US – The Glenlivet single malt scotch whisky turned to artificial intelligence (AI) to produce a commercial script for its June 2023 campaign celebrating Father's Day – but the generated result was filled with clichés. The spirit brand identified a marketing opportunity nonetheless and organised a social experience to challenge the stereotypes around how fathers are represented in ads. A panel of four fathers or father-figures and their adult son, daughter or godson star in a four-minute film where each participant reads the AI-generated script out loud and reacts to the stereotypical narrative the machine created.
For instance, AI suggested the commercial should be a conversation between a father and son about fond memories of camping in the wild. The panel laughed at the outdated version of the father and child relationship. 'This Father's Day, we are shining a light on all the fathers and father figures who are challenging conventions of what fatherhood is today, as part of our mission to redefine norms and break stereotypes in single malt scotch whisky and beyond,' said Johan Radojewski, vice president marketing - Scotch, Irish & Prestige Whisk(e)y, Pernod Ricard US.
In Civid Ads, we previously highlighted how brands turn to advertising as a force for good. According to Edelman, 53% of consumers agree that brands have a responsibility to get involved in at least one social issue that does not directly affect their business.
Strategic opportunity
Consumers are tired of advertising tropes that push an overtly commercial message and circulate gender stereotypes. Think about how content-first ads can communicate your brand purpose rather than simply push a product