Correction, 2026-10-01: the first version of this page put numbers on market claims we cannot source: that a campaign quote down 20% is plausible and one down 70% is a different job, that media is "usually multiples" of creative cost, and that production "was never the majority" of a campaign budget. Those are now stated without invented figures. The 8frame credit math was right and is unchanged; the table now says which clip length each price is for.
A campaign budget has four parts and only one of them moved much: strategy and concept, production, versioning, and usage rights. Generation compressed production, left versioning roughly where it was, and did nothing at all to strategy or rights. So a 2026 campaign quote that came down modestly is plausible, and one that came down by most of its total is probably quoting a different job. We are not publishing agency rates: they vary by market and scope, and we have not found an independent average we can check. The structure below is what you are actually buying.
The four parts
Strategy and concept. The brief, the platform, the idea, the direction. Unchanged in cost and arguably now the larger share, since it is what distinguishes campaigns whose production everyone can afford.
Production. Making the assets. The part that fell. What used to require a shoot day, crew, location, and talent for a set of environment and lifestyle shots is now largely generated, with the real product and real people still filmed.
Versioning. Every format, cutdown, caption variant, and localisation. Priced per version, and it did not fall much because reframing and re-timing is human work. On volume campaigns it can be the largest line after strategy.
Usage and rights. Talent, music, and licensed assets, priced by media, territory, duration, and exclusivity. Entirely unmoved by production method. See what is a usage licence.
The generation line, in real numbers
8frame credit prices, a credit is $0.01 in a top-up pack. A mid-size campaign:
| Item | Credits |
|---|---|
| 3 concept directions, style frames (Nano Banana Pro at 21) | 63 |
| 15 tested variants drafted (Veo 3.1 Lite, 8s with audio, 54) | 810 |
| 3 premium finals (Veo 3.1 Standard, 8s with audio, 448) | 1,344 |
| 8 supporting shots (Kling v3 Standard, 5s with audio, 86) | 688 |
| Music bed + narration (Lyria 2, one 30-second clip, 13; ElevenLabs TTS, up to 1,000 characters, 13) | 26 |
| Total | ~2,930 credits, about $29 |
Twenty-nine dollars. That is the entire generation cost of a campaign that would previously have needed a production budget, and it is why "what does the AI cost" is the wrong question. The line is now a rounding error against the people around it.
What that means for reading a quote
If a supplier's price barely moved, ask which of the four parts they are charging for. A quote that is mostly strategy and versioning is defensible; a quote that is mostly production for work that was generated is not.
If a quote fell dramatically, ask what was removed. Usually it is rounds, deliverable count, or usage term, and those reappear later as change orders.
Ask for the split: strategy, production, versioning, usage. Single-number campaign quotes are not comparable to anything, which is frequently the point.
What still costs real money
People who can judge. Fifteen variants need someone to decide which three ship. Production scaled; the number of people who can make that call did not, and on many campaigns that is now the binding constraint.
Talent and music rights. Unchanged, and a large share of many budgets.
Media. Not creative cost at all, and on paid campaigns it can be the larger number. A campaign discussion that focuses on production savings while ignoring media efficiency may be optimising the smaller one.
Localisation. Per market, per level. See how to localize creative for multiple markets.
FAQ
Did AI make campaigns cheaper? The production line, yes: the generation table above is about $29. Total campaign cost moves less, because strategy, versioning, rights, and media are untouched by how the assets are made.
Where should the savings go? Either into margin or into volume: more tested variants for the same fee. Both are defensible; quietly billing the old number for the old volume is the one that gets found out.
How do I compare two campaign quotes? Force both into the same four-part split, with rounds, deliverable count, and usage term stated. Many apparent price differences turn out to be scope differences.
Sources
- 8frame credit prices (Nano Banana Pro, Veo 3.1 Lite and Standard, Kling v3 Standard, Lyria 2, ElevenLabs TTS) and plans: the 8frame tool registry and content fact sheet, checked 2026-10-01
Production got cheap; deciding what to ship did not. Budget for the judgment.
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