Haru Card

Shinhan Card

Period

2025

Format

Commercial Film

Location

Seoul

Overview

A commercial that captures the essence of Japan travel-specialized card 'Haru' through generative AI and animation techniques.

Thematic

A blend of emotive animation and exclusive benefit

What We Did

Generative AI Video Production, Animation Styling, AI Post-processing, Emotional Storytelling

Context

Shinhan Card launched the ‘Haru Card’ in June 2025 through a collaboration with Japanese premium hotel brand Hoshino Resorts and international card brand JCB. Designed specifically for travel in Japan, the card was positioned not just as a financial product, but as a travel companion. It offers 2% point rewards on overseas purchases and an additional 1.5% on purchases made in Japan. Cardholders can also enjoy up to 30% discounts at Hoshino Resorts. The target audience was set as the MZ generation, who are familiar with Japanese culture—especially animation. To appeal to their sensibilities, the project reinterpreted the unique emotional tone of Japanese animation in a modern way. Generative AI technology was actively used to pursue both production efficiency and creative expression. This was a bold attempt to reduce the time and labor typically required for animation production, while still creating emotionally resonant content for the target audience.

Challenge

Video production using generative AI presented innovative possibilities while having clear limitations. AI-generated images often fell into the uncanny valley or showed lack of consistency between frames, particularly revealing unnaturalness in emotional expression and subtle movements. Implementing the delicate sensibility and unique visual grammar of Japanese animation through AI was a technically complex task. Moreover, as a financial product advertisement, we needed to find a balance between maintaining trustworthiness while capturing youthful sensibility. The core challenge was creating creative and emotional results by maximizing the advantages of technology while avoiding public resistance or ethical controversies about AI-generated content.

Solution

We developed a hybrid approach that acknowledges the limitations of generative AI and actively works to overcome them. Each scene was initially generated using AI, then refined through meticulous post-processing to remove the characteristic awkwardness and achieve smoother, more natural motion. Frame interpolation, motion smoothing, and color grading techniques were applied to establish a consistent visual tone throughout. Iconic scenes often seen in Japanese animation—like falling cherry blossoms, emotional farewells at train stations, and neon-lit Tokyo streets—were translated into AI prompts to evoke a sense of nostalgia. The most important goal was to reduce the sense of artificiality and add emotional resonance. Emotional nuance was layered onto the AI-generated footage through manual refinement, while sound design and music were used to deepen the emotional impact. Through this process, we established a new production workflow that blends the efficiency of AI with the sensitivity of human creativity.

Watch

Shinhan Card 『Haru Card』

Behind the Scenes

From the Team

"The process of refining AI-generated raw materials into emotional gems as video specialists showed that new value can be created at the intersection of technology and creativity. I believe this project suggested the direction for creators in the AI era, understanding and utilizing technology while differentiating through uniquely human insight."
Yoonseop Kim
Director

Credit

Director
Executive Producer
AI Imaging
Yoonseop Kim
Minseok Kim
Hyun Kim

Credit

DirectorYoonseop Kim
Executive ProducerMinseok Kim
AI ImagingHyun Kim