Tag: social
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Behind the A.I. Boom, a Boring Business Is Soaring With Better Ads
DribbleUp, a sports equipment company, says it used to spend its own time and resources figuring out whom to target on Facebook. For the last two years, it has placed those ads “entirely through Facebook’s artificial intelligence tools,” according to The New York Times. Since then, the company says sales have outpaced marketing expenses. It…
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How MLB is leveraging automation and data to enhance fan messaging
MLB is expanding its partnership with Adobe to help the league and all 30 clubs spin up targeted marketing campaigns faster—and at scale. The practical goal: use automation plus fan data to match messaging to how people actually follow baseball now (streaming, social, and yes, AI-powered everything). Rollout starts this season, with clubs tapping into…
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Samsung pushes Galaxy on social with with AI-generated material
Samsung is promoting its new Galaxy AI phone with a social-first video push that leans heavily on generative AI—sometimes subtly, sometimes not. One spot on X shows skateboarders cruising with groceries, with visuals that read a bit like polished stock footage; Samsung flags it at the end with: “This content was generated with the assistance…
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Chatbot Success: JCPenney’s GiftBot Case Study
JCPenney and dentsu X took on holiday chaos headfirst with GiftBot, a chat-based shopping assistant that made gifting less stressful and more personal. Designed using dentsu’s Intelligent Messaging tech and deployed across Facebook and Instagram via click-to-message ads, GiftBot provided real-time, tailored product suggestions based on user preferences like price, rating, and category. It even…
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AR Meets Après-Ski: Snapchat’s Winter Village Goes Luxe
Just in time for the holidays, Snapchat has unwrapped its “Winter Village,” an augmented reality experience that brings luxury shopping into the app for users across several regions including the U.S., U.K., and France. Running through December, the activation puts three upscale brands—Chopard, Lancôme, and BOSS—front and center in immersive, branded AR spaces. Accessible via…
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How Kellanova Leverages AI to Boost Snack Brands’ Creative Performance
Kellanova, the marketer behind snack staples like Pringles, Pop-Tarts, and Cheez-It, is using AI not to dream up its next campaign, but to fine-tune creative that actually drives results. Partnering with Vidmob and MMA Global, the company analyzed 443 creative assets that ran on Meta platforms—and sifted through billions of impressions—to pinpoint which creative features…
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Exploring AI in Ads: Vodafone’s New Experiment with Synthetic Talent
Vodafone is experimenting with generative AI in its latest ad campaign by using a synthetic female presenter for a product spot. Although the AI’s realism faced issues, the brand positions this as an exploration of new advertising styles. Past efforts included an all-AI-generated ad that stirred controversy. As AI technology advances, big brands may consider…
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How Gen AI is Transforming Snapchat Ads: Key Findings
Snapchat’s exploration of Gen AI has proven beneficial, enhancing ad performance with engaging AR Lenses. A study involving over 14,800 consumers revealed that AI-powered video ads significantly improved user engagement compared to traditional formats, leading to higher buying intent and brand visibility. Moreover, Snapchat is democratizing Lens creation through generative tools for broader access. However,…
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Three Seconds to Sell: Kellanova’s AI Test Drive in Creative Effectiveness
Kellanova is leveraging AI to enhance its advertising creative through a year-long collaboration with Vidmob and MMA Global. By analyzing 443 assets across ten brands, the company optimized elements to capture attention, resulting in a 2x view-through rate and an 11% ROI increase on AI-scored assets. Additionally, predictive models for sweet and salty products demonstrated…
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Cat Fights, Space Babies, and Algorithm Mush: AI “Slop” Is Eating YouTube
In July, nearly 10% of the fastest-growing YouTube channels featured solely AI-generated content, showcasing bizarre storylines and attracting millions of subscribers. Channels like Super Cat League exemplify this rise, amassing significant followings through surreal yet captivating videos. Experts criticize this trend as “AI slop,” driven mainly by ad revenue. In response, YouTube is attempting to…
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Paramount+ Lets Fans Stake a Claim on Paramount Mountain
Paramount+ is turning fan engagement into real estate—well, virtual real estate. As part of its “Find Your Mountain” campaign, the streamer launched “Paramount+ Fan Frontier,” a social activation that lets viewers claim customized plots of land inspired by shows like Survivor, Yellowstone, and SpongeBob. Between noon and 4 p.m. on July 9, fans responding to…
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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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TikTok Gives Merchants a Smart Sidekick
TikTok is doubling down on turning casual creators into serious commerce players with its latest launch: an AI-powered Seller Assistant for TikTok Shop. This chatbot aims to streamline life for merchants by answering anything from “How are my sales doing?” to “What should I do about that return?”—all in real time. Think of it as…
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SMBs Feed the Social Beast—with a Side of AI
According to Verizon Business and Morning Consult’s latest State of Small Business Survey, small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are leaning hard on social media to drive growth. Over 75% believe these platforms directly boost performance, but they’re also feeling the strain—54% report difficulty keeping content fresh and on-trend. In response, more than a quarter (28%)…
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From Cable to Creator: QVC Slides into TikTok’s DMs
QVC, the OG of televised home shopping, is diving headfirst into Gen Z territory with a bold new bet on TikTok. Launching the first-ever 24/7 live shopping stream on the app, QVC is leaning hard into the TikTok Shop to breathe new life into its struggling business. The move brings its familiar hosts together with…
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How American Eagle’s AI Ads Are Driving Gen Z IRL
American Eagle Outfitters is leaning hard into Meta’s Advantage+ AI ad platform—and seeing results that might even make a TikTok teen put down their phone and head to the mall. The retailer now devotes more than a third of its Facebook and Instagram ad budget to these automated campaigns. With Meta’s latest updates, including the…
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B2B Marketers Prioritize AI and Social for 2025
In 2025, B2B marketers are doubling down on strategies traditionally associated with B2C brands, according to a Harris Poll conducted for Madison Logic. The survey, which included over 300 marketing decision-makers, revealed plans to ramp up spending on social media, AI tools, video, and podcast advertising. Notably, 60% of respondents are eyeing increased investment in…
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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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Walmart’s Back-to-School Campaign features influencer shoppable video innovation
Walmart has launched its back-to-school campaign featuring influencer Taylen Biggs, with a focus on shoppable video across YouTube and Roku. The campaign, orchestrated by Publicis Groupe, integrates interactive technology that allows viewers to purchase items directly from the video, enhancing the shopping experience and driving engagement. This approach reflects a growing trend towards combining entertainment…
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DTC company Shapermint’s AI influencer engine highlights how marketers are actually using the tech
Shapermint, a direct-to-consumer fashion brand, has harnessed AI technology to enhance its influencer marketing efforts. Their in-house AI tool, Altair, automates the creation of scripts and storyboards for platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, cutting production time by 70%, and freeing the marketer to allocate that budget on media and higher value efforts. The AI…
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Shake Shack uses AI to drive sales via Reddit
Shake Shack recently launched an innovative ad campaign leveraging generative AI and Reddit. Partnering with Known, they deployed an AI chatbot dubbed “The Big Letbotski” to scan over 80,000 subreddits for relevant conversations around chicken sandwiches. The AI then crafted targeted ads based on trending phrases like “healthy lunch on Sunday.” This 10-day campaign successfully…
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LG looks to hack social algorithms for good
Back at CES in January, part of LG CEO William Cho’s keynote included an attempt to rebrand AI as “Affectionate Intelligence.” The brand is determined to support a kinder, gentler AI and together with TBWA\Chiat\Day New York, they have launched the “Optimism your feed” campaign to combat doomscrolling by encouraging social media users to engage…
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Mediaocean: CTV, GenAI and Social Video are most important trends for marketers
According to a Mediaocean survey, marketers are watching three important consumer trends: CTV / Streaming Generative AI Social video In a survey conducted late last year, marketing companies said their main focus for increasing advertising would be CTV/streaming. Generative AI, which was not even on the survey prior to 2023 came in second with social…
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Starburst embraces GenAI to extend “different every time” campaign
Mars has launched a new Starburst campaign, harnessing generative AI to explore the “joy of endless possibility” theme, paralleling the variety in their candy packs. The campaign features a mix of TV and digital spots, where characters experience surreal, AI-generated worlds after trying different Starburst flavors, emphasizing the tagline, “Different every time.” Additionally, Starburst extends…
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GenAI’s use by social media marketers is already widespread
It’s hard to get a realistic read on actual usage by marketers as survey data tends to be all over the map, but this one from HootSuite as summarized by eMarketer suggests fairly widespread adoption, especially for generating or editing copy. Less so for imagery. GenAI helps brands meet content demands It’s helping social teams…
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Red Lobster launches “Cheddar Bay-I” – 30 AI generated songs inspired by fans
Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits are apparently one of its most popular dishes, and fans have been expressing their love for the treats via social media for a long time. So much so that the fast casual diner was able to train an AI engine to create 30 songs about the biscuits across a range…
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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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Epic Records, 21 Savage Celebrate Immigrants With AR TikTok Filter
From AdWeek… To promote the release of rapper 21 Savage’s latest album, american dream, on Jan. 12, Epic Records partnered with creative company Mojo Supermarket to release an augmented reality TikTok filter intended to be used by immigrants. The Dare to Dream filter can be accessed by searching TikTok’s Effects menu. The filter will first…
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Volvo deploys chatbot inside WhatsApp
Interesting piece in AdAge about the story behind the chatbot built into one of Meta’s flagship properties. As part of a larger push to bring AI into opportunities for advertisers, Meta is helping brands create chatbots that combine developments in virtual assistant technology with the reach offered through its popular messaging apps. One such brand…
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Inside Intuit’s GenAI-powered first party data strategy
The financial software company has been engaging younger audiences with GenAI-powered “aura” readings. Users submit a selfie, answer a few questions on their attitudes toward money (i.e. “What is your spending style?”) and out pops a Pixar-like rendition of the user emanating the colors of their “financial aura”—a play on the spiritual belief that a…
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TikTok launches new “out of phone” offering
The mobile-social platform continues to seek ways to expand reach to different screens. From AdAge: TikTok has been paving the way for growth outside of mobile screens, with partnerships inside movie theaters and airports. Now, it is formalizing the ability for brands to also monetize out-of-home on TikTok. At Advertising Week New York today (Oct…
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CB2 uses AI to turn social media content into CTV ads
In these relatively early days of AI usage in marketing, one of the most common use cases is extending existing assets – either by creating derivative, personalized versions based on a variety of variables AND/OR by transforming an asset made for one channel into a different format that works in a new channel. In this…
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7-Eleven launches virtual car meet up in Fortnite
The iconic convenience retailer continues to tie up with car culture in a new program that sends fans on a virtual scavenger hunt through the popular gaming platform. From the press release… 7-Eleven, Inc. is bringing brand fans, car fanatics and gaming enthusiasts together for a first-of-its-kind interactive challenge on the world-famous online video game, Fortnite.*…
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Snap subscription service tops 3M users, boosted by AI chatbot
Bloomberg reported social media company Snap tallied more than 3 million subscribers for its Snapchat+ premium service, driven in part by the addition of a chatbot called My AI in February. The news agency noted the $3.99 per month subscription service has garnered 1 million paying customers over the past 11 weeks. Snap’s My AI…
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Snapchat Expands Premium Offering With Generative AI Profile Backgrounds
Snapchat, which has quietly continued to capture the attention and trust of younger users with genuinely user-centric integrations of tech like augmented reality, has now introduced generative AI using that same, nonbombastic approach. Premium Snapchatters can now enter a text prompt, such as “astronaut on Mars” or “Eiffel Tower picnic,” and, via generative-AI, Snap will…