Tourism Tasmania campaign puts the ‘art’ back in artificial intelligence

It pays to be a savvy squirrel. It pays in cashews and acorns, and also in blissfully scampering through the wild unaffected by the looming threat of AI job-stealers. While humans fret over the advancements of artificial intelligence, Ad Nut revels in the superiority of its unparalleled wit and wisdom in critiquing ads, not to mention its fastidiously maintained tail and astonishing charisma.

At this point Ad Nut will refrain from adding to existential ponderings that already plague humankind, and instead delve into a clever campaign from Tourism Tasmania that has swung in with a breath of fresh air—or (pardon the poetic license) should Ad Nut say, a lungful of Tasmanian breeze?
While the world sweats over the impending AI apocalypse, the merry marketers at Tourism Tasmania and its creative arm BMF and Orchard have flipped the script, championing human creativity over the robotic monotony of algorithms.

Enter ‘TasmanAi,’ a new image-generating platform that instead of relying on artificial intelligence, taps into the raw creativity of local Tasmanian artists. Rather than letting chatbots dictate the creative process, TasmanAi invites users to submit their quirkiest ideas via prompts, which are then transformed into one-of-a-kind masterpieces by real, flesh-and-blood Tasmanians.

This art-meets-heart effort enlists the help of nine talented artists spanning the spectrum from ceramics, acrylics, oil and crayon, arming them with nothing but their imagination and a few trusty colours, to create a woolly world of expression that highlights the Tasmanian way of life and the reasons to visit.

Lindene Cleary, Tourism Tasmania's chief marketing officer, hits the nail on the head when she talks about the importance of authenticity and humanity in any creative process. “While AI has its place in the world, the Tasmanian way of life is authentic and creative, where producing original art with meaning takes time, soul, and humanity. These are the things visitors will experience on a holiday in Tasmania—they ‘come down for air’ by slowing down, seeing the beauty beyond the surface, and making real connections. And of course, having a little fun,” she explains.  

Created by BMF and Orchard, and with PR driven by Havas Red and media by Starcom, TasmanAi launches with an online video, in social, and through PR and artist activations.

AI is great but the excessive chatter around it leaves Ad Nut with a craving for genuine, imperfect, unfiltered human creativity. The cheeky reminder here that stolen jpegs are no match for Tasmania’s wealth of artistic talent and wildly stimulating views reinforces human supremacy. At least for now.

CREDITS

Client: Tourism Tasmania
Creative Agency: BMF
Chief Creative Officer: Alex Derwin
Executive Creative Director: David Fraser
Creative Directors: Casey Schweikert & Rees Steel
Art Director: Imogen Wetzell Ramsey
Copywriter: Declan Harrick
Design Director: Fiona McLeod
Planning Director: Thomasine Burnap
Client Services Director: Edward Hughes
Senior Account Director: Rebekah O'Grady
Account Director: Brigitte Davies
Head of TV: Jenny Lee-Archer
Agency Producer: Jess Vella
Art Buyer: Basir Salleh
Digital Agency: Orchard
PR Agency: Havas Red
Media Agency: Starcom
Production Company: Good Oil
Director: Taylor Ferguson
Sound Production: Rumble

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