From Flat to Feeling: How AI Breathed Life into Ethias's Brand Mascots

Executive Summary

Ethias insurance faced a challenge with their cartoon mascots or ‘Ethis’, which were great for brand recognition but lacked emotional connection with their audience. Springbok developed an AI-powered character evolution system that transformed these flat mascots into relatable, Pixar-like characters, maintaining the brand’s identity.

Key benefits include:

• Brand Evolution – Transforms mascots into emotionally resonant characters.
• Cost Efficiency – Reduces production costs by 70% compared to traditional methods.
• Creative Freedom – Enables endless character variations while preserving brand identity.
• Speed & Versatility – Generates new assets quickly, suitable for all marketing channels, and animation-ready.
• Adaptability – Allows for new characters, such as pets for insurance promotions.

By leveraging AI, Ethis can now connect with customers on an emotional level at scale while preserving brand recognition.

Results

Transformed Brand Mascots with Emotional Depth
Evolved the Ethis into emotionally expressive 3D characters, maintaining brand recognition and connecting with audiences on a deeper level.

Dramatic Production Efficiency Improvements
Reduced asset creation time from weeks to minutes and cut production costs by 70% compared to traditional methods.

Expanded Creative Possibilities
Enabled unlimited character variations (emotions, accessories, poses) and introduced new characters, like the Ethi family dog for pet insurance.

Enhanced Quality Control
Developed a system that ensures high-quality outputs with no need for manual corrections.

Optimized Multi-Channel Deployment
Adjusted image quality for different media touchpoints and automated motion control for animated content across platforms.

Our Approach

The Big Idea:

Transform Ethias’s recognizable but emotionally flat cartoon Ethi mascots into Pixar-like characters that maintain brand recognition while creating deeper audience connections. Use custom AI technology to overcome the traditional constraints of expensive 3D modeling, enabling efficient creation of high-quality character assets at scale.
 

The Strategy:

• Develop Custom AI Solution – Create a specialized generative model tailored specifically for Ethi character creation, not relying on generic AI image generators.
• Preserve Brand DNA – Carefully define and maintain the core visual elements that make Ethi characters instantly recognizable.
• Iterative Training Process – Use a feedback loop of successful outputs to continuously improve the model's understanding of the Ethi aesthetic.
• Production Efficiency – Build a system that allows for character creation "at the push of a button" while maintaining quality control.
• Motion & Emotion – Ensure the system can generate not just static poses but also emotional variations and animation capabilities.
   

The Process:

Phase 1: Foundation Building

• Selected the most suitable generative model based on character design requirements.
• Collaborated with stakeholders to define the key characteristics that make an unmistakable Ethi.
• Created a database of existing exemplary assets that met the quality criteria for training.
   

Phase 2: Model Development & Training

• Fed curated Ethi assets to our specialized AI model for initial training.
• Implemented a rigorous quality control process to identify successful outputs for further refinement.
• Used each qualitative output to further train the system, creating a positive feedback loop.
• Safely discarded nightmarish manifestations that didn't meet brand standards.
   

Phase 3: Refinement & Optimization

• Used AI to assist in writing its own prompts to get better results.
• Fine-tuned the system until manual corrections by external partners were no longer needed.
• Expanded capabilities to include variations in characters, accessories, wardrobe, emotions, and postures.
• Developed image quality controls to optimize output for different marketing touchpoints.
   

Phase 4: Application & Expansion

• Successfully deployed the system to create new character types, including the Ethi family dog for a pet insurance promotion.
• Implemented automated motion control capabilities for animated content.
• Enabled rapid asset creation for multi-channel marketing campaigns.
   

With this AI-powered approach, Ethias has revolutionized their character-based marketing, enabling emotional storytelling with the efficiency of modern technology.