Europe is (a) football

A fantasy football pitch in a turbulent tulip field. Punk rock blasting – while actual cats and dogs keep raining down on a dreary English town. Giant cheese wheels hovering the Alps. What’s going on?

Well, for starters, a campaign that reached 1.8 million consumers, significantly exceeded goals, generated 19,000 conversion clicks, and strengthened the brand. A campaign that thrived on the collaboration between AI technologies and human-driven concepts.

The game changer

In May 2024, a small taskforce, consisting of the key team members behind Veikkaus’ award-winning digital X magazine, was assigned to create the Euro24 campaign for Veikkaus, the state-owned gaming company in Finland. By first coming up with a solid concept through human cognition and interaction, then harnessing generative AI tools, the team produced materials across a variety of traditional and new digital media. Achieving this level of quality output with limited human resources during the height of summer would have been impossible without emerging technologies. The aim was to capture the spirit of football while celebrating Europe’s diversity an the creative team operated under a demanding schedule, producing hundreds of assets for social media channels, television, kiosk screens, display ads, and more. Often, the team faced the challenge of turning around content within a single day’s notice, dictated by the fast-paced nature of the qualifying games.

The vision materialized in the tagline ”This summer, Europe is football,” a concept that crossed borders by blending cultural symbols, narratives, and storytelling.

This marked Veikkaus’ first venture into AI-driven campaign production. And at the final whistle, the campaign’s triumph was as monumental as the flood of English tears was profound.

Strategic vision: building bridges through football

The strategic foundation of the Euro24 campaign was rooted in inclusivity and relatability. Football, as Europe’s shared passion, became the ideal medium to connect audiences from diverse backgrounds. By weaving culturally resonant symbols, clichés, and unique quirks into mini-narratives, the campaign created a sense of familiarity and humor. This approach transformed each match into not just a game but a celebration of European identity, emphasizing peace and unity across the continent during these harsh times.

The small team brought together expertise in branding, storytelling, and digitalization, resulting in a campaign that was innovative and engaging. Creativity was further fueled by bringing in freelance talent whose narrative and visual ideas pushed the campaign’s expression. Note that AI’s effectiveness depends entirely on the quality of the ideas it supports.

Human strategic thinking and creativity remain essential to achieving compelling work that stands out.

AI’s effectiveness and emotional impact depends entirely on the quality of the human ideas it supports.

Leveraging technology for creative freedom

In a world increasingly defined by digital transformation, the core team embraced AI technology to break free from traditional creative constraints. This marked a shift in how campaigns are ideated, produced, and executed. We used AI tools to:

  1. Expand creative horizons: AI removed physical limitations, such as reliance on specific locations or time-consuming processes. This opened the door to creativity, where ideas could be brought to life with precision and high scalability.

  2. Optimize processes: Automation and advanced tools streamlined tasks like asset production and scenario modeling. This allowed the creative team to focus on conceptual adaptation and audience engagement strategies.

  3. Unlock creative potential: By using AI tools for mundane but time-consuming tasks, the concept freed the creative team to focus on developing unique ideas and refining high-quality assets, emphasizing innovation and originality. Note that the team is well-versed in the challenges and quality considerations of AI production.

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AI removed physical limitations, such as reliance on specific locations or time-consuming processes. This opened the door to creativity, where ideas could be brought to life with precision and high scalability.

Campaign execution: a multi-stage process

  1. The grand idea: The core concept—uniting cultures and nations through football —was developed to evoke a sense of shared identity and joy. This idea of celebration transcended marketing.

  2. Conceptual adaptation: Translating this vision into a workable framework involved aligning the concept with audience insights, campaign objectives, and the capabilities of available AI technologies. This step was crucial in maintaining consistency and focus across all elements of the campaign.

  3. Asset production: AI-powered tools were used to create a diverse array of quirky assets, including:

    1. Visuals: Over two thousand elements—imagery, animations, and coded graphics designed to capture attention and reflect cultural nuances. Tools used: Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, D-ID, After Effects AI, Firefly.

    2. Sounds & music: Audio signatures, voiceovers, music, and sound effects that enhanced engagement. Tools used: Elevenlabs, Udio, Murf.

    3. Standardized motion: Animations and transitions that reinforced the campaign's brand identity. Tools used: Runway ML, Pika, After Effects AI-rotoscope.

    4. Interpolation: Quality enhancement, removal of motion jitter, creation of slow motion and frame rate interpolation. Tools: Topaz bundle.

  4. Tactical refinements: This phase involved refinement of every asset to ensure emotional resonance and technical excellence. Animations were polished, music and soundscapes were adjusted, and all elements were integrated to create a unified experience.

  5. Distribution and metrics: The campaign was deployed across multiple digital channels, optimized for audience targeting. Performance metrics were analyzed to measure success, offering insights for future projects.

Reimagining creativity

When we, for instance, wanted to symbolize European football with a freshly baked, round loaf of bread in a Parisian bakery, held by a young cinematic lady, we didn’t have to book flights or arrange photo sessions in Montmartre to make it happen. We could go straight from an idea to the final result, bringing concepts to life with AI tools. What sets this campaign apart from all the generic fluff, is that the outcome doesn't look like imitation–it's top-notch, down to the perfect number of fingers. 

While AI tools and emerging technologies made the Euro24 campaign faster and more efficient–essential when adapting to the unpredictable nature of football tournaments–they also raised the bar for creativity. By automating routine tasks, the creative team was free to focus on creativity. This allowed the team to explore storytelling, ensuring that each touchpoint felt fresh, authentic, and engaging. AI didn’t just mimic life—it brought the stories and ideas to life.

Results and impact

The Euro24 campaign delivered the brand message across social media, achieving a reach of 1.8 million viewers. This brand exposure was supported by the popularity of the European Championship football matches, which drew an average of 497,000 viewers per game on Finnish television (source: TV measurement study, Finnpanel Oy).

While the campaign focused on brand identity advertising, it also drove measurable tactical engagement. Over 19,000 conversion clicks were recorded on Veikkaus’ betting homepage, highlighting the campaign’s ability to bridge awareness with action. Website traffic generated through social media exceeded expectations, achieving 128% of the original goal.

Additionally, Veikkaus introduced a dynamic visual presence powered by AI technology. This approach brought the brand to life through digital displays at Finland’s R-kiosks and Veikkaus’ network of screens, setting a new standard for visual engagement and brand storytelling.

Most importantly, this project trail-blazed the creative potential of using AI, highlighting its role as a tool to amplify human ingenuity rather than a cost-cutting mechanism to replace people. Generative AI can, in the right hands, serve as a muse, inspiring new realms of expression.