AI

Genuinely awesome examples of AI in marketing [plus tools]

Jay Perlman
September 10, 2024
Genuinely awesome examples of AI in marketing [plus tools]

Even the most well-known brands are using AI for major marketing campaigns. These are a few of our favorite examples.

Just a few years ago, many of the most well-known brands would not even consider using AI for a marketing campaign. Even the idea of using AI in some form was taboo, and this made sense because AI was not nearly as powerful as it is today (Will Smith eating spaghetti, anyone?).

Obviously, things are changing fast, and with AI becoming more powerful by the day, there are plenty of some of the most established brands in the world using deep learning and AI technologies in marketing campaigns

They’re using AI to create campaigns that feel personal, creative, and imaginative. Brands like Netflix, Heinz, and Nike are already doing it, proving that AI is no longer a futuristic buzzword—it’s the secret sauce behind some of the coolest campaigns out there.

In this post, we’ll dive into some of our favorite examples of AI in marketing from top brands, then walk you through a few AI tools that will compliment your every aspect of your marketing workflow.

Our favorite marketing campaigns with AI

large brands have found creative ways to use AI, and the results often range from the downright bizarre to the truly incredible.

But while many of these brands use AI for things like predictive analytics, increasing conversion rates, and learning more about customer behavior, we wanted to focus on the more visual side of marketing.

Having that in mind, these are the campaigns where AI played a starring role.

1. Heinz Ketchup

Heinz launched a brilliant AI image generation campaign that played on the iconic image of the Ketchup King. The idea was simple: give AI to generate an image from a simple text prompt.

What was the text prompt they provided?

"Ketchup"

What the AI image generator produced was essentially an uncanny replica of the Heinz ketchup bottle. The genius behind this campaign is that the Heinz bottle is so iconic as a condiment that even AI knows what the ideal ketchup bottle looks like.

The beauty of this marketing campaign is how simple yet powerful it was. Heinz didn't need any advanced AI features or tools, but rather relied on the basics to send a potent message.

2. Nutella Unica

Nutella’s Unica campaign was next-level personalized marketing. Nutella used one unique algorithm generative AI to create 7 million unique jar designs—yes, that’s 7 million completely different jars!

This campaign was all about making each customer feel like they owned something special and one-of-a-kind. AI did the heavy lifting, generating countless design variations that were then printed onto actual jars.

This level of personalization was a major hit. This genius digital marketing campaign invited customers to share their jars on social media, boosting engagement and creating a community around a simple product.

Nutella’s approach shows that injecting AI into your marketing can create a deeper emotional connection with your audience.

3. Jacquemus x Nike

Marco Simonetti brought a fresh, bold vibe to the Jacquemus x Nike pop-up store with his AI-generated designs. The project made waves online, using AI to create a space that felt modern yet perfectly in tune with its natural surroundings.

Inside the pop-up, AI-designed gear took center stage—everything from elastic ski masks and sleek, high-waisted salopettes to snowboarding boots and cozy moccasins. Simonetti’s vision also featured accessories like futuristic helmets, stylish sunglasses, and bags.

By using generative AI, Simonetti pushed creative boundaries, designing pieces that not only stood out but also complemented the winter landscape.

His project showed how AI in fashion can change not just the look but also the shopping experience, making the Jacquemus x Nike pop-up a truly unique blend of tech and style.

4. Netflix Cup x Slaps

To promote their series "Swing to Survive" partnered with the creative agency Slaps. The goal was to get people talking more about the series and have the narrative reach a much wider audience.

The campaign's visual concept was less simple in theory. Slaps envisioned a campaign that showed asteroid-sized, flaming golf balls falling from space and destorying the major cities on the planet.

Slaps created a stunning visual campaign that amplified the magnitude of this show using 3D and AI-powered visuals. While Slaps might not be a household name, they leveraged the power of AI to team up with one of the most widely recognized brands in the world.

5. Opa x Superside

Opa is a food app that lets users send food as gifts. To make this novel idea make user's hungry to order some delicious gifts, the Opa marketing team needed a fresh content strategy. The creative agency Superside stepped in to make this happen, and they used AI images to make it perfect.

By incorporating AI into their design process, Superside was to scale up their content creation without sacrificing quality or consistency. More importantly, they used  AI to create a whole lineup of tasty images for marketing across different channels.

Opa marketing campaign by Superside that used AI for the food visuals.

This resulted in a eye-catching, cohesive branding across all platforms—whether it was social media posts, email campaigns, or in-store signage.

Supersides creative AI marketing efforts helped save time and money while elevating the brand’s overall aesthetic. This is a great example of how even small businesses can use AI to enhance their digital marketing strategies.

6. Anthony Joshua x Under Armour

The Anthony Joshua x Under Armour campaign made waves as the "first AI-powered sports commercial," directed by Wes Walker.

With no access to the athlete himself, the team created a 3D model of Anthony Joshua and relied on AI for nearly every aspect of production. From AI-generated video and photos to 3D CGI and voiceovers, the ad pushed the boundaries of what AI could do in such a short time.

Visually, the campaign had a striking, high-contrast black-and-white look, blending real footage with abstract 3D models and landscapes. While it was a creative achievement, it wasn’t without its share of controversy. Some industry critics pointed out that the ad seemed to recycle existing content without giving proper credit, calling it more of an AI cash grab than a truly original project.

Wes Walker, however, defended the process, explaining that AI allowed the team to deliver a fully polished campaign in just three weeks—no small feat.

He stressed the importance of telling powerful stories while embracing new tech, even if AI tools were driving the creative process.

7. Pizza Hut x Pizza Hug Spot x Leo Burnett

Collaboration turned a viral AI-created video into a real-world marketing sensation. It all started when an online video, powered by generative AI, introduced a fictional pizza chain called Pepperoni Hug Spot. The video blew up almost overnight, gathering millions of views.

Viewers quickly noticed the similarities between the branding of this AI-generated pizza joint and that of Pizza Hut.

Pepperoni Hug Spot by Pizza Hut and Leo Burnett.

Rather than ignore the buzz, Pizza Hut and the video’s creator, with the help of advertising agency Leo Burnett, decided to lean into the hype.

They took what was originally a playful AI riff on the iconic pizza brand and turned it into something tangible.

Pizza Hut temporarily rebranded itself as Pepperoni Hug Spot, creating a real-world version of the fictional AI pizza chain.

The pop-up launched with the same AI-inspired ads, branding, and even recipes straight from the viral video. By turning a piece of viral content into a full-blown marketing campaign, the collaboration showcased how AI could bridge the gap between digital fiction and reality, creating something truly memorable and unexpected.

8. Mango's Teen Youth Line

Mango made waves in the fashion world by launching a campaign for their Sunset Dream collection, targeting their youth line. Mango's marketing team used generative AI, showcasing how Mango is embracing innovation to connect with younger audiences.

By leveraging AI, Mango is able to stay ontop of trends while also improving efficiency across its entire production process.

Since 2018, Mango has invested heavily in artificial intelligence and machine learning, building over fifteen platforms that apply AI across multiple points in its value chain.

These platforms handle everything from personalized recommendations to pricing strategies, ensuring that Mango stays both competitive and relevant in a fast-changing industry. The Sunset Dream collection is a prime example of how AI can enhance creativity while also driving business performance.

9. Coca-Cola's "Masterpiece" campaign

Coca-Cola took a bold step into the world of generative AI with its highly acclaimed Masterpiece campaign. This AI-powered advertisement became a hit by blending iconic works of art with cutting-edge technology.

The ad follows a Coca-Cola bottle as it makes its way through famous paintings and sculptures, eventually reaching a student in need of inspiration.

To bring this vision to life, Coca-Cola collaborated with top visual effects firm Electric Theatre Collective and creative agency Blitzworks.

The result was a stunning piece of content that seamlessly transitions between classic artworks using a combination of live-action footage, digital effects, and AI.

This campaign beautifully demonstrated how AI can transform advertising by blending creativity with advanced technology, giving viewers a fresh and imaginative experience.

Our favorite AI-powered tools for marketing

Alright, after seeing these top-tier AI in marketing examples, you’re probably wondering how you can get in on the action. Luckily, there’s a wide range of AI marketing tools available that can supercharge your marketing efforts. Here’s a list of tools that can help you with everything from content creation to workflow automation.

1. Notion

From the words of Notion's Artificial Intelligence, "Notion AI is revolutionizing the way marketers approach their tasks by offering intelligent assistance and streamlining workflows. With its advanced natural language processing capabilities, Notion AI can help generate content ideas, draft social media posts, and even create outlines for blog articles."

But what we love about it is how Notion is its ability to adapt to your workflow. It can handle everything from simple to-do lists, complex content calendars, and even awesome graphs, all while using AI to automate repetitive tasks.

Whether you’re managing a team or just your own projects, Notion makes sure nothing falls through the cracks.

2. Buffer

Social media management just got a whole lot easier with Buffer’s AI features. Buffer analyzes your posts, engagement rates, and audience activity to help you optimize your social media marketing strategy.

The AI suggests the best times to post, the content that works best for your target audience, and even how to tweak your messaging for maximum impact.

Buffer’s AI insights mean you can focus on what matters—creating engaging content—while the AI handles the analytics and scheduling.

3. Lummi

Lummi is a lifesaver for finding high-quality visuals for your marketing campaigns. With thousands of Free stock photos generated by AI artists, Lummi is a source of visuals for everything from social media ads to website banners.

You can use these images to tell your story, and you'll never have to worry about paying a cent because they are royalty-free images.

But the beauty of Lummi is that it provides an alternative to all the boring or expensive stock photos that are out there.

4. Zapier

Zapier is the ultimate workflow automation tool. It connects your favorite apps and automates tasks that would otherwise eat up your time. Whether it’s automating email campaigns, syncing leads to your CRM, or updating social media posts, Zapier’s AI ensures that everything runs smoothly in the background.

This tool allows you to build custom workflows, no coding required. If you’re juggling multiple tasks across various platforms, Zapier can save you hours by streamlining everything into a seamless process. If you're looking to automate digital marketing tasks, Zapier is truly best in class.

5. Claude

Whether you’re writing blog posts, ad copy, or email campaigns, Claude helps you craft compelling content that sounds human and engaging. The AI can understand tone, context, and style, which means your content will always feel fresh and on-brand.

It generates ideas, headlines, and even entire paragraphs based on the input you give it. This tool is perfect for marketers who need to produce high-quality content quickly without sacrificing creativity.

Let the robots do the work for you

Whether it’s creating hyper-personalized ad campaigns for email marketing or automating the mundane tasks that usually suck up all your time, AI for marketing is essential for almost all companies.

It frees you up to focus on the fun stuff—the critical ideas, the creative strategies, and the human connections that make marketing so powerful.

From the personalized Nutella jars to Netflix’s AI-driven content suggestions, these AI in marketing examples show that even the biggest brands are leaning into this tech to stay ahead of the game.

And with tools like Notion, Buffer, Lummi, Zapier, and Claude at your fingertips, you don’t need a huge budget or a team of tech wizards to make eye-popping marketing campaigns.

So let the robots handle the heavy lifting while you work your magic. Because at the end of the day, it’s still your creativity that makes the difference.

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