Fudge Stripe sELFie Studio

Ferrero SpA and the Keebler Company’s agency Advantage Unified Commerce wanted Groove Jones to create an engaging digital experience for the Keebler brand. Their idea was to combine the power of AI with the iconic Keebler® Elf character in a fresh and highly socially shareable way by tuning customers into Keebler Elves.

The Keebler sELFie Studio represents a unique blend of fun and technology, leveraging advanced AI and Machine Learning algorithms to transform customers into delightful Keebler elves. Users access the experience through a QR code printed on the Fudge Stripe Cookies packaging, leading them to the enchanting Open for Magic campaign website https://openformagic.com.

Customers can upload multiple pictures of themselves, and the AI art generator will produce a whimsical color portrait of you as a fully realized Keebler elf inside or around the iconic Keebler treehouse.

A primary challenge during the development was striking the right balance between preserving the individuality of the user's selfies and infusing them with the unique charm of the Keebler elves. We addressed this challenge by training our AI engine to understand and replicate key features that define Ernie, the iconic Keebler mascot. We leveraged archival campaigns, including print and television commercials, to capture Ernie in various poses and angles.

Our approach involved a detailed study of Ernie's distinct elf characteristics, which we then incorporated into the AI Low-Rank Adaptation (LoRA) model types. This enabled us to effectively apply Ernie's elfin style to the users' selfies, resulting in personalized yet recognizable elf avatars, including pointed ears, chubby cheeks, elf headwear, and outfits.

We also sought to emulate the unmistakable Keebler treehouse setting in the portrait backgrounds. To achieve this, we trained the AI on hundreds of Keebler-themed backgrounds, enabling it to learn and reproduce the distinctive visual style. The result was a comprehensive transformation of not just the users into elf characters but also the modification of the surrounding environment into a classic Keebler landscape.