Build an AI Ad Around a Jingle That People Remember
ElevenLabs’ tutorial argues that the jingle should be settled before an AI-made ad’s visuals, because the product, music and edit need to work as one piece. It demonstrates a five-step workflow using a fictional chocolate bar: develop a simple product concept, write and choose a roughly 30-second jingle, create consistent product references, animate storyboard images and cut the clips to the music. The company also presents The Search, a competition that scores catchiness most heavily and offers $100,000 in prizes.
The jingle is the backbone, so settle it before making the video
A convincing AI-made ad depends on four things working together: a concept people wish existed, a jingle they can remember, enough craft to look and sound finished, and cohesion between the product, music and visuals. ElevenLabs demonstrates the approach with a fictional chocolate bar called Snap. Its name is easy to sing, its benefit is simple to convey, and its packaging gives the ad a consistent visual anchor.
Start by choosing a product with an obvious benefit. That benefit should feed directly into the jingle rather than sit beside it as a separate marketing claim. Snap’s lyrics describe taking a break and enjoying chocolate; the name returns at the end as the sung hook. The product name, benefit and visual identity are designed to recur across the ad, from packaging to the final end screen.
The jingle is the part to resolve before moving on. In ElevenCreative’s Music tool, the workflow uses Music v2.5 and separates the work into two inputs: lyrics, which supply the hook, and a music prompt, which describes how the track should sound. The example prompt calls for playful swing jazz, walking upright bass, brushed drums, bright piano, muted horns, finger snaps and a cheeky female vocal. It specifies a final sung “Snap!” with a horn hit and a last finger snap.
The prompt can be brief or highly detailed. A short instruction such as “A swinging jazz jingle for a chocolate bar called Snap” leaves more open; a longer version can specify a 1950s sound, approximate tempo, instruments, vocal arrangement and how the ending should land. The guidance is to describe genre, mood, instruments and tempo in two or three sentences, and aim for about 30 seconds. Longer than that, the creator argues, and the jingle starts to become a song.
Generate several options, then judge them by whether the tune stays with you after one listen. If you cannot remember it or sing it back, it may not be catchy enough. The tutorial recommends locking the music before producing video: changing the track once the edit is underway makes the rest of the process harder.
Reference sheets help keep the product recognizable
The product needs to be identifiable in more than one way: show its name, a clear image and its logo. For Snap, the creator starts with an image prompt describing the pink packaging, the wordmark, the colors and the setting, then generates alternatives and chooses one. A product reference sheet follows, showing the package from multiple angles against a plain background.
That plain background is deliberate. The reference sheet gives later image and video generations a stable version of the product to work from. The same process applies to the logo and to any other element that needs to remain consistent across scenes. In Flows, the creator gathers these references into a mood board, which also helps shape the storyboard.
The storyboard is built from still images before those images are turned into video. In the Snap example, the planned shots include a logo reveal, a couple, unwrapping the bar, breaking it, sharing it, taking a bite and a product hero shot. The creator attaches the product, logo and subject references as the stills are generated, so those elements carry through the sequence.
Once the still storyboard is ready, a video model such as Seedance 2.5 or Google Omni Flash can animate the scenes. The tutorial’s recommendation is to mute generated audio and make each shot seven to ten seconds long, even if the finished ad will be much shorter. That extra footage gives room to choose the best moment: a ten-second generation might contribute only three seconds to the final cut.
Build the edit around the finished jingle
After generating the required clips, the creator organizes them in a project folder and moves into Studio. The jingle goes onto the timeline first; the video clips are then trimmed and aligned to its beat. Studio also provides access to the other creation tools, so a missing clip, image or logo can be generated within the editor rather than requiring a return to Flows.
Sound effects are added to make the actions on screen audible and to help the music and visuals feel like one piece. For the chocolate ad, the prompt requests a chocolate-bar snap, a crunchy crack and a nougat tear. The creator describes the effects as an extra sound bed behind the jingle: when something happens on screen, the viewer hears it too. Voiceover can also be added in Studio, though the finished Snap example centers on the song and effects.
The source’s stated test is cohesion: the product, music and visuals should feel like one piece. Its workflow supports that by carrying product and logo references across scenes, settling the jingle before video production, and aligning clips and sound effects to the music in the final edit.
The Search scores catchiness most heavily
ElevenLabs presents The Search as a global competition for AI-made ads, with a $100,000 prize pool across eleven winners.
Entries must be 15 to 45 seconds long, use a jingle made in ElevenCreative, and be original to the competition. The tutorial says entries will be verified and warns participants not to use real brands, copyrighted characters or real people’s likenesses; entrants must have the right to use everything in the ad. Judges score concept, jingle, craft and cohesion, with catchiness counting the most.
To enter, creators must publish the ad publicly with the hashtags #TheWorldsCatchiestAd and #ElevenCreativeCompetitionVol1, tag ElevenCreative and ElevenLabs, keep the post up through judging, and submit the post and jingle links through the entry form. Individual creators, teams and agencies may enter, and multiple entries are allowed.
The stated deadline is November 1, with winners to be announced on X on November 10. The prize breakdown is $50,000 for the catchiest ad, $20,000 for second place, $10,000 for third, and $2,500 each for eight finalists.