How We Created a Voice Without a Voice Actor for ALDI Netherlands
Executive Summary
Faced with rising advertising costs, ALDI needed a solution that aligned with their cost-conscious philosophy while maintaining high-quality customer experiences. Springbok developed the ALDI AI Voice, the first AI-generated brand voice in the Netherlands, creating a unique, always-available audio identity for their commercials.
Using AI technology and 10 human voice recordings, we created a voice that sounds authentic while offering flexibility and efficiency. This solution ensures consistent audio branding across campaigns, reducing production time and costs.
Key Benefits:
- Cost Efficiency - No ongoing voice talent fees, while maintaining professional audio quality.
- Consistency - Ensures brand voice continuity, across all campaigns.
- Availability - 24/7 access to the brand voice, with no scheduling limits.
- Flexibility - Adapts to any script with emotional tone adjustments.
- Scalability - Rapid production of multiple commercials without voice talent constraints.
- Innovation Leadership - Positions ALDI as a tech-food retailer.
By pioneering AI voice technology, ALDI enhances cost-efficiency and strengthens their brand identity in the Netherlands.
Results
First AI Brand Voice in the Dutch Market
Launched the first AI-generated voice for a retail brand in the Netherlands, generating significant media buzz and PR coverage.
Production Efficiency Breakthrough
Reduced voice recording time from days to minutes, eliminating scheduling and talent availability issues while maintaining consistent voice quality across campaigns.
Cost Reduction & Resource Optimization
Lowered voice talent costs and allowed for more varied content within existing budgets.
Media Recognition & Brand Innovation
Gained nationwide news coverage, positioning ALDI as a technological pioneer and early adopter of AI in retail advertising.
Seamless Human-AI Workflow
Developed a process that instantly transforms human recordings into an AI voice with natural pacing and tone.
Our Approach
The Big Idea:
Create the Netherlands' first AI-generated brand voice that embodies ALDI's cost-efficient philosophy while maintaining an authentic, relatable human quality. This voice would become a distinctive brand asset, reducing production costs while ensuring consistent audio branding across all commercial content.
The Strategy:
- Blend Human and AI Technology – Create a voice that harnesses AI efficiency while preserving human warmth and expressiveness.
- Optimize Production Workflow – Develop a streamlined process where human recordings guide the AI voice's pacing and tonality.
- Generate Media Interest – Position the innovation as newsworthy to amplify ALDI's brand presence beyond paid media.
- Maintain Quality Standards – Ensure the AI voice meets or exceeds the quality of traditional voice talent recordings.
- Align with Brand Values – Demonstrate ALDI's cost-consciousness through the technology itself, making the medium part of the message.
The Process:
Phase 1: Voice Development
Selected 10 diverse human voices to train the AI, ensuring natural speech patterns and pronunciation through extensive testing.
Phase 2: Production System Design
Developed a workflow to guide the pace and tonality of scripts, transforming human recordings into the AI voice with emotional range capabilities.
Phase 3: Implementation & Optimization
Integrated the AI voice into ALDI's production pipeline, trained teams on optimizing guide tracks, and established quality control processes for consistency.
Phase 4: Media Launch & Amplification
Launched the voice with a public announcement, engaging media to generate coverage and creating a meta-commercial for the AI voice to tell its own story.
This AI-powered approach has revolutionized ALDI's commercial production, boosting flexibility, consistency, and cost-efficiency.
