Tag: influencers
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The Creative Majority Is Here, Relocating Agency Value
Nearly one in four people globally now participate in the creative economy. AI has made production near-universal. Platforms have flattened distribution. SXSW continues to pull together the group that reflects that shift—creators, brand operators, AI researchers, neuroscientists, agency leaders—all in the same rooms, working through what creative value looks like when high-quality production is no…
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The Rise of AI Influencers: Meet Bruce Ryder
AI-generated surfer Bruce Ryder is gaining attention in a retro-inspired short film, showcasing advancements in virtual influencer technology. Created by Emma Barbato, Bruce embodies a lifelike character thanks to tools like Kling and Midjourney. The phenomenon raises questions about the future of AI influencers and their impact on human connections and influencer markets.
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How Prime Video is Using Robotic Billboards to Boost The Pickup
Prime Video and Omnicom aren’t just promoting their new heist comedy The Pickup with the usual digital banners or billboards. Instead, they’re driving brand storytelling—quite literally—through the streets of Los Angeles via a fleet of Prime Video-branded robocouriers. With the help of Coco Robotics, the autonomous delivery bots have been transformed into talking, movie-themed rolling…
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Soap Gets an AI Glow-Up
Unilever went viral with a cookie-scented Dove body care line after deploying a hybrid strategy of AI-powered content creation and a massive influencer push. With plans to scale its influencer roster by up to 20x, Unilever is using AI to generate thousands of branded assets each week—versus the trickle it used to produce monthly. That…
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How Unilever and IPG Studios are Reinventing Creative Production with AI
Unilever is swapping storyboards and long lead times for something a little more real-time. The CPG juggernaut just launched Sketch Pro, an in-house design hub built to crank out social-first creative at triple the current speed. Partnering with IPG Studios, Unilever is tapping into generative AI tools like Adobe Firefly and Google’s Veo 3 to…
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Is Trust in Influencers Waning?
Turns out, consumers trust traditional ads more than influencer endorsements. A new survey of 3,700 U.S. adults by the National Advertising Division (NAD) found that while 58% have made purchases based on influencer content, more than a quarter said they don’t trust influencer marketing at all—compared to just 11% who distrust advertising. The main issue?…
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Hammering Home Influence: Lowe’s Courts Gen Z with MrBeast and 17K Creators
Lowe’s is swinging for a younger demographic with the launch of its Creator Network—an ambitious swipe at social-era brand building that’s already netted over 17,000 creators in its beta phase. At the center is MrBeast, who’s not only curated a storefront on Lowes.com but enlisted the brand as the exclusive builder for season two of…
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More Influencers, Less Ad Fatigue: 2025’s Marketing Math
Influencer marketing is having a moment—well, more like a year. According to Sprout Social’s Q1 2025 Pulse Survey, a majority 59% of marketers across the U.S., UK, and Australia plan to increase influencer partnerships this year. Only 37% are sticking with their current roster, signaling a strong shift toward tapping into digital personalities. The reason?…
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How the NFL is Using Creators to Go Global
The NFL isn’t just relying on traditional broadcasts to expand its international Super Bowl audience—it’s bringing in digital creators to do the heavy lifting. With viewership growth outside the U.S. as a top priority, the league has tapped influencers from countries like Germany, Mexico, and the U.K. to create localized content tailored for international fans.…
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QR Code Wrapping Paper: Clash Royale’s Holiday Twist
Supercell’s Clash Royale has embraced the holiday season with a playful marketing twist in their “Gift Wrap Gift” campaign, designed by DAVID New York. The idea? Wrapping paper that’s also the gift itself. Featuring designs inspired by the game, the paper conceals QR codes offering exclusive in-game rewards like a Royale Chef, emotes, and more.…
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Dentsu launches “House of Creators” project to support next gen content creation
Dentsu has launched “House of Creators,” a program designed to support next-generation content creators, starting on Roblox. This initiative focuses on accelerating creative talent, integrating intellectual property (IP) into creator projects, and fostering collaborations between brands and creators. With Roblox as a key partner, Dentsu aims to empower about 30 creators by the end 2024,…
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Lenovo uses digital twin of Queen Latifah for SMB push
Lenovo’s “Evolve Small” campaign sought to provide a boost to minority-owned small / mid-sized businesses. The brand created a digital twin of celebrity Queen Latifah and empowered SMBs to create short personalized videos promoting their businesses. By analyzing data and tailoring content, Lenovo amplifies these businesses’ unique stories, demonstrating how AI can drive inclusivity and…
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Rumor mill: TikTok working on ad deals for virtual influencers
While a potential ban or divest ultimatum looms, TikTok continues to innovate. The Information reports that the platform has been speaking with advertisers and agencies about AI-powered virtual influencers who may wind up competing with human influencers for ad deals. TikTok touts itself as a platform where creators can stand out and build a following.…
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AdAge Top 5 AI roundup
AdAge covers 5 examples of AI activations and platform news from the last few weeks, including some that raise questions about deepfakes and broader ethical concerns surrounding the use of AI… Artificial intelligence provided advertisers with more cautionary tales in recent weeks, including backlash to Under Armour’s new film that borrowed from the brand’s past iconography…
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SXSW 2024: A Communal Experience Designed for Individual Exploration
South by Southwest is a very unique and special event. Its superpower is rooted in bringing together smart, talented people from different disciplines and walks of life: artists, technologists, consultants, filmmakers, musicians, influencers, customer experience specialists, CMOs, CCOs, startup founders, senior agency executives, and more. Something magical happens when you bring together this sort of…
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CeraVe’s pre-Super Bowl influencer campaign nets 6B impressions
The skincare brand skipped the usual big game online playbook and instead leveraged more than 450 influencers to raise the question at the heart of its Super Bowl spot: did Michael Cera create CeraVe? “It’s one thing for CeraVe to say it, but it’s way cooler when other people are the ones saying it,” said…
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The Age of Virtual Influencers Is Coming, Bringing a Range of New Considerations for Brands
From Social Media Today … While the current spate of generative AI tools are interesting, and are already changing discovery behaviors and interactive processes, they’re really only scratching the surface of what’s possible, and are far from actual “intelligence” as the AI name suggests. Indeed, most of these initial models are data matching tools, able…
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Behind the scenes of Virgin Voyages’ JenAI campaign
We covered Virgin Voyages’ super-cool JenAI campaign featuring Jennifer Lopez helping potential sailors create personalized invites for their friends back in June, and AdWeek recently published a great story and video describing how the whole thing came together. Worth a read and a watch! Pre-pandemic, Virgin Group was ready to set sail on a grand…
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Snapchat Plans Immersive In-App Halloween Series For NY Advertising Week
Snapchat is back with more AR-enhance fun for Advertising Week in NYC. A couple of years ago it was an activation taking over a Shake Shack. This time, it’s an immersive AR series featuring some of the platform’s top creators… During Advertising Week New York, which begins October 16, Snapchat will be showing “Phantom House,”…
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How Media.Monks and other agencies use AI for short form video
Among many other use cases agencies are experimenting with, Media.Monks and others are using the technology to accelerate and scale short-form (and often user-generated) video production. S4 Capital’s Media.Monks is developing an AI tool to produce fan content and highlights targeted at Gen Z, but it’s not the only agency out there applying the hot…
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The NFL gives creators access to its archives for content creation with pre-approved footage
The NFL is no stranger to embracing new technologies to enhance the viewing experience or to engage fans across new platforms and experiences. But some would argue that – among the major US sports leagues – the NFL has perhaps historically been the most draconian and restrictive when it comes to usage rights. The league…
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LACMA, Snap Unveil Final Series of AR Monuments Across Los Angeles
Interesting AR program for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) via Snap AR Lenses… As part of its multi-year LACMA x Snapchat: Monumental Perspectives initiative, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and Snap released the third and final collection of augmented reality monuments designed to highlight the diverse histories and perspectives…
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Virgin Voyages uses AI to personalize pitches delivered by JLO herself
This is a fun example, though the video promo sort of over-promises on the extent of AI integration. Still, it’s a cool example of a brand leveraging an AI-enhanced celebrity to deliver a customized pitch message to friends and family. More detail at Virgin’s web site.
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Podcasters Wield More Influence than Influencers
Vox Media and Magna teamed up on a new study to understand effectiveness of podcast advertising versus other organic channels. 75% of consumers point to podcast hosts as the most influential figures driving their purchasing decisions Podcasters hold more sway than influencers when it comes to many consumers’ purchasing decisions, according to a new study…
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Are influencers the worst?
I happened to be in New York a couple of weeks ago and had an opportunity to check out a really interesting panel discussion that was the brain child of Serial Marketer publisher David Berkowitz. He opened the panel by asking something to the effect of: “It has been said that influencers are the worst.…
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Hollister teams up with … Activision?
Some retail industry observers believe that – in order to survive – physical retail must reinvent itself. Stores can no longer be simply a place shoppers go to buy something. Brick and mortar must offer a more compelling reason to attract visits – and that may include experiential programs and events. Hollister and Activision are…