligence into their work processes." The aim is for all employees to become AI specialists in their field.

Hidden Easter eggs in the campaign

Various "Easter eggs" are hidden in the Deutsche Vermögensberatung commercial. For example, in the navigation system in the scene where Jürgen Klopp can be seen as an Uber driver. The "Säbener Strasse" is briefly recognizable. For football fans, this is a well-known address, as it is the headquarters and training ground of FC Bayern Munich. Bayern captain Manuel Neuer, for example, already considers Jürgen Klopp to be a candidate for FC Bayern - whether this is the case remains to be seen.

Another hidden Easter egg, for example, is the dentist's claim, which can only be seen very briefly on the screen. The Klopp dentist's motto is: "You'll never smile alone". This is based on the Liverpool FC club song "You'll never walk alone".