Brands went all out this year with AI, harnessing some of the most advanced technologies to create captivating commercials and highlight their forward-thinking product lines. Those two companies in particular, Svedka and Anthropic, really led the charge with their exceptional campaigns. They were compelling examples of how AI is revolutionizing marketing and driving deeper engagement with consumers.
Svedka’s ad—widely credited as the first “primarily” AI-generated national Super Bowl spot—made the most headlines for going the furthest off script. The ad featured a lively scene at a human party, where Fembot and Brobot danced to the catchy tune of “Shake Your Bots Off.” This 30-second spot didn’t just wow audiences, it played a key role in stimulating questions around the potential of AI—and risks involved—around advertising.
Anthropic took a different course. Thus, with a dash of humor, they focused AI assistants from exciting helpers to dogged sell-outs. Their ads did a great job of demonstrating the Claude chatbot’s capabilities. It not only wanted to sell the product but wanted to throw mud at competitors in the process. This fun and irreverent tone helped to capture the public’s attention and imagination. It also encouraged some exciting, robust conversations online regarding marketing and the role AI should play.
Svedka’s Bold AI Experiment
Sazerac, the parent company of Svedka, has taken a trailblazing journey. For this new interpretation and frontier, they wanted to engineer an AI-powered ad that radically departed from old-school marketing tactics. The team responsible for the winning project, Silverside AI, had already won accolades for creating AI-generated TV commercials for Coca-Cola.
Svedka’s approach went beyond a refreshing embrace of creativity. It created debate within the advertising community. Many industry experts debated whether an AI-generated ad could effectively convey the emotions and messages traditionally delivered through human actors. Regardless, Svedka’s audacious move was a huge success without clearly defining success. This sparked much-needed conversations about the future of advertising in an ever-growing digital world.
Anthropic’s Playful Take on AI
Anthropic’s ad was clearly intended as satire, but it’s on-point as a reflection of the changing reality of AI in our daily lives. Claude, an advanced AI chatbot, owned the majority of the marketing campaign with funny social interactions that took a humorous jab at other brands’ marketing tactics. This ad was a brilliant example of using humor to diffuse and defuse the fears around AI technology being misused.
OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman went as far as personally condemning Anthropic’s campaign. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg dubbed it “blatantly misleading” as part of a widely publicized online spat. This unusual public spat revealed the brutal cutthroat nature of today’s AI industry. It shed light on the ongoing debate about how AI should be depicted in advertisements.
The tagline “Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude” served as a witty reminder of Anthropic’s stance on remaining distinct in a crowded market. It was their ad’s spirit and wit that enabled them to build such a relationship with consumers. Yet at the same time, it highlighted the distinctive attributes of their product.
Other Notable AI Innovations
In addition to Svedka and Anthropic, several other brands embraced AI in their Super Bowl campaigns, showcasing a variety of innovative products. Meta even brought out its Oakley-branded AI glasses for sporting-adventure seekers. The keynote showcased how AI technology is increasing athletic performance and enhancing outdoor recreation experiences.
Rippling made headlines when they hired off the Super Bowl advertising stage. Their audacious campaign demonstrated the impact of their cutting-edge cloud-based workforce management platform. Their ad focused on the way intelligent automation simplifies and connects enterprise-wide operations. It dazzled experts eager to find practical answers.
Ramp of course also came to play with its ad starring actor Brian Baumgartner. The ad showcased Ramp as an all-in-one solutions platform, depicting the various ways companies can leverage automation to save time and money.
Yet the Super Bowl continues to be the most high-profile platform for advertising creativity. This year, the spotlight on AI represents a seismic shift in the way brands engage with consumers. From witty commentary on cultural topics to transformative technological innovations, brands are pushing the creative envelope in order to engage audiences in new ways.
