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Want Your Ad to Stand Out?  Then Don’t Use AI

Americans really don’t like seeing AI ads. A Gallup poll recently found that only 19% view AI in advertising positively, compared to truly who view it negatively — a figure that jumps to 66% for 18-to-29-year-olds.  At the local level, there is a similar category that receives equally strong backlash: AI flyer ads — either posted on social media, or on windows and bulletin boards in our communities.

Posts mocking AI-generated flyers have racked up millions of views, with many people longing for the days of early-internet low-budget Word Art. Even small businesses — which tend to receive more grace than large corporations — have been criticized.

It is understandable that many local businesses lack the creative expertise to make good ads on their own.  And they certainly don’t have lots of spare time to invest in acquiring those skills.  The ability of AI platforms to generate content for their social media feeds, or to produce flyers is truly a huge time saver.  And it is often better than what they could create from scratch.

But here’s the rub.  Your content is already starting to look like everyone else’s content.  The memes and trolling have already started.  So rather than screaming from the hilltop NOT to do this, we will acknowledge that AI is here to stay and offer some suggestions to inject a bit of authenticity to the process.

  • Use real photos and videos of your business.  And get into the habit of taking lots of pictures of customers at your business, or your staff working onsite at a client — and save them.
  • If you must use AI, develop brand standards that it should consistently apply and force it to adhere to those standards.  Relatedly, we suggest listing your website in the prompt, and require that the finished product remain consistent with your existing online presence.
  • If you’re really not sure how to use it, request that the AI platform interview you with 5-10 questions before proceeding.  And when it’s done, ask it to review and evaluate its own work.  You might be surprised that it won’t hesitate to critique itself.

We can do better.