Warner Bros. turns to AI-generated dog podcast to promote ‘The End of Oak Street’
Warner Bros. Discovery has used an AI-generated dog podcast as part of the marketing campaign for its upcoming science-fiction thriller “The End of Oak Street”, highlighting the growing use of generative AI in entertainment advertising even as the technology continues to draw scrutiny from audiences and creative communities.
The promotional video was created in collaboration with DogPack, a social platform and app for dog owners, and features characters from “The Dogbone Podcast”. The scripted podcast uses AI-generated animation and voices to depict conversations between dogs.
In the promotional clip, the podcast’s canine hosts Goldie, a golden retriever, and Frenchie, a French bulldog, interview Starbuck, a dog featured in “The End of Oak Street”. Starbuck belongs to the family at the centre of the film, whose parents are played by Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor.
The video was shared across Warner Bros. Discovery and DogPack’s social media channels as part of the film’s promotional activity. The collaboration extends the movie’s marketing beyond conventional trailers and posters by placing one of its characters within an existing AI-generated social media format.
Warner Bros. also shared another AI-generated promotional video through its Warner Bros. Malaysia account. That clip depicted dinosaurs attacking civilians, tying into the prehistoric threat featured in the film.
The use of generative AI in the campaign has attracted criticism on social media, with some users questioning the studio’s decision to use AI-generated animation and voices to market a major theatrical release. Representatives for Warner Bros. Discovery and director David Robert Mitchell had not publicly commented on the criticism at the time of reporting.
The campaign arrives as film studios, advertisers and entertainment companies experiment with generative AI for marketing content. The technology can be used to create images, video, voices and other promotional assets, but its adoption remains closely watched because of broader concerns around creative labour, disclosure and the use of AI-generated media.
For marketers, the campaign also illustrates how AI-native social formats are beginning to enter mainstream entertainment promotion. Rather than developing an entirely new format for the movie, the collaboration places a character from the film within DogPack’s existing AI-generated podcast concept.
“The End of Oak Street” is a science-fiction survival film written and directed by David Robert Mitchell. The movie stars Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor alongside Maisy Stella and Christian Convery.
Its story follows the Platt family after a mysterious cosmic event transports their suburban neighbourhood to an unknown environment, forcing the family to navigate new threats while attempting to survive.
The film is produced by J.J. Abrams, Hannah Minghella, Jon Cohen, Mitchell, Matt Jackson and Tommy Harper, with Warner Bros. Pictures handling worldwide distribution. It is scheduled to open in North American theatres and IMAX on August 14, with international releases beginning August 12.
As studios explore new ways of building attention around theatrical releases, the campaign demonstrates another emerging application for generative AI in entertainment marketing. At the same time, the reaction to the promotional material shows that the use of AI itself can become part of the conversation surrounding a campaign, alongside the film it is designed to promote.
Related Articles
