Cadbury has launched a new Gen AI video campaign to pay tribute to unsung sports volunteers. It’s the latest iteration of the brand’s ongoing ‘Cheer & A Half’ initiative, which acknowledges the significant contribution of volunteers to grassroots sports.

The campaign utilises a consumer-facing AI tool that enables users to create unique, animated, and personalised videos featuring a volunteer they wish to thank. These videos can then be shared on social media, encouraging user generated content.

Mondelez International Vice President Marketing, Ben Wicks, said: “This campaign is a chance to recognise what makes us great as a sporting nation. The extraordinary feats on the field and the inspiring moments of generosity from volunteers at every level within every sport that connect us as a community. We’re thrilled to enable Aussies and Kiwis to show gratitude for these moments of generosity in a very personal way, made possible through this new campaign and its unique application of Gen AI.”

The creative for the campaign was handled by Ogilvy, with a digital media rollout developed by Wavemaker. The platform was built in collaboration with T&DA, combining interface builder Comfy UI with 3D content Unity and T&DA’s platform and transforming complex AI processes into a user-friendly and scalable solution on AWS. The platform enhances artist sketches with 3D depth and lighting, resulting in fully rendered characters, and uses visual technology to map volunteers’ facial features onto avatars, generating personalised profiles.

Ogilvy Melbourne Executive Creative Director, Hilary Badger, said: “Cadbury Dairy Milk stands for generosity, and volunteers are the ultimate manifestation of that. Volunteers don’t ask for recognition, but without them, local sport wouldn’t exist. We understand that most volunteers prefer a small gesture of thanks rather than a big fanfare. And although we’ve made volunteers the stars of their own videos, we’ve approached it very personally. The interesting paradox here is this great array of tech used to honour something very humble.”

Executive Director at T&DA, Tyrone Estephan, said: “This is modern AI at its finest. This platform is a revolutionary blend of AI and human creativity. We’re proud to support Cadbury’s campaign, celebrating community heroes.”

The campaign is live across TV, BVOD and social in Australia and NZ.