VW used AI to reunite singer Elis Regina, who died in 1982, with her Grammy-winning daughter

The striking duet, orchestrated by AlmapBBDO, immediately went viral—but has also led to ethical questions

Published On
Jul 31, 2023
Maria Rita and her mother, Elis Regina, singing in Volkswagen Brazil’s new ad

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A Volkswagen campaign used artificial intelligence to resurrect Elis Regina, a beloved Brazilian singer who died four decades ago at age 36, and reunite her with her daughter—who was 4 years old when she lost her mother, and who is now a Grammy-winning musical artist herself.

AlmapBBDO created the campaign, which shows Maria Rita driving VW’s electric ID Buzz through a deserted landscape. Soon, another car pulls up next to her—driven by a computer-generated version of her mother, who died of a drug overdose on Jan. 19, 1982. Regis—best known simply as “Elis”—is seen driving the ID Buzz’s predecessor, the VW Kombi, from years ago.

The pair sing a duet together, with the lyrics focused on how the past lives on in the present—a reference to the VW product line, and also Rita and Elis’s tragic story.

 

Unsurprisingly, the spot has been a sensation in Brazil, reaching more than 50 million organic views and becoming the subject of intense conversation countrywide. “It’s seven-something in the morning … and I’m bawling my eyes out,” Brazil’s first lady, Rosângela Lula da Silva, tweeted after watching the video.

The spot has raised ethical questions, though, about talent consent in the age of AI. After all, Elis couldn’t approve the use of her likeness this way—even though her family approved the project to move forward. In fact, Brazil’s advertising watchdog is said to be investigating a possible breach of ethics after receiving complaints about the work.

Creatively, however, it’s a uniformly impressive production. Produced by Boiler Filmes and directed by Dulcidio Caldeira, the film has clearly stirred emotions across Brazil. This is best captured in what Elis’s eldest son, the music producer João Marcello Bôscoli, told the Guardian about the campaign.

“For a second … I allowed myself to embark on this fantasy of my mother singing with a daughter who lost her mother when she was 4. It’s something that’s really moving – even when it’s in an advertising campaign,” said Bôscoli, who was 11 when his mother died.

“Why did this … campaign move people?” Bôscoli added. “Because it put them face-to-face with Elis. And almost anyone who listens to Elis Regina finds themselves moved, even when it’s through an AI mask … This is the power of great music: emotions, feelings and ideas.”

70th anniversary image from VW Brazil's new ad

The campaign was released for Volkswagen’s 70th anniversary campaign, and also announces the Kombi’s return—as the ID Buzz—a decade after the original was discontinued. 

“This film represents so much for everyone involved,” said Marco “Pernil” Giannelli, chief creative officer at AlmapBBDO. “It’s about Volkswagen’s story with Brazil, it’s the story of Elis Regina and Maria Rita, which was cut off far too soon, and for us at AlmapBBDO, it’s about a story that spans over 60 years, which is the time we’ve been working with the brand here in Brazil. The campaign puts sophisticated technology in the service of an extremely human goal: to touch people’s hearts. We’ve taken a groundbreaking duet out of the realm of imagination and made it absolutely real, for the two minutes the film lasts.”

Credits

Date
Jul 31, 2023
Client :
Volkswagen Brazil
Client :
Volkswagen
Agency :
ALMAP BBDO
President & CEO :
Filipe Bartholomeu
CCO :
Luiz Sanches
CCO :
Pernil
ECD :
Rodrigo Almeida
ECD :
Rafael Gil
DC :
Iron Brito
DC :
Felipe Chino
Creative :
Francis Allan
Creative :
Gustavo Tasselli
Client Approval :
Roger Corassa
Client Approval :
Livia Kinoshita
Client Approval :
Cristiano Mineiro
Client Approval :
Arthur Rocha
Client Approval :
Agnes Marques
Client Approval :
Helena Oliveira
AV Production :
Diego Villas Boas
AV Production :
Vera Jacinto
AV Production :
Murillo Moretti
Liaison :
Christiano Bock
Liaison :
Mariana Nanes
Liaison :
Stephanie Gasparini
Liaison :
Juliana Stern
Liaison :
Fernanda Waniarka
Liaison :
Bruna Nascimento
Planning :
Sergio Katz
Planning :
Marcelo Bazán
Planning :
Bruno Ortiz Machado
Planning :
Tomás Garnier Coutinho
Planning :
Julia Albero
Planning :
Lavieri Junior
Planning :
Giulia Arruda
Planning :
Ana Carolina de Losso
Planning :
Giovanna Orsatti
Planning :
Beatriz Freitas
Media :
Rafaela Alves
Media :
Luana Gallizzi
Media :
Everton Maciel
Media :
Lucas Fanti
Media :
Stephanie Santos
Media :
Isadora Lee
BI :
Diego Rodrigues
BI :
Guilherme von Brewer
BI :
Amanda Rosa
BI :
Sara Ribeiro
BI :
Matheus Rodrigues
BI :
Victor Castilho
Content :
Cristiana Uehara
Content :
Talita C. de Souza
Content :
Hannamy Layla
Content :
Samanta de Melo
Content :
Beatriz Amâncio
Head of Creative Technology :
Lilian Cavallini
Project Lead :
Sabrina Ramiles
Project Assistant :
Vinicyus Maciel
UXD :
Paulo Savela
SEO :
Mayk Sousa
Graphic Production :
José Roberto
Image Treatment :
HH Produção e Tecnologia de Imagens Publicitárias
Film Production :
Boiler Filmes
Director :
Dulcidio Caldeira
Executive Producer :
Juliana Martellotta
Head of Client Services :
Larissa Perrotta
Client Services :
Jonas Monte
Client Services :
Jess Thomaz
Client Services :
Maria Clara Gonçalves
Production Head :
Juliana Sigolo
Coordination :
Bruna Fernandes
Coordination :
Cintia Varella
Coordination :
Marina Rohnik
1st AD :
Bruno Roberti
2nd AD :
Felipe Luisari
DP :
Juliano Lopes
DP :
Rafael Martinelli
Art Director :
Martin Garcia
Production Director :
Roberto Bellezia
Production Director :
Magali Heinze
Wardrobe :
Giovanna Moretto
Cast Producer :
Cintia Cappellano
Celebrity Talent :
Maria Rita
Agent :
Alexandre Rodrigues Rosa
Agent :
Verônica Falcão Rodrigues Braga
Executive Producer :
Mariana Da Annunciação Dos Reis
Makeup & Hair :
Ricardo Dos Anjos
Stylist :
Heleno Manoel
Post Coordinator :
Ricardo Quintela
Editor :
Ricardo Quintela
Assistant Editor :
Fabio José Bento
Post Production :
Rafael Barão
Post Assistant :
Renata Dalbem
Post Assistant :
Jean Neto
Color Grading :
Acauan Pastore
Post Production :
Raw Audio Production
Musical Production :
Fernando Forni
Musical Production :
Ricardo Pinda
Musical Production :
Rogerinho Pereira
Musical Direction :
Hilton Raw
Sound Design & Mix :
Enrico Maccio
Sound Design & Mix :
Philip Braunstein
Liaison :
Carol Peternelli
Coordinator :
Robério Barbosa
VO :
Maria Rita
Studio :
RJ Cia do Técnicos
Bass :
Alberto Continentino
Keyboard :
Rodrigo Tavares
Drums :
Wallace Santos
Guitar :
Fernando Caneca
Sound Engineer :
Flavio Senna

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