Unveiling the Power of AI in Marketing: Lessons from Kayak's Trailblazing Campaign

Check out Campaign Trail for our analysis of the latest creative campaigns in the marketing world. You can also find previous columns in the archives.

The idea of "do it yourself" has been embraced by many over the years, whether it's for home improvement projects, underground punk scenes, or hacker-inspired maker culture. This trend has only grown with the rise of YouTube tutorials and TikTok tips.

Kayak's new campaign, titled "Don't Do It Yourself," is taking a different approach. The ads feature funny situations where DIY goes wrong, like a man fishing in a mall fountain or a woman turning herself into a scarecrow by stuffing her clothes with hay.

The campaign is a chance for the travel search engine and its creative agency, Supernatural, to remind consumers that they don't need to use multiple travel sites when planning and booking trips. This value proposition is central to their marketing strategy.

Supernatural co-founder Paul Caiozzo mentioned that Kayak, unlike other clients, maintains a consistent strategy. While they may adjust the audience, comedy style, and insights for each new campaign, the core strategy remains unchanged.

The campaign's humor reaches its peak in some of the most bizarre commercials. One particular spot shows a man lying on the floor, vacuuming popcorn and other items with his mouth, proudly claiming, "No machine is better than me." This quirky dialogue reflects the campaign's message: even though Kayak has been a leader in the market since 2004, consumers are still visiting over a dozen travel websites before making their bookings.

"People are using Kayak to search for flights, and then they're visiting each individual site that Kayak has already searched," Caiozzo explained. He emphasized that there is no need for people to manually search when the computer can do it more efficiently.

The campaign's ads may portray exaggerated situations, but the goal is not just to entertain. The humor is meant to resonate with consumers who may recognize their own tendencies to tackle tasks on their own unnecessarily. The unique partnership between Supernatural and Kayak allows for quirky humor and unconventional tones that may not be suitable for all brands.

AI is a tool — not magic

"We're not competing with them to create attention-grabbing work," the executive explained. "They already bring that to the table and understand the process. They challenge us, we challenge ourselves, and we're willing to work on 50, 60, or even 70 scripts to achieve our goals."

Supernatural utilizes an artificial intelligence (AI) platform called Merlyn to analyze consumer data for campaign creation. The AI, used extensively for the “Don’t Do It Yourself” campaign, gathered insights on the audience and category, as well as generated images throughout the creative process. Additionally, Supernatural developed a storyboard machine to create detailed storyboards based on the numerous campaign scripts.

Despite the integral role of AI in Supernatural's operations, Caiozzo, the founder, believes that the technology should remain inconspicuous. He downplays the transformative capabilities of generative AI, emphasizing the importance of seamless integration within the creative process.

The executive shared that the use of AI may not necessarily change the world or attract clients to their company. However, they found it remarkable to visualize scripts and predict outcomes without needing to hire a storyboard artist. The executive emphasized that AI does not replace people in the creative process but simply offers new tools for them to use.

Even with the advanced AI technology utilized, the primary driving force behind the development of the “Don’t Do It Yourself” campaign was the cohesive team effort. This team, comprised of individuals from the client, agency, editor, colorists, and sound mixers, had previously collaborated on Kayak ads for many years.

Caiozzo emphasized the importance of a tight-knit team with trust and experience, stating that it is just as crucial in creative work as cutting-edge technology. He highlighted the rush towards AI replacing human roles, but stressed the significance of a cohesive team.

Editor's P/S:

The "Don't Do It Yourself" campaign by Kayak stands out with its hilarious and relatable approach. It effectively highlights the ease and efficiency of using Kayak's services over the hassle of manually searching multiple travel sites. The humor resonates with consumers' tendency to overcomplicate tasks, making the message impactful. The campaign showcases the strong collaboration between Kayak and its creative agency, Supernatural, who have maintained a consistent strategy while adapting to different audiences and insights.

The integration of AI in the creative process is an intriguing aspect of the campaign. While AI is positioned as a tool rather than a replacement for human creativity, it has aided in generating images and creating storyboards. The seamless integration of AI without overreliance underscores the value of human collaboration and teamwork. The success of the campaign highlights the importance of a cohesive team with a shared vision, showcasing that cutting-edge technology should complement and enhance human creativity rather than overshadow it.