Hot take: AI can’t make winning creative.
And Polaroid and The Economist just made the case for it on billboards.
The Economist put “Think outside the bot” on billboards in New York, Chicago, and London.
Polaroid went with “AI can’t generate sand between your toes.”
The lines are clever, but the reason they matter goes deeper.
With everyone now having access to pretty much all of the same tools.
So many ads are starting to look and sound the same.
And that's why now, more than ever, when a brand feels human, people notice it straight away.
Both campaigns also tap into something people were already feeling.
Plenty of us are tired of screens, and of content that doesn’t feel like anyone made it.
Polaroid and The Economist just said it out loud.
And neither one had to change who they are to do it.
The Economist has been running witty white-on-red posters since the late 1980s.
Polaroid has always been about unfiltered, in-the-moment photos.
Even better, the product is the answer to the problem the ad points at.
A Polaroid gets you off your phone.
The Economist gives you a human take on a confusing world.
That’s what makes it feel smart instead of preachy.
The best time to stand out is when everyone else starts to look alike.
And the easiest way to do it is to lean into what you’ve always been.
Which of these lines would have stopped you mid-scroll?
♻️ Repost for the marketer who’s tired of ads that all look the same.
And follow me, Jacob Rokeach, for more on brand and creative systems that scale.