An overseas brand commissions an AI-assisted campaign through a production partner in China. After launch, the partner wants a portfolio entry. Showing the finished film may be a straightforward request. Publishing the prompt, rejected concepts and process captures is a different proposal.
ONCE recommends reviewing a release sample package: the exact files, accompanying claims and intended sharing actions. This gives procurement something concrete to approve without treating publicity as either an unlimited permission or a blanket prohibition.
Look beyond the word “share”
Adobe's current Firefly FAQ, checked October 24, 2026, describes community submission as permitting use of the generated image and prompt in marketing and gallery contexts, with others able to create using the prompt. It says Business-profile content should not be submitted. This is an existing policy example, not a newly announced rule or a claim about every platform.
A link to an approved film, a fresh upload of a process image and a community submission therefore deserve separate questions. The fact that the brand has launched its advertisement does not answer all of them.
Platform acceptance is not a substitute for permission from the relevant rights holders. Contract interpretation, confidentiality obligations and specific rights require appropriate professional review. The workflow below is a production-procurement method, not legal advice.
Ask to see the proposed publication
Consider a hypothetical desk-fan campaign. The supplier proposes a finished-film excerpt, two before-and-after images and a prompt screenshot. This example is not an ONCE client engagement or a completed test.
Request the actual selection, draft headline, text, cover, credits and destination. A comparison might expose rejected packaging language. The edge of a screenshot might show another project's labels. A prompt might contain positioning the brand has never published. These are things to inspect in the files, not assumptions that every process image necessarily reveals a secret.
The package should establish three things:
- Version identity: exact files, selected frames or time ranges, with revised crops and explanations distinguishable from earlier versions.
- Public explanation: what the supplier actually contributed, how the displayed material is described and which claims have support and approval.
- Sharing action: account, destination and method—linking, uploading, community submission or another action—including relevant download, reuse or platform-use conditions.
The approval unit is the file, its explanation and the action together. Permission for a website image does not establish permission to submit it to a platform activity. A new action requires its own review of the applicable conditions.
Match the demonstration to the capability
Procurement can ask why each proposed disclosure is necessary. Final image quality may be demonstrated by an approved excerpt. A production decision may be explained with a carefully selected comparison. A repeatable method can be demonstrated using separately prepared material rather than opening a client's full process.
| Capability to demonstrate | Material to discuss first |
|---|---|
| Finished visual craft | Approved film or limited excerpt, with accurate role credits |
| Production judgment | Selected comparison and explanation, excluding unapproved versions |
| Repeatable method | A separate demonstration using material cleared for public use |
These are options, not automatically permitted tiers. Removing the client's name does not establish anonymity. A generic replacement product does not resolve permissions for every image or sound in a demonstration. Label independent exercises honestly; do not present them as client work or attach invented performance figures.
For a brand coordinating its headquarters, an agency and a Chinese production team, nominate the person who collects the necessary decisions. The person approving image quality may not be the person able to approve client identification, method descriptions or results claims. Record the actual approvals rather than assuming one enthusiastic reply covers the package.
Review what surrounds the film
Credits and prose can change the meaning of an otherwise acceptable asset. A post-production contribution should not become a claim to have originated the whole campaign. AI assistance should not be described as an entirely generated production when that is inaccurate. Publicity should preserve the real contribution of everyone involved.
Review the thumbnail, cover, captions, attachments and linked files as part of the package. Walk through the final preview in the order a visitor will: what appears first, what opens next and what can be downloaded. This is a content check, not a security certification of the website.
For a community submission, check the current rules and account context as well. If the stated content category should not be submitted, choose a permitted alternative. Moving it into a personal account to bypass that restriction is not a solution. An unresolved publicity request can remain a private draft while normal campaign delivery continues.
Scope the extra work—and permit a no
Preparing a case-study page, treating process images and collecting reviews are real tasks. Separate them from normal campaign delivery and state who handles subsequent changes. Do not make ordinary delivery conditional on the client allowing publicity, or attach an unexplained fee to a vague portfolio right.
A continuing collaboration can maintain a short publication record: approved package version, permitted action, earliest release condition, review contact and change owner. Adding a prompt screenshot, rewriting a results statement or moving an approved website item into a community submission should trigger another check.
No project materials cleared for publicity? The supplier can demonstrate its method with separately created, publicly usable material or other work it is permitted to show. A buyer can still evaluate capability without demanding disclosure of another client's files.
When preparing a production brief with ONCE, identify the campaign deliverables first and discuss publicity as its own optional task. The useful agreement is not “the project is public now.” It is a shared understanding of exactly what will be shown, how it will be described and what the chosen action allows others to do with it.
