Vaulted - King Tut “Because Gold” launch ad sells digital storage of gold with AI

Everyone in the world already sees gold as the standard; so we clearly don’t need to create a manifesto about its worth, which is what this ad seems to do.

Some clients and creatives try to make every ad do all the work, whereas I am comfortable allowing the audience to visit the website for more information. The flagship ad doesn’t have to do everything, but it does need to accomplish a lot. 

Unlike the AI-generated ad for Kids 'R' Us, which infamously used AI imagery to effectively kill that brand for the third and final time—an outcome that was disliked by both creatives and potential customers—this ad successfully leverages AI and stock footage to stretch its budget, resulting in a visually rich product.

While the uncanny valley AI woman in a gold dress looks surreal, this enhances what the voiceover is conveying.

My only concern with the visuals is during the shot of the gymnast performing a backflip, where the dynamic camera seems to zoom in uncomfortably. There’s a reason we don’t use dynamic shots for energetic gymnasts challenging gravity. Some angles can be quite upskirty for lack of a better term.  I don’t claim to speak for all women, but I had a visceral reaction to that shot—just saying. Any women on the team who agree? No? Judy? Christina? Just me? Ok, fine. But keep in mind, if you are building a commercial from stock video, watch your cuts.

The funniest part of the ad relies on a bit of pop culture history. Way back in the 70s, a "King Tut" exhibition traveled the world. Everyone from preschoolers to pensioners was talking about King Tut. Steve Martin did this epic song skit on the topic - which is why King Tut himself is presenting the manifesto here. King Tut wasn't just comedy gold, he's gold itself.

For the AI magic, they called upon Amsterdam's Studio AIdeal, run by the dynamic duo Jose Hernandez and Victor Morón. These two were the talk of the town earlier this year, not for a heist, but for something equally daring – their AI short "Nigerian Prince" at the Saatchi & Saatchi New Creators Showcase 2024.

Victor Morón, half of the AIdeal dream team, chimed in, "This gig was our first rodeo blending AI with the real deal and stock footage. It was like being handed the keys to a candy store by Alex and the crew - exhilarating!"

The whole shebang was crafted in Music City, USA (that's Nashville, TN for the non-country fans), by JAMD Productions, with shooting happening at the swanky Evolve Studios in Brentwood, TN. And for the auditory feast they roped in Singing Serpent from NYC for music and sound design, because if you're going to tell a story, you might as well make it sound like an epic tale.

The opening line in this anthem spot could carry a whole campaign in other media: "Ever heard of the aluminum rule?" sums it up. That could make a good poster headline. Simples.

Now, as for the message, let’s face it, not everyone has a dragon-guarded cave or a high-tech lair like Iron Man. So while we can take William Devane's suggestion about buying gold, he never tells us where to store it - I forgot the "buy land" part!

His ads selling gold itself are so annoying that copywriters write screeds about it out of frustration. This ad tells us at the very least that we can get an app to buy gold on. I'm interested! 

I think it's safe to say that this ad easily blew its competition out of the water.

If it makes more people "buy gold" like William Devane tells them to, remains to be seen. But I'm pretty sure there will be an uptick.

Ad Agency: Fire Kite

Head of Strategy : Tim Anderson

Copywriter : Alex Goulart

Associate Creative Director : Zach Fugate

Creative Director: Austin Arnold

Head of Production: Judy Krieter