PrudentialFlash Forward / 2024

Hello,
future
you.

A glimpse of who you could become.
The image workflow that helped
make it feel like you.

Watch the experience 00:53 · Sound on when you’re ready
Addison’s generated retirement portrait: silver hair, sunglasses and a colourful pottery studio.A postcard from possibility.
The original kiosk portrait used for Addison’s transformation.
This is where it starts.
ASPEN, COLORADO
A FLASH FORWARD / 2024

Our partAge transformation & image-generation workflows

Made togetherPrudential / McCann New York / Addition / Never

Explore the transformations
The experience

A little time travel.

Aspen Ideas Festival · 2024
Read the film’s on-screen story

The film opens with the campaign’s premise: retirement is hard to picture when you haven’t imagined yourself enjoying it. Prudential introduces Flash Forward, an AI-powered photo booth designed to help people see a possible retirement.

At the Aspen Ideas Festival, a visitor stands at the kiosk for a portrait. On a phone, she answers questions about herself. Visitors then see an older version of themselves in an imagined future and hold up their personalised printed postcards. The reverse carries a retirement story and a QR code. The film closes with the Prudential logo.

A visual story summary. The supplied film has a music soundtrack and no spoken narration.

01 The invitation

Make the future
feel personal.

A retirement portrait has to begin with someone you recognise.

Prudential’s Flash Forward kiosk invited people to picture a life beyond work. A photo, a few questions, and an imagined future became something they could see—and take home.

McCann New York engaged Addition to bring the experience to life. Addition brought us in to build the image-generation workflows behind the age transformation.

Our part was behind the scenes. The moment it supported was right in front of the visitor: seeing an older self in a new chapter of their life.

02 The transformations

Still you.
Somewhere new.

Original kiosk portraits and the finished postcards they became. Explore the faces, then turn a card over to read its imagined future.

The person

Addison

Addison’s original portrait, photographed at the kiosk.
Original kiosk portrait
An imagined older Addison with silver hair and sunglasses, in a colourful scarf and apron in a pottery studio.
AI-generated postcard front
Addison’s postcard reverse, with a generated retirement story. Full text follows.
Printed story on the reverse
An imagined next chapter

Addison, you shaped clay and analog tapes into bliss.

A captured likeness, an older self, and a setting drawn from the experience’s imagined retirement story.

Read the postcard’s story

Generated campaign story, transcribed from the supplied postcard.

As you sit at your pottery wheel, hands coated in clay, you smile at the stack of cassette tapes neatly organized on the shelf beside you. Each one is meticulously labeled with the name of the artist and album, a testament to your love for the warm, analog sound that only cassettes can provide. As the soothing voice of your favorite singer fills the studio, you lose yourself in the tactile sensation of shaping the clay, your fingers gently coaxing it into a beautiful vase. In this moment, all the frustrations of the world melt away, and you're reminded of the simple joys that make life worth living. Retirement has given you the gift of time to pursue your passions, and as you carefully place the finished vase on the shelf, nestled between your beloved tapes, you realize that this is what true fulfillment feels like.

The person

Hema

Hema’s original portrait, photographed at the kiosk.
Original kiosk portrait
An imagined older Hema with silver hair, purple glasses and a colourful apron in a glassblowing studio.
AI-generated postcard front
Hema’s postcard reverse, with a generated retirement story. Full text follows.
Printed story on the reverse
An imagined next chapter

Hema, you danced into the art of glassblowing in Mumbai.

A captured likeness, an older self, and a setting drawn from the experience’s imagined retirement story.

Read the postcard’s story

Generated campaign story, transcribed from the supplied postcard.

As the sun rises over the bustling streets of Mumbai, you find yourself in a small, unassuming studio, ready to embark on a new adventure. The heat from the furnace radiates through the room as you carefully shape the molten glass, your hands moving with a newfound grace and precision. Each twist and turn of the glowing orb reflects the vibrant colors of the Bollywood posters that adorn the walls, a testament to your love for the lively dance and music that has always captured your heart. As you craft your first piece, a delicate and intricate vase that sparkles in the morning light, you realize that this is just the beginning of a journey that will take you from the streets of India to the galleries of the world, blending your passion for dance with the mesmerizing art of glassblowing. With a playful smile, you imagine yourself as the star of your own unique story, a tale of creativity, culture, and the endless possibilities that await you in this new chapter of your life.

The person

Jamar

Jamar’s original portrait, photographed at the kiosk.
Original kiosk portrait
An imagined older Jamar smiling in sunglasses and a colourful shirt beside a rocky coast.
AI-generated postcard front
Jamar’s postcard reverse, with a generated retirement story. Full text follows.
Printed story on the reverse
An imagined next chapter

Jamar, you teleported to a sublime seaside on a whim.

A captured likeness, an older self, and a setting drawn from the experience’s imagined retirement story.

Read the postcard’s story

Generated campaign story, transcribed from the supplied postcard.

In 2050, you found yourself standing on a rocky cliff overlooking the ocean, watching the waves crash below while enjoying the warm sea breeze on your skin. Just moments before, you had been in your living room, sipping coffee and reading the news on your holographic display. But then, feeling spontaneous, you decided to use your new Tele-Port device to transport yourself instantly to this remote coastal spot you had been wanting to visit. As you took in the stunning vista and savored the peacefulness, you marveled at how retirement had opened up a world of possibilities, allowing you to mix things up whenever you desired, experiencing the wonders of the world without the constraints of time or distance. You smiled, realizing that in this new era of instant travel, your adventures were limited only by your imagination.

The person

Sharon

Sharon’s original portrait, photographed at the kiosk.
Original kiosk portrait
An imagined older Sharon with grey curls, pink glasses and a yellow sweater, smiling beside a cookbook.
AI-generated postcard front
Sharon’s postcard reverse, with a generated retirement story. Full text follows.
Printed story on the reverse
An imagined next chapter

Sharon, you crafted a family cookbook, weaving love into a cherished heirloom.

A captured likeness, an older self, and a setting drawn from the experience’s imagined retirement story.

Read the postcard’s story

Generated campaign story, transcribed from the supplied postcard.

You've always been the glue that holds everything together - the reliable one, the practical one, the one everyone turns to for help. And now, as you settle into the rhythm of retirement, you find a new way to nurture and care for those you love. Inspired by your fascination with family history, you embark on a journey to create a tangible legacy for generations to come. Afternoons spent poring over old photo albums and letters transition into hours of carefully crafting a family cookbook filled with cherished recipes and heartwarming anecdotes. As you work, you feel a deep sense of peace and purpose, knowing that your love and dedication will be forever woven into the fabric of your family's story. The finished product, a beautiful hardbound book, becomes a treasured heirloom passed down from generation to generation - a testament to the enduring power of family, tradition, and the quiet strength of a life well-lived.

The person

Trent

Trent’s original portrait, photographed at the kiosk.
Original kiosk portrait
An imagined older Trent wearing a cowboy hat, sunglasses and a plaid shirt outdoors.
AI-generated postcard front
Trent’s postcard reverse, with a generated retirement story. Full text follows.
Printed story on the reverse
An imagined next chapter

Trent, you found your rhythm and danced like nobody was watching.

A captured likeness, an older self, and a setting drawn from the experience’s imagined retirement story.

Read the postcard’s story

Generated campaign story, transcribed from the supplied postcard.

Picture this: You, line dancing your heart out at the biggest country music festival in the world. It's been years since you hung up your cowboy boots, but retirement has given you a new lease on life. You've been practicing your moves for months, perfecting your grapevine and your cha-cha. As the first notes of your favorite song fill the air, you feel a surge of excitement. You step out onto the dance floor, ready to show the world what you've got. The crowd parts like the Red Sea, and suddenly all eyes are on you. You start to move, your feet tapping out the rhythm, your hips swaying to the beat. The music takes over, and you lose yourself in the moment. You're not just dancing, you're flying. And as the song comes to an end, you realize that this is what retirement is all about - letting loose, having fun, and making memories that will last a lifetime.

03 Behind the image

The part you
don’t see.

We built the age-transformation and image-generation flow alongside Addition’s team. This recording opens up the actual working setup.

Read the workflow’s on-screen story

The recording pans across a connected image-generation workflow. It shows a subject photo beside an age-transformed reference, followed by pose and line-art guides. Separate inputs describe clothing and an action or location.

In this example, the clothing input reads “wearing colorful clothes” and the action/location reads “walking in Paris, in autumn.” The generation preview resolves into an older version of the subject in an autumn street scene, and the image appears in the final-output panel.

A visual summary of the supplied screen recording. This web copy is silent. Its filename is dated January 15, 2025; it documents the workflow, rather than the date of the 2024 activation.

The craft

The portrait, the age transformation and the imagined setting had to come together as one image. That was our work: connecting the pieces behind a very personal reveal.

04 Into the real world

From pixels
to postcards.

The result left the screen. Visitors could hold an imagined future in their hands, with a story on the back and a digital version to return to.

A visitor at the Aspen activation holds her printed Flash Forward portrait toward the camera.
A future, held in your hands. Frame from the supplied experience film
Prudential’s Flash Forward installation beneath blue and turquoise fabric at Aspen.
The Aspen installation
The freestanding blue Flash Forward portrait kiosk at the event.
The portrait kiosk
Another visitor smiles while holding up her generated portrait postcard.
The reveal Frame from the supplied experience film
The collaboration

A shared
picture.

Our contribution was the image flow.
The experience was a team effort.

Client
Prudential
Agency
McCann New York
Experience & production partner
Addition
Age transformation & image workflows
Never
Activation
Aspen Ideas Festival · 2024

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