AI and Nostalgia Revive 90s Soda Brand Slice

Imagine driving down the highway, tuning your radio, and suddenly being transported back to the 1990s. This isn't a scene from a sci-fi movie; it was a reality for drivers in Los Angeles, thanks to an innovative, AI-powered marketing campaign for the beverage brand Slice.

The Challenge A Nostalgic Relaunch on a Budget

Slice, a brand with deep roots in 80s and 90s culture, was being relaunched by its new owner, Suja Life. The goal was to tap into powerful nostalgia while competing in the crowded healthy seltzer market against giants like Poppi and Olipop. The catch? They had to do it with a significantly smaller budget. Creative agency BarkleyOKRP was tasked with creating a campaign that would generate major buzz without a major price tag.

The AI Powered Solution A 90s Radio Station

Instead of traditional billboards, the team at BarkleyOKRP decided to create something entirely unexpected: a fully functional, 90s-themed radio station. The idea was to build an immersive world that would resonate with Gen X and millennials who lived through the era, as well as younger audiences fascinated by 90s culture. To achieve this ambitious goal, the agency turned to Google's suite of AI creative tools, including Gemini, Imagen, and Veo.

What started as a simple research query into 90s radio programming quickly ballooned into a massive creative undertaking. The team leased a real radio spectrum for a month and, over an intense five-week sprint, used AI to generate an entire universe of content. This included over 40 original songs, two synthetic DJ personalities, detailed band backstories, unique album art, and three hours of programming steeped in Slice references. You can hear the final product for yourself at TheFizzFM.com.

This campaign was designed for audiences who remembered the 90s and for zillennials who have a cultural appreciation for the decade.

Building The Fizz FM A Look Inside

The creation of "The Fizz" was a masterclass in human-AI collaboration. The team meticulously crafted every element to feel authentic yet fun.

• The Music: Gemini was used to generate lyrics, song titles, and band names for 40 songs in a "Pop 40" format. While early AI-generated lyrics sounded like simple jingles, with human feedback, the outputs evolved into convincing anthems across genres from hip-hop to hair metal. The sheer volume of work—writing and producing 40 good songs in just three weeks—would have been impossible without AI assistance.

• The DJs: The station featured two AI-generated hosts: DJ Bev, who provided witty banter for the music countdown, and Dr. Poplov, who hosted a quirky call-in advice show. The agency aimed for a self-aware, tongue-in-cheek tone that captured the spirit of 90s radio personalities without taking itself too seriously.

• The Artwork: Creating 40 unique and authentic-looking 90s album covers was a significant challenge. The team used AI image generation, writing detailed prompts of 50 to 100 words and iterating through up to 20 versions for each cover. This process required obsessive attention to detail to ensure authenticity and brand integration, highlighting the critical role of human oversight in AI-driven creative projects.

AI Unlocks Unprecedented Scale and Results

The campaign's success was rooted in the incredible scale that Google's AI tools enabled. Traditionally, creating 40 fictional bands, casting actors, and conducting period-authentic photo shoots would have been prohibitively expensive and time-consuming. AI made it possible on a shoestring budget.

The agency also discovered AI multiplier effects, such as using Gemini to write highly detailed and effective prompts for Imagen, which streamlined the visual creation process. This hands-on experience has equipped the agency for future client work in the AI space.

The results speak for themselves:

• Over 119 million PR and paid media impressions
• 45,700 online streams
• A 33% view rate with a 60% more efficient CPM
• 180,000 analog radio listeners

Setting a New Standard for Creative AI

Ultimately, the BarkleyOKRP team knew that the novelty of AI wasn't enough; the creative work had to be genuinely entertaining. By pushing the boundaries of what's possible, they raised the bar for AI-powered campaigns. As VP Creative Director Andrea Knowles stated, "Creatives that use AI from here on out will continue to set the standard... So make it good and hold yourself to that standard."

To get more consumer insights and strategies, you can subscribe to Think with Google.