AI is changing how advertising gets made. But as the barriers to creation disappear, the brands standing out aren't necessarily the ones producing more. They're the ones making more intentional creative decisions.
Artificial intelligence has fundamentally changed the economics of creative production. Images that once required photographers, models, and elaborate sets can now be generated in seconds.
But as the possibilities expand, so do the questions surrounding creative value. What makes an advertisement distinctive when the ability to create is no longer the greatest barrier? And what does creative excellence look like when the tools themselves are changing?
Effective creative requires more than technical capability. It demands a compelling idea, thoughtful direction, and the expertise to bring that vision to life. AI expands what's possible in creative production, while established artistic disciplines retain a distinct value that technology alone cannot replicate. Ultimately, the strength of any creative approach depends on how well it serves the idea and the identity of the brand behind it.
Some of the most compelling applications of AI in advertising are those where the technology is integral to the concept rather than simply a means of producing it.
Heinz offered an early example with its 2022 A.I. Ketchup campaign, created by Rethink. When image generators were prompted to visualize ketchup, many of the results resembled Heinz's iconic bottle. The brand turned those outputs into a campaign demonstrating just how deeply its identity had become associated with the category.
AI's interpretation of ketchup became the creative concept itself, turning an emerging technology into a demonstration of the brand recognition Heinz had spent decades building.
Nike harnessed a different AI capability with its Never Done Evolving campaign celebrating Serena Williams. Developed in collaboration with creative agency AKQA, the project involved a year-long study using AI and machine learning to analyze archival footage and match data, recreating Serena's playing style at different points in her career.
The result was an unprecedented virtual match between her 1999 and 2017 selves, livestreamed on YouTube for Nike subscribers and amplified through additional media placements. The campaign transformed decades of athletic evolution into a singular cultural moment, bringing to life a competition that could never have happened in reality.
For a brand built around athletic performance and the pursuit of improvement, the technology was particularly fitting. Rather than simply accelerating production, AI made an ambitious creative vision possible, supported by the research, technical expertise, and creative direction required to bring it to life.
Gorilla Glue used AI to reimagine its familiar mascot with its Chief Tough Officer campaign, transforming the gorilla into a character with a personality and a job title. As the brand's self-appointed toughness expert, the gorilla puts its products to the test, bringing humor and a new dimension of storytelling to an established brand symbol.
These campaigns demonstrate the range of possibilities AI brings to advertising, from reimagining familiar brand assets to creating experiences that were previously out of reach. What connects them isn't the technology itself, but the creative thinking behind its application. In each case, AI serves an idea rooted in the brand's identity.
Elsewhere, brands are finding renewed value in creative processes that showcase the human hands behind the finished work.
Prada's 2026 holiday campaign combines live-action footage with traditional hand-drawn animation, tapping into a growing appetite for nostalgic storytelling. The fashion house enlisted legendary animator John Pomeroy, whose career includes Disney classics like Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too and Pocahontas, alongside a team of artists to bring its illustrated world to life. The result captures the warmth and familiarity of classic animation, drawing on a visual tradition that feels particularly resonant with audiences today.
But Prada didn't limit that artistic expression to the finished campaign. Its behind-the-scenes film introduces audiences to Pomeroy and his commitment to preserving traditional animation techniques, making the creative process part of the story. For a luxury brand whose identity is rooted in artistry and time-honored techniques, highlighting the people and expertise behind the campaign reinforces the same values expressed through its products.
Porsche approached its heritage through a different visual language. Its 2025 holiday campaign, The Coded Love Letter, created by Parallel Studio, blends 2D illustration and 3D animation. The film weaves eight hidden references to Porsche's history into a richly detailed visual narrative, inviting enthusiasts to recognize the details and connections that celebrate its legacy.
The campaign rewards the kind of attention to detail that Porsche enthusiasts already bring to the brand. Porsche extended that experience through behind-the-scenes social content revealing the sketches, storyboards, and animation process. By sharing how the film was made, Porsche reinforced the precision and craft at the heart of its brand identity.
British fragrance brand Ffern offers another expression of this philosophy. Artist Alix Bortoli created an intricate miniature world using hand-built, hand-painted sets and stop-motion animation. The meticulous execution reflects Ffern's commitment to artisanal fragrance-making, bringing the same care and refinement found in its products to its advertising.
Alix is among a growing number of independent artists collaborating with brands. From Anthropologie to KAYAK, companies are commissioning original pieces that showcase these artists' talents while tapping into the audiences they've cultivated through social media.
Across these campaigns, the choice to embrace established artistic disciplines carries meaning beyond the finished advertisement. At a time when AI promises to accelerate production, brands across industries are showing renewed interest in the time, skill, and attention required to create something by hand. For brands whose identities are rooted in craftsmanship and heritage, these decisions reinforce the qualities their customers already value. More broadly, the growing presence of artist-led campaigns suggests that the people and work behind an advertisement are becoming an increasingly meaningful part of its appeal.
For other brands, authenticity is defined less by the techniques used to create and more by the principles guiding those choices.
Aerie has made authenticity an explicit part of its brand identity for more than a decade. Its commitment to unretouched imagery has evolved into a pledge not to use AI-generated people or bodies in its advertising. Aerie's recent campaign, 100% Aerie Real with Pamela Anderson, reinforces that position, drawing on Anderson's public embrace of natural beauty. The decision continues a commitment the brand has communicated to its audience for years.
Polaroid has taken a more provocative approach. Its The Camera for an Analog Life campaign directly challenges digital saturation, using real photography and messaging about human connection to encourage people to engage with the physical world. For a brand whose product exists to capture tangible moments, the position is inseparable from what it sells.
Both campaigns illustrate a similar principle: authenticity isn't a particular aesthetic or production method. It's the alignment between what a brand stands for and how it chooses to communicate.
AI can make advertising faster to produce, but efficiency doesn’t necessarily translate into better results. When speed and convenience take precedence over creative intention, the result can read as a shortcut rather than an innovation. And when that execution feels generic or disconnected from a brand's identity, the conversation can shift away from what the advertisement communicates and toward how, and why, it was made.
Across these campaigns, the most revealing creative decisions aren't simply about how the advertisements were produced. They're about the stories brands choose to tell, the values they reinforce, and the associations they want audiences to make.
Traditional measures of advertising activity help establish a brand's competitive presence. Share of Voice reveals how prominently a brand is showing up, while Share of Spend captures the investment behind that presence. But neither fully explains what the brand is communicating.
That's where Share of Message adds another dimension: the strategic narrative a brand is building through its advertising.
Heinz reinforces its iconic relationship with ketchup. Nike celebrates the evolution of athletic greatness. Prada expresses its heritage through artistry, while Aerie makes authenticity central to its identity. Each campaign offers a window into how the brand wants to be understood.
MediaRadar's Creative Intelligence makes it possible to examine those decisions across the market, identifying the storytelling themes, product priorities, pricing strategies, cultural moments, and partnerships shaping competitive positioning.
Combined with creative monitoring and advertising spend intelligence, this perspective helps marketers understand not only who is advertising and where they're investing, but what they're choosing to say.
AI is changing the possibilities of advertising, but it hasn't changed the fundamental importance of a compelling idea or a clear brand identity.
The creative decisions brands make, from the technologies they embrace to the techniques they preserve, can be as revealing as the messages themselves. Examining these decisions offers a deeper perspective on the narratives shaping the competitive landscape.
Because when almost anything can be created, the real competitive advantage is knowing what deserves to be.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR | Brooke Bové
As Manager, Brand & Creative at MediaRadar, Brooke Bové drives the creative direction and evolution of the brand, shaping its identity across digital, editorial, and experiential initiatives. Working at the intersection of design, data, and advertising, she translates complex industry insights into compelling visual narratives.