Can AI Make a 30-Second Ad in 30 Minutes? My Experiment

Artificial Intelligence has been heralded as a game-changing tool for marketers that may one day replace us. Whether that will happen remains to be seen. For now, at MDRNai we’re more interested in how these tools can help us bring ideas to life faster, better, and cheaper.

And at the heart of so much marketing work? The 30-second ad.

I decided to run a quick experiment: using AI tools, could I create a complete 30-second commercial in under 30 minutes? Here’s what I came up with.

First Impressions: The Limits of AI Video

We’ve come a long way with AI-generated video, voice, and music. While not perfect, the character in my test ad looks remarkably lifelike compared to what would have been possible even a few months ago.

But here’s the challenge: the uncanny valley. That’s the term used to describe the unease we feel when something looks almost—but not quite—human.

In my video, some shots look convincingly real. Others have tell-tale signs of being artificially generated:

  • Too-perfect, hyper-smooth skin

  • Odd background artifacts

  • Extra fingers or distorted objects

  • Subtle lip-sync issues

It’s a rollercoaster of “wow, that looks real” followed by “oh, that looks fake.” And once you start spotting flaws, you can’t stop looking for them.

Still, the technology is improving fast, and I plan to experiment more with reference images, prompting, and different models to push the quality further.

The Tools & Workflow

There are many ways to generate AI video, but I kept things simple for this experiment. My workflow:

  1. Script

    • I wrote a short script manually (though ChatGPT could easily generate one).

  2. Character Creation

  3. Voice Generation

    • Leveraged ElevenLabs to turn my script into natural-sounding voiceover.

  4. Image-to-Video Conversion

    • Fed reference images into Wan 2.2 (via Higgsfield) to generate short video clips.

  5. Sound Effects & Music

    • Used a mix of ElevenLabs and Higgsfield’s audio tools.

  6. Editing

    • Brought everything together in Final Cut Pro. While AI editing tools exist, I wanted speed and control for this test.

Building the Commercial

Reference Images as Storyboards

Using Nano Banana, I generated a single character image, then reimagined her in multiple outfits and poses to serve as my “storyboard.”

Generating the Voice & Music

In ElevenLabs, I converted my script into an audio track. I also used it to create background music, layering sound elements for a professional touch.

Creating the Video Clips

With images and audio in hand, I used Higgsfield’s Wan 2.2 model to generate clips (max length: 10 seconds). Most were 10 seconds, with a few shorter for variety.

I also tested having the model generate speech directly from the script—but the quality wasn’t as strong as ElevenLabs. To fix this, I used Higgsfield’s lip-sync model to align my ElevenLabs audio with the video footage. This produced more natural results.

Editing the Final Cut

Once I had my clips, I stitched them together in Final Cut Pro. The process felt surprisingly similar to traditional editing—just with AI-created source material.

What This Means for Marketers

This experiment highlights both the potential and the limits of AI in advertising today:

  • Speed: Producing a full ad in 30 minutes would have been unthinkable without AI.

  • Quality: While impressive, AI video still suffers from the uncanny valley and small glitches that break immersion.

  • Flexibility: Tools like Nano Banana and ElevenLabs let marketers quickly test different creative concepts without big budgets.

We’re not at the point where AI ads can fully replace human-crafted production. But as the tech matures, marketers who learn how to integrate AI into their creative process will have a massive advantage.

Summary & Next Steps

So—can AI make a 30-second ad in 30 minutes? Yes. Is it perfect? Not yet.

I’ll be continuing to experiment with:

  • More advanced prompting strategies

  • Additional video models

  • Full AI video editing workflows

  • Scaling this approach to create variations of ads quickly

The bottom line: AI is moving fast, and marketers who keep experimenting will stay ahead of the curve.