Kalshi's AI-Powered Advertising Takeaways:
- Two-day production for $2,000: Kalshi’s NBA Finals ad was fully made with generative tools by a solo creator.
- 300–400 AI generations: Final spot used just 15 clips, highlighting the need for curated outputs.
- Over 20 million impressions: Aired during Game 3, it outperformed expectations on minimal spend.
Kalshi just aired a full-length commercial during the NBA Finals for less than 1% of what most ad agencies spend.
And they did it using AI.
During Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Kalshi, a U.S.-based prediction market, aired a 30-second ad that looked unlike anything else in prime time.
It featured an old man yelling about Indiana winning, an alien downing a pitcher of beer, a man in a pool of eggs, and a series of other chaotic scenes.
These scenes were stitched together in a rapid-fire style that felt part meme marketing, part digital fever dream.
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The commercial was created by PJ Accetturo, a self-described AI filmmaker who completed the project alone in two days for just $2,000.
"It was just aired on TV a few minutes ago, alongside $400K+ 2-month-long productions, and this took me 2 days, costing a lot less.
But most importantly, I got to stay in my underwear for the entire shoot," Accenturo candidly wrote in a newsletter detailing how he created the ad.
Using Google’s Veo 3 video generator, Gemini, and traditional editing tools, he turned Kalshi’s request for a wild, high-energy NBA Finals spot into a visual spectacle.
It stood out precisely because it felt so untamed.
Kalshi’s decision to go all-in on generative AI wasn’t just about cost savings.
After getting quotes from traditional production studios that reached into the seven-figure range, the company chose a different path.
The Numbers That Matter
What made this campaign truly significant was how drastically it redefined the cost and speed expectations for national TV advertising.
When you line up Kalshi’s approach against the industry standard, the contrast is hard to ignore.
- Traditional national TV ad creation cost: $250K–$500K
- Kalshi's AI-produced ad: $2,000
- Savings: ~99.2% instantly wiped from the budget
- Reach: ~20 million impressions during Game 3 of the NBA Finals
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The ad also amassed widespread buzz for being possibly the first fully AI-generated commercial to air nationally during a major sporting event.
Similarly, we tested a full campaign workflow using AI for scripting, visuals, voiceover, and editing here at DesignRush.
We achieved 95–98% cost reductions with turnaround time from 6-8 weeks to just 72 hours.
Here's a sample of what we did:
Using Kalshi as a case study, here's our cost estimate breakdown for a fully AI-generated ad:
- Platform Subscription or Credits
Monthly AI video platforms: $30 – $500/month;
Basic tools: ~$10 – $100/month - Per-Video Cost
AI-generated simple 30- to 60-second ads: $270 – $950
Some charge as little as <$1 per video on certain tiers. - Voiceover, Script, and Editing
AI scriptwriting: $50 – $200
AI voiceover: $20 – $50
AI editing: $50 – $200
Taking the biggest amounts and full subscription prices, it only totals to $2,000. This is the amount that Kalshi used to produce its NBA Finals commercial.
Kalshi was then able to save on production and focus its budget on media buying and ad placement, which account for the considerably larger expense.
A Look at the Workflow That Made It Possible
Accetturo's approach combined fast scripting with creative risk-taking.
Kalshi provided a rough outline of markets it wanted to feature, from basketball to hurricanes and egg prices.
He built a chaotic script around it, inspired by Grand Theft Auto and his Florida roots.
He used Gemini and ChatGPT to generate prompt lists, then rendered each prompt individually in Veo 3, refining them to get consistent, usable clips.
Each prompt described a new shot from scratch, maintaining continuity without assuming previous context.
This is how the viral Kalshi ad came together in two chaotic days.
— PJ Ace (@PJaccetturo) June 13, 2025
This BTS video breaks down the ENTIRE process, plus a few secrets we probably shouldn’t be sharing.
Big ad agencies DO NOT want this getting out 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/RMBJ763p5w
Accenturo ran these through Veo 3, sometimes in batches of three at a time, and manually adjusted them until they matched his creative vision.
He produced between 300 and 400 clips before narrowing it down to the 15 that made the final cut.
The editing was done in CapCut and Adobe Premiere, with added polish to audio and visuals.
This tight, iterative process allowed him to go from concept to national broadcast in just 48 hours.
It's a timeline that would be nearly impossible using traditional production methods.
Why This Ad Is a Turning Point
The same tools Accetturo used are now widely accessible, and more brands are exploring how to use them efficiently.
OpenPR estimates that generative AI in the advertising sector could exceed $8 billion by 2029, driven by demand for faster, cheaper, and more varied content.
For agencies, this creates challenges that require careful consideration, including:
- Pricing Model Disruption: Firms billing $250K+ for TV spots are now competing with $2K AI versions.
- Client Expectations Shift: Brands will demand rapid, AI-driven mockups and fast-turn drafts.
- Creative Roles Evolve: Traditional videography could give way to roles like “prompt engineer” and “AI creative strategist.”
I hate to say it, but this is the future of advertising.
— PJ Ace (@PJaccetturo) June 16, 2025
Think of Super Bowl commercials: it's a joke with a bit of brand baked in.
This dentist in LA is making these weekly and getting 1000x the views of his competitors.
Entertain -> sellpic.twitter.com/mtJ38QkGFj
However, it also opens up new opportunities for agencies to evolve, grow, and find fresh ways to deliver value:
- Budget Barrier Broken: Brands and even agencies can now produce national-level ads without six- or even seven-figure budgets.
- Speed Unlocked: Full commercial production can be compressed into days instead of months.
- Democratized Broadcast: AI levels the playing field; we're now competing on creativity, not budget.
As these opportunities take shape, they’re also transforming the practical tools and workflows agencies rely on.
A new creative stack is emerging, one that integrates AI at every stage of production, changing how campaigns come to life from concept to execution:
- Scriptwriting: ChatGPT, Gemini
- Visuals & Editing: Veo 3, RunwayML
- Voiceover: ElevenLabs
- Deployment: Programmatic platforms + rapid A/B testing
Kalshi's ad shows what's possible when a brand is willing to step outside convention.
For instance, a single 30-second Super Bowl commercial often runs advertisers $10 million on the low end and over $30 million when fully accounted.
The biggest expense is airtime, which alone costs between $7 million and $8 million. But that's just the beginning.
Here's a sample comparison of our cost estimates:
Altogether, real-world campaigns can cross $31 million, and that's before factoring in extended digital spend.
Harrison Ford starring in a two-minute cinematic commercial for Jeep has been pegged to be one of the most high-budget Super Bowl productions for 2025.
This shows how high-profile media events like the NBA Finals and Super Bowl now demand production budgets that rival entertainment franchises.
For brands, competing at this level means treating each spot as a standalone asset with long-tail value across platforms.
But the introduction of AI video tools has enabled a stark alternative.
Industry estimates suggest that AI-generated ads typically cost between $1,400 and $2,000.
While traditional ads take weeks or months, AI ads can be completed in days.
The visual result may differ in style, often leaning toward experimental or surreal aesthetics, but production quality is improving rapidly.
The disparity is staggering, and for many companies, especially those seeking high-frequency content or limited runs, this model presents a compelling financial alternative.
With this, brands can start testing dozens of ad versions at once, refining performance in real time.
Of course, AI can't replace great storytelling or celebrity power, but it is breaking down bloated production pipelines and cutting long turnaround times.
As more teams learn to work with AI, expect to see more content that’s fast, strange, and surprisingly effective.
Recognizing this move toward the use of AI, Newell Brands has recently teamed up with Adobe’s AI tools to scale content production at speed.
Need content and campaigns built for speed and scale? These creative teams use smart tools to deliver results:
