Tamales, F1, and AI: What Restaurants Can Learn About Marketing
We let AI run a marketing campaign — here's what happened. Two videos. Two approaches. One big lesson for restaurant marketers.
From the Desk of Jonathan Lim, Founder & CEO, Oddle
A few weeks ago, I came across the viral “Tamale” video on Instagram.
24.3M views. Sky-high engagement. Time to produce? Ten minutes.
At first, I thought it was just funny. But then I asked myself: if a scrappy video like this can spread that far, what does it mean for restaurants who still believe marketing has to be polished and expensive?
The Experiment
I was chatting with Paul Liew from Keng Eng Kee Seafood about the upcoming F1, when an idea struck: what if we drew a parallel between racing a car and running a restaurant?
Paul agreed to be our “driver.” We tried two versions:
Pure AI Version (produced in 2 days):
Hybrid Version (AI + Real Paul, produced in 2 weeks):
Here’s what we learned from each attempt:
| Version | Time Taken | Audience Response | Key Learning |
| Pure AI | 2 days | Humour clicked, quality criticised | Fast, cheap, grabs attention |
| Hybrid (AI + Real Paul) | 2 weeks | More relatable, more trust | Human touch matters |
Both versions are now live on our socials—I’m embedding them here so you can compare. Curious to hear which one you prefer.
The Feedback Loop
When we launched the first AI video on socials, the feedback was clear: the intro was too long and risked losing viewers. By the time we created the hybrid version, we had already shortened the setup and worked that feedback into the edit.
We also started noticing when viewers bounced from the video—that became the moment we had to sharpen our hook.
It reminded me how much sharper marketers get when they launch multiple iterations. Every release becomes a learning opportunity. You get immediate feedback on what resonates, and you refine the next execution. The feedback loop is much faster.
Key Lessons
What struck me most from this experiment is how AI completely changes the cost of creation. In the past, producing a video might take weeks of planning, shooting, and editing. With AI, the first version took me less than two days to put together. Suddenly, the barrier to producing content isn’t budget or manpower—it’s just whether you’re willing to give it a try.
Second, the “Tamale” video reminded me that storytelling doesn’t need to be perfect to capture attention. Sometimes it’s the rough edges—the unexpected absurdity—that make people stop scrolling. Restaurants often overestimate how much polish matters. In reality, scrappy storytelling delivered quickly can often outperform the “blockbuster” campaigns.
Finally, I was reminded that people still want to connect with people. While the pure AI version was fun and fast, the hybrid version featuring Paul himself was the one that felt more relatable. AI can get you 80% there, but the human touch is what makes the story trustworthy.
The Bigger Picture
If you zoom out, this is part of a much larger story. Every big shift in marketing has been about democratization.
- The printing press made newspapers affordable.
- Radio and TV opened the door to mass advertising.
- Social media made distribution free for anyone with a phone.
- And now, AI makes production nearly free.
The lesson is consistent: the winners in every era weren’t the ones with the biggest budgets. They were the ones who adapted the fastest.
Restaurants that embrace AI for storytelling won’t just save time and money. They’ll stay ahead of the curve while others are still waiting for “professional productions.”
The Big Question
So here’s the question I’ve been asking myself: which brands will capture the imagination of consumers today?
Will it be the ones that churn out scrappy, trend-driven micro-content, hitting the market every week?
Or the ones that invest in big, carefully polished blockbusters that drop once every season?
My hunch is that we’re moving toward a world where you don’t have to choose. With AI lowering costs and speeding up production, brands will soon have the ability to do both—push out consistent micro-content while still investing in the occasional blockbuster.
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, AI won’t replace marketers.
But marketers who know how to use AI will replace those who don’t.
👀 Curious where your restaurant stands today?
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