See what happens when creative legends use AI to make ads for small businesses

Ad veterans from Wieden+Kennedy and Droga5 are weaponizing generative AI to craft pro-bono campaigns for mom-and-pop shops, compressing weeks of production into days with Midjourney storyboards and ElevenLabs voice clones. The experiment tests whether diffusion models and LLMs can democratize high-end creative without eroding the human spark that sells.

Jordan T (AI-assisted) May 8, 2026 1 min read EN

Based on reporting from Source.

The Small Brief is an initiative that brings together four ad industry icons to create pro-bono ad campaigns for local businesses they love. The mission is to build breakthrough, studio-quality campaigns that elevate these businesses while highlighting the storytelling power of AI.

Overview

The creatives have unlimited access to Flow, Google's AI creative studio, to bring these brand stories to life. The four ad industry icons and the businesses they are supporting are:

Jayanta Jenkins: Archangels
Tiffany Rolfe: South Ferry
Susan Credle: Stonewood Farm

Google's AI tools help small businesses achieve big-brand impact by empowering them to create studio-quality ads with their unique voice and style, find their next customers, and streamline workflows.

What it does

The use of AI in ad campaigns can compress weeks of production into days. Tools like Midjourney storyboards and ElevenLabs voice clones can aid in the creative process. The experiment tests whether diffusion models and LLMs can democratize high-end creative without eroding the human spark that sells.

The final campaigns and a deeper look into each creative's process will be revealed in June.

In practical terms, the use of AI in ad campaigns can help small businesses achieve professional-looking ads without the need for extensive resources. This can be a game-changer for local businesses looking to elevate their brand and reach new customers.

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