The Internet’s New Punching Bag: Fiverr Unveils Garry, the Unhinged AI Character Taking on Internet Culture — from the Nicki Minaj Stiletto Challenge to WNBA Mayhem

Rhea-AI Summary

Fiverr (NYSE:FVRR) has launched "Prompt and Punishment," an innovative AI-generated marketing campaign featuring Garry, a middle-aged character who encounters viral internet moments. The campaign demonstrates how Fiverr's AI-expert freelancers can create high-quality content at 10% of traditional production costs.

The campaign, produced using Google's VEO3 engine and Runway AI tools, showcases real-time marketing capabilities by inserting Garry into trending scenarios like the Nicki Minaj stiletto challenge and WNBA events. The production combined Fiverr's in-house creative team with freelance AI experts, including directors from "Too Short For Modeling," demonstrating how smaller teams can compete with traditional agencies in content creation.

This initiative highlights a shift in creative production, where brands can directly leverage AI algorithms through skilled freelancers instead of traditional agency workflows, enabling faster iteration and execution of marketing concepts.

Positive

• Campaign production costs reduced by 90% compared to traditional methods
• Demonstrates rapid content creation capabilities with real-time response to cultural moments
• Showcases successful integration of in-house creative team with AI-expert freelancers
• Proves ability to produce Super Bowl-quality ads with smaller teams and budgets

Negative

• None.

Prompted and directed by Fiverr freelancers, Garry’s chaotic misadventures show how brands can tap into viral moments in real time — without big agency timelines or budgets.

NEW YORK, Aug. 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- An AI-generated hapless middle-aged man named Garry just became the internet’s favorite punching bag, thanks to Prompt and Punishment, a new brand campaign from Fiverr (NYSE: FVRR), highlighting how an in-house creative team and a small team of AI-expert freelancers with a clever prompt can turn any idea into a Super Bowl-quality ad before most big agencies can schedule a kick off call.

Produced, directed, and edited entirely through AI prompts by freelancers on Fiverr, Garry stumbles straight into the internet’s biggest moments — whether it’s failing the Nicki Minaj stiletto challenge or taking a hit from a flying object at a WNBA game. Beyond the laughs, Garry demonstrates how Fiverr’s AI-savvy freelancers can transform culturally relevant ideas into polished video content with extreme agility. For small and mid-size businesses, startups, and solopreneurs, this means access to the same caliber of marketing once reserved for Fortune 500 brands — without the Fortune 500 team and budget.

By combining human creativity with expert-level knowledge and the most advanced AI tools currently available, businesses can test more campaigns, iterate faster, engage with their audience more, and find what resonates without risking everything on a single big agency-produced spot and a budget-breaking production. Today, more than ever, with AI readily available, this ad shows that businesses will find their competitive edge in human talent.

Ushering in a new era of real-time marketing for brands, the social-first campaign cost about 10% of what Fiverr would normally spend on a production of this kind.

To prove this, Fiverr has been crowdsourcing ideas for Garry’s next punishments since launch — and putting its money where its mouth is by producing them in real time. Spinoff Garry vignettes have already gone live, including scenes of him lost at sea and surrounded by sharks, encountering aliens, and squaring off against gorillas in the viral “One man vs. 100 gorillas” thought experiment. Fiverr also rolled out a Love Island USA reunion vignette the night of the Monday broadcast, underscoring just how quickly freelancers can turn cultural moments into fully produced content.

"Human creativity combined with the power and speed of AI is the future of the marketing industry," said Matti Yahav, Fiverr CMO. "Smaller, nimble teams that can tap into flexible, freelance talent quickly in today's competitive market will be responding to pop culture and trending before big agency competitors move past the approval phase for a campaign.”

The production process itself tells the story of creative disruption. Fully utilizing the capabilities of Google's VEO3 engine alongside other AI tools like Runway, the film is 100% AI-generated with no traditional filming or production required. The hybrid team structure combined Fiverr's in-house creative conceptualization with freelance AI super talents — including directors Tal & Noam from "Too Short For Modeling" — who handled the complex process of generating hundreds of frames and prompts for each scene.

The campaign also signals a broader shift in creative production workflows. Rather than briefing big agencies, brands can now brief algorithms — with freelancers serving as creative directors who guide today’s best available AI tools to produce specific results. This AI-native approach enables rapid iteration, instant concept testing, and immediate execution.

“Knowing the high level of AI talent among Fiverr’s freelancers, we initiated the campaign to 'walk the walk' — let AI directors from Fiverr edit, prompt, and direct our ad,” said Nir Refuah, Creative Director at Fiverr. “The creative concept, which talks about the god-like powers AI experts possess, is also supporting that mechanism. Never underestimate the powers of Fiverr's AI experts. Ask Garry!”

Credits for the brand campaign include:

• Creative Director, Fiverr: Nir Refuah
• Creative Team, Fiverr: Nimrod Maiman, Shiran Romano, Adi Gueta
• Producer, Fiverr: Tamar Yoffe
• Directed & Edited by Too Short For Modeling
• AI & VFX: Daniel Turuntsev (turu.studio)
  

About Fiverr
Fiverr’s mission is to transform the way the world creates and works together. We’re shaping the future of work with the world’s leading open platform, seamlessly connecting top talent and cutting-edge technology with businesses around the globe. From expert freelancers in over 750 skilled categories to best-in-class GenAI models and agents, Fiverr provides the most advanced and comprehensive talent and tools for digital services — helping businesses get mission-critical projects done fast and cost-effectively.

From small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, millions trust Fiverr for projects in software and AI development, digital marketing, finance, business consulting, video animation, music, architecture, and more.

Learn how to future-proof your business with exceptional talent and cutting-edge tools at fiverr.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, X, and Facebook.

Press Contacts
Jenny Chang
press@fiverr.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/72accea8-9042-4b20-96fd-ef2cc915bae0

FAQ

What is Fiverr's Prompt and Punishment campaign featuring Garry?

It's an AI-generated marketing campaign where a character named Garry interacts with viral internet moments, demonstrating how Fiverr's AI-expert freelancers can create high-quality content quickly and cost-effectively.

How much did Fiverr save on production costs with their AI-generated campaign?

The campaign cost approximately 90% less than traditional production methods, achieving significant cost savings while maintaining high-quality output.

What AI tools did Fiverr use to create the Garry campaign?

The campaign utilized Google's VEO3 engine and Runway AI tools to generate 100% AI-created content without traditional filming or production requirements.

How does Fiverr's new AI campaign approach differ from traditional agency workflows?

Instead of working with big agencies, brands can now brief algorithms directly through Fiverr's freelance AI experts, enabling faster iteration, instant concept testing, and immediate execution of marketing content.

What types of viral moments does Garry interact with in Fiverr's campaign?

Garry appears in various trending scenarios including the Nicki Minaj stiletto challenge, WNBA game incidents, Love Island USA reunion, and viral thought experiments like the 'One man vs. 100 gorillas' scenario.