Aerie is the newest model to take a stand towards AI in its promoting, pledging by no means to make use of the expertise to create photos of individuals or our bodies in its campaigns.
Right this moment, the clothes model owned by American Eagle Outfitters launched adverts throughout social media promising to stay “100% Aerie actual.”
The pledge is a follow-up to the model’s 2014 #AerieReal marketing campaign, by which it vowed to cease retouching folks and our bodies in its campaigns. This promise now extends to generative AI, which has seen explosive development throughout industries together with promoting for the reason that introduction of ChatGPT in November 2022.
Aerie can even require its companions and creators to make the identical promise, chief advertising and marketing officer (CMO) Stacey McCormick informed ADWEEK.
“For us it’s a no brainer. For the previous 10 years it’s been in every thing we do,” McCormick mentioned. “We began to get a way of AI coming into retail and advertising and marketing, and because it turns into extra prevalent, we needed to place it on the market and hopefully encourage others within the business alongside the way in which.”
The dedication refers not solely to the way it represents folks in adverts but in addition to the truth that it depends on people to make the work, McCormick added.
“We’re additionally noticing it affecting the craft itself, just like the artwork of pictures. These issues we wish to shield in a giant method and create these moments and experiences, whether or not in actual life or a photograph shoot,” she mentioned. “Ensuring folks know that actual folks made that is simply as essential.”
Customers need actual
McCormick didn’t fully rule out the usage of AI throughout the enterprise, saying it was a useful device in behind-the-scenes work or to make processes extra environment friendly.
“But it surely doesn’t have a spot for us with generative AI modifying our bodies. Nothing at that stage will ever be utilized in our campaigns,” she mentioned.
Aerie follows within the footsteps of Dove, which mentioned final 12 months that it will by no means use AI-generated imagery to symbolize “actual our bodies” in its promoting.
Over the previous few years, quite a few manufacturers, from Coca-Cola to H&M to Heinz, have boasted about utilizing generative AI to create promoting. Nonetheless, a few of these campaigns have been met with backlash from shoppers who criticized the work for eroding human craft and connection.
Manufacturers like Lego have since apologized for his or her use of generative AI in sure instances.
“We wish to make certain we’re clear and clients know that is what we stand for,” McCormick mentioned. “Customers count on actual folks modeling actual merchandise.”
