Prompting the Future of Advertising

I get it. Everyone’s tired of reading about AI.

Tired of think pieces. Tired of recycled ChatGPT prompts. Tired of Alexa hogging the radio. Most of all, tired of debating whether these machines are here to save us, or sabotage us.

In advertising, this is our paradox. The very tools we’re hesitant to adopt are the ones that could make us more valuable.

"AI won’t take your job. It’s somebody using AI that will take your job." - Richard Baldwin

Going into 2025, I wanted to share my thoughts and examples of why embracing AI in advertising isn’t just about staying ahead—it’s the future of staying human.

The Irony of Fear

Fear and advertising are old friends. 

TV was supposed to kill radio. Social media was meant to bury print. Privacy concerns should’ve ended targeted ads. AI is just the latest disruptor, but this time, the stakes feel existential. 

Designers worry generators like Midjourney and Runway could do in seconds what once took weeks. Strategists are bracing for tools like Perplexity to turn insights into commodities. And copywriters see bots like Anthropic’s Claude and sh*t themselves. 

But here’s the irony: AI wouldn’t work without us. 

These tools learn from human inputs—our creativity, intuition, even our mistakes. AdCreative and Persado churn out frameworks, not visions. Bland.AI cranks out comms pathways, but only within what we’ve taught it (pretty ironic name). 

The real threat isn’t the tech itself; it’s inertia. In a field built on adaptation, refusing to evolve might be the riskiest move of all.

From Generative to Genuine

AI isn’t just about generating ads; it’s reshaping how brands and audiences connect.

Take BBDO's “Adoptable” campaign for Pedigree. It didn’t just target dog lovers; it used AI to match shelter dogs with potential adopters through real-time, geo-targeted billboards. Or BarkleyOKRP's “Unfinished Legacies” campaign, a Kansas City initiative using AI to recreate the image and likeness of three residents whose deaths from fentanyl overdoses could have been prevented.

Then there’s Ogilvy's “Shah Rukh Khan-My-Ad” with Cadbury, which personalized Diwali ads for small businesses across India using AI, making hyper-local feel hyper-personal. And you can expect a 2025 Super Bowl ad from GoDaddy introducing “Airo,” an AI platform centered around helping small businesses build their online presence.

This isn’t targeting; it’s collaboration. We’re entering an era where “real-time” is evolving into “fake-time,” blending CGI with human empathy to create experiences that feel personal, not programmed.

The Beauty of Getting It Wrong

In advertising, we’ve always chased perfection: polished visuals, flawless copy, seamless campaigns. But what if the future is embracing imperfection?

AI’s “flaws” have become a playground for innovation. Rethink's “AI Ketchup” for Heinz, Bain & Company’s “Create Real Magic” for Coca-Cola and VML's “Have AI Break” for Kit Kat weren’t just about using Dall-E 2 for aesthetics—they playfully leaned into the tech’s mistakes to celebrate the true human minds behind the campaigns.

Take Dove’s “The Code” initiative. It used AI to expose beauty biases in digital algorithms, highlighting the imperfections baked into machine learning. Or when Subway playfully used ChatGPT to duel with McDonald’s and Burger King, showing OpenAI’s biases while connecting with audiences through humor.

Imperfection isn’t a bug; it’s a feature. It’s what reminds us that humanity thrives by pivoting, reinterpreting and innovating.

AI’s Role in the Agency

AI’s true power isn’t in what it creates—it’s in what it removes.

Look at Artificial Intelligence as an enabler, not a competitor. Imagine stripping away the mundane: keyword research, first-drafts, A/B testing, liberating us to focus on what truly matters—storytelling, strategizing and connecting. 

Signal Theory’s AL is a perfect example. Recently developed by Innovation & Tech Director Elijah Kliensmith, this agency-integrated generator automates trivial tasks, allowing teams to focus on human-centric ideas and deeper insights. Or similarly, Perplexity’s partnership with agencies and brands to reinvent search advertising weaves organic and brand-sponsored related questions into search engines, reframing how audiences discover products.

The people and places that thrive won’t just use AI to save time—they’ll use it to free up their humanity.

A Human Renaissance

Here’s the thing: AI isn’t here to replace us. It’s here to remind us of what makes us irreplaceable.

By embracing the imperfect and automating the repetitive, we get back to what makes advertising unforgettable: bold ideas, authentic stories and meaningful connections.

The age of AI isn’t the death of ads; it’s a renaissance. The only question is: Are you ready to paint?

Keep it 100, Luka