The $2000 AI Ad That Flipped Marketing on Its Head
What Kalshi pulled off in 72 hours should wake up every brand, marketer, and founder sleeping on AI right now.
In this article, I am breaking down exactly how a tiny team made a national TV ad go viral during the NBA Finals…for just two thousand dollars!
Yep. That’s exactly what Kalshi did.
Let’s unpack it.
First—who is Kalshi?
Kalshi isn’t your average startup.
It’s a federally regulated prediction market, which means you can trade on real-world events just like you’d trade stocks.
Think:
“Will the Fed cut rates next month?”
“Will Apple’s stock hit $200 this quarter?”
“Will Taylor Swift show up at the next Chiefs game?”
It’s like betting on the news, but legally (and with serious guardrails).
Interesting Fact: Kalshi is the first and only prediction market approved and regulated by the CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission) in the U.S. It is the first federally regulated exchange where you can trade on the outcome of events.
That means it’s not a crypto casino or sports betting site. It’s a legit financial exchange. The CFTC is the same agency that keeps Wall Street’s derivatives markets in check.
The company was founded by Tarek Mansour and Luana Lopes Lara, two MIT grads who went through Y Combinator (Winter ‘19) with a bold idea:
Let people invest in what they know, not just what’s listed on the stock exchange.
And they’re still leading the charge today—Tarek as CEO, and Luana as Chief Product Officer. They are redefining what it means to trade information in a world moving at viral speed.
Then came the ad that made the internet go “WTF… and also YES.”
Backstory: Initially, Kalshi sought a traditional commercial for the NBA Finals. However, the quotes they received ranged from six to seven figures, with extended timelines that didn’t align with their goals. Faced with these constraints, they pivoted.
Kalshi eventually bought 30 seconds of prime-time NBA Finals ad space. And instead of playing it safe, they exploded the playbook. This strategic pivot not only saved costs but also garnered significant attention, demonstrating the potential of AI in creating impactful advertising content swiftly and efficiently.
Here’s what you saw in that NBA finals ad:
A man swimming in scrambled eggs—no explanation, no mercy.
A beer-chugging alien floating midair.
A sweaty, hype-fueled grandpa screaming, “INDIANA GONNA WIN, BABY!”
Mutated faces. Upside-down camera angles. People laughing at gravity.
And finally, the only line of text:
“The world’s gone mad. Trade it.”
Cue Kalshi logo.
That’s it. 30 seconds of algorithm-breaking, surreal chaos.
It was disruptive. Hilarious. Unforgettable.
And it worked.
How they made it (in 3 days flat)
Kalshi hired indie AI filmmaker PJ Accetturo and said, “We want weird. We want fast. We want now.”
Here’s how it came together:
Google Veo 3 → to generate the raw video clips
ChatGPT + Gemini → to brainstorm the script and prompts
CapCut + Premiere Pro → for fast, clean editing
They created 300–400 AI video clips, just to pull out 15–20 usable scenes.
Total time: 2–3 days.
Total budget: $2K.
Let me say that again for the CMOs in the back: Two. Thousand. Dollar. Budget.
Compare that to the six-figure quotes they got from traditional agencies. And the five weeks it would’ve taken. Kalshi went full startup mode.
And won.
Why this matters
This wasn’t just an ad.
It was a proof that:
Speed > polish
AI tools > bloated creative teams (in certain use cases)
Emotional response > explanation
And now?
The ad has crossed 20M+ impressions
Twitter/X is flooded with memes and “WTF did I just watch?”
Kalshi got more attention than companies spending 100x on media
It’s not just about attention.
It’s about owning the moment.
How to copy Kalshi’s viral formula
Here’s your mini Kalshi playbook:
Tools to use:
Scriptwriting: ChatGPT, Gemini
Video Gen: Google Veo 3, Pika
Editing: CapCut, Adobe Premiere, Runway
Steps:
Pick a core emotion: (confusion, hype, absurdity…whatever fits your brand)
Prompt your AI tool like a creative partner: “Show a grandma doing backflips while screaming about Wall Street.”
Over-generate video content: 300 clips isn’t overkill; it’s insurance.
Curate hard. Edit fast. Look for scenes that break the scroll.
Drop a one-liner CTA. “Trade the madness.” “Subscribe to the chaos.” Make it punchy.
Don’t just explain your brand. Make people feel something about the world.
And show them you have the solution.
Real talk…
This isn’t just about Kalshi.
It’s about every startup, side hustler, and marketer watching the same expensive creative cycles get slower and less effective.
Kalshi showed us what’s possible when you:
Move fast
Break norms
Use AI like a creative weapon
Kalshi cracked the code.
They proved you don’t need a big team, fancy cameras, or endless approvals to make people feel something.
You just need courage, clarity, and the guts to do it differently.
This is the new blueprint. Because in this new AI game, the bold don’t wait for permission.
#AIMarketing #NoCodeContent #ViralStrategy #KalshiAd
Let’s build smarter.
– Angela
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