Lower East Side indie agency Gus, co-founded by Graham Douglas and Spencer LaVallee, is putting AI through its paces with a new campaign for Arcade.
Titled “7 Minute Apps,” the work marks Arcade’s first-ever campaign and introduces the company’s MCP runtime, a platform designed to help teams deploy AI agents at scale and turn experimental tools into production-ready systems.
The concept riffs on the 1990s “7 Minute Abs” fitness craze, leaning hard into VHS era visuals and workout nostalgia. Instead of promising shortcuts, the campaign uses a physical training metaphor to show what it actually takes to make AI perform. The message is clear: this is not AI built by AI. It is AI that has been trained, stressed, and pushed to production-level standards.
By framing development as a workout, Gus visualizes how Arcade enables the creation of enterprise-grade AI agents in as little as 7 minutes, turning something abstract and technical into something instantly legible and entertaining. Watch below:
The campaign launched January 14th across Arcade’s social channels and extends beyond the screen with a limited run of “7 Minute Apps” merchandise that brings the concept into the real world.
CREDITS:
BRAND: Arcade AI
- CEO + Co-Founder: Alex Salazar
- Head of Marketing: Alex Gutow
- Demand Gen Manager: Melanie Lee
- Growth Marketing Manager: Shawnee Foster
AGENCY: Gus
- Co-Founder, Executive Creative Director: Graham Douglas
- Co-Founder, Executive Creative Director: Spencer LaVallee
- Creative (Art): Smera Dhal
- Creative (Copy): Nick Garfield
- Creative (Art): Eddy Allen
- Creative (Copy): Steven Preisman
- Designer: Sarah Dexin
- Executive Producer: Tiffany Yip
- Head of Brand Management: Magda Tomaszewski
- Brand Manager: Ellie Wilson
PRODUCTION COMPANY: The Goondocks
- Director: A. Cody Osborne
- Executive Producer: Pratik Panda
- Producer: Mark Forlenza
- Production Supervisor: Kevin Fermoselle
- 1st AD: Steven Valle
- Directory of Photography: Jeff Holman
- Production Designer: Melissa Stammer
- Wardrobe Stylist: Renée Ryan
- Hair & Makeup: Amanda Markoya
EDIT: The Goondocks
Editor/Post Producer: Pratik Panda
VFX: Milton Ladd
Colorist: Elias Nousiopoulos
MUSIC & MIX: Barking Owl
SOUND DESIGNER/MIXER
Stuart Welch
REELated:
