Future of Marketing Briefing: AI’s branding problem is why marketers keep it off the label

At this point in the Super Bowl ad post-mortem, a pattern has emerged: AI — both the companies selling it and the brands leaning on it — did not resonate as strongly as more familiar creative territory. Viewers gravitated toward the tried and tested, from nostalgia plays to celebrities in deliberately oddball scenarios, while many AI-centered spots struggled to make an emotional connection. 

That leaves a sizable cohort of marketers on the wrong side of the night’s cultural verdict. Nearly a quarter of the commercials — 15 of the 66 ads, or 23%– either promoted AI directly or relied on it in their creation, underscoring how heavily the industry is betting on a theme audiences have yet to fully embrace. 

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