As GenAI tools move front and center in campaign workflows, marketers must wrestle with new questions: Will audiences trust AI-generated content? How do we retain human creativity? How do we tell a great story?
Google’s debut of a fully AI-generated ad is a major inflection point for modern marketing teams. Their ad starring a turkey that uses Google’s AI search to escape its Thanksgiving fate. (WSJ Article - unlocked gift article) The ad will run on TV, in movie theaters, and on digital platforms. Google’s in-house Creative Lab created the ad with Veo 3 and other AI tools, focusing on nostalgia and animated holiday special vibes.
Other brands have used AI-generated ads, but Google’s approach stands out for three reasons:
The ad avoids the “uncanny valley,” the jarring effect of not-quite-realistic humans. We’ve all experienced this in various ways. Prompts resulting in humans that almost look like us (but not quite), everyday people that look more like Barbie dolls or action heroes, and hands that don’t have the correct number of fingers. Google sidesteps all of this by casting a non-human character as the lead, a plush turkey! This is a great strategy to get customers comfortable with AI-generated content.
The ad is not prominently labeled as made by AI. Google’s position seems to be that consumers care more about the story than the technology behind it. They plan to use AI as just one tool among many, seeing it as becoming as ordinary as Photoshop in advertising. However, it does not intend to make every ad with AI, acknowledging that ads can be “soulless” or “bad” regardless of how they are made. They’re taking a position on AI labeling, and my guess is that others will follow their lead.
AI isn’t the star. The star may be the cute, AI-savvy turkey. And audiences are left with an engaging, memorable story about how to use Google, another activation in its “Just Ask Google” campaign. The campaign aims to position Google’s AI-improved search within its product suite, especially for users who may be cautious or fearful of AI. It’s a lesson that many B2B companies that focus on AI-driven, AI-powered messaging could learn from. Benefits beat features.
Apparently, a Christmas-themed version is coming next. It’ll be interesting to see how they push the envelope even further, could an AI-generated human be the star?