💬 AI-generated advertisements are polluting marketing campaigns, but consumers aren’t buying it — literally. A survey by IAB found that 52% of consumers feel uncomfortable with AI-generated ads. Now, US marketing companies are turning that negative sentiment into a competitive advantage, using AI skepticism as a hook to attract customers and boost revenue, Business Insider reports.

Did AI companies jump the shark? Friend.ai launched a smart necklace that acts as an AI companion — you wear it, talk to it like a close friend, and it answers using Gemini-generated responses sent to your phone. The company’s USD 1 mn ad campaign — which plastered over 11k posters across New York City’s subway system and ate a chunk of the startup’s USD 7 mn in venture capital — backfired spectacularly, with posters in the US defaced with graffiti.

Consumers fight back: The minimalist black and white ads featured slogans like “I’ll never bail on dinner plans” and “I’ll never leave dirty dishes in the sink,” framing human friendship’s flaws as reasons to choose AI instead. Within days, the posters were vandalized with messages like “AI doesn’t care whether you live or die,” “Surveillance capitalism,” and “Make real friends.”

The backlash extended beyond individual consumers. Heineken joined the criticism with a billboard campaign declaring that “The best way to make a friend is over a beer,” American Eagle’s Aerie brand posted on their Instagram promising never to use AI in their ads, committing instead to “real people only” — becoming its most-liked post ever. Polaroid put up billboards across New York with messages like “AI won’t replace the feeling of sand beneath your feet” — possibly to denounce AI services that encourage consumers to “create stunning travel photos of yourself at famous locations worldwide” to “ fake their dream vacation ” with AI-generated images — and “No one on their deathbed ever said I wish I’d spent more time on my phone.”

The real issue, according to Ian Forrester, CEO of ad content testing firm Daivid, is that AI-generated ads don’t resonate with consumers or trigger the emotional connection integral for successful branding. He told Business Insider that campaigns from companies like Microsoft, Volvo, and Puma performed worse than average, and that their use of AI drove up consumer distrust by 12% compared to the baseline. Even the best AI-generated ads fail to create memorable, lasting impressions, according to a Nielsen IQ study from December 2024.

Tech rebellion: Last November, Cadbury ran an ad for its Five Star chocolate bar built entirely around rejecting AI. The narrative painted modern life as an endless string of tasks that employees must rush through using smart tools, never getting a moment to themselves. The chocolatier even encouraged people to flood the internet with nonsense and misinformation to break AI systems, whose “intelligence” relies entirely on parroting existing data.

Marketing gimmick or smart business? The anti-AI movement in marketing stems from widespread fatigue with AI-generated content. Major companies recognize this fatigue as a genuine threat to their business. Consumers actively avoid products advertising AI integration, especially for expensive or risky purchases like electronics, medical devices, and financial services, according to research from the Journal of Hospitality Marketing and Management. These companies understand that criticizing AI builds trust with an audience looking for authenticity and accountability. Whether they genuinely believe AI has no place in marketing or are simply chasing dinero is a moot point — either way, banking on the human touch has proven the most effective strategy in today’s market.

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