shes and showing them being coated by an enormous mascara wand mounted on a station wall. Meanwhile, Jacquemus used CGI to place its handbags in unexpected real‑world locations, such as beaches along the Amalfi Coast and cruising through the streets of London as if they were full‑size vehicles.  The success of these campaigns prompted other brands to follow suit – GHD, L’Oréal, Pandora, Victoria Beckham, PlayStation, Alexander Wang and Barbie all boosted their products with visual effects in hopes of blowing up across social media platforms. But as AI video generators become more accessible and consumers grow fatigued from trying to decipher whether what they are watching is surreal or unreal, brands have started to emphasise analogue and offline moments. Keeping it real Now, brands are leaning into human authenticity and seeking new ways to highlight “man-made” elements in both their products and campaigns.  Dove, Aerie, Heineken, Polaroid and Apple are just some of the brands that have taken a jab at AI in their recent marketing materials. Dove was ahead of the anti-AI trend with its 2024 ‘The Code’ ad,  where it referenced a forecast that claimed 90 per cent of online content will be AI-generated by 2025. The beauty brand also vowed to champion real beauty with a commitment to never use AI to create or distort women’s images. Aerie made a similar commitment to its customers this October with an Instagram post captioned: “Today we commit: No AI-generated bodies or people. Real people only,” Aerie said in the post. “No retouching. No AI. 100 per cent Aerie real.”  That post is Aerie’s most popular Instagram post in over a year, and according to Metricool, engagement on Aerie’s static Instagram posts grew afterwards by 75 per cent between October 6 and October 19. “As we navigate the opportunities and challenges that come with new and emerging technology, we remain committed to protect, celebrate and champion Real Beauty,” said Alessandro Manfredi, CMO of Dove, in a statement.  “Pledging to never use AI in our communications is just one step. We will not stop until beauty is a source of happiness, not anxiety, for every woman and girl.” Getting offline  Polaroid is capitalising on this moment of digital distrust to push its analogue products with campaigns that feature film photographs alongside thought-provoking copy like “No one on their deathbed ever said: I wish I’d spent more time on my phone,” and “Real stories. Not stories and reels.” After Friend’s AI wearable ad campaign sparked backlash in New York City, Heinikin was quick to leverage the moment into a viral brand moment of its own. Heinikin replaced Friend’s pendant with a bottle opener on a necklace alongside slogans “The best way to make a friend is over a beer” and “Social networking since 1873.” While Apple sells the opposite of an analogue experience, unlike Polaroid and Heinikin, it too leaned away from AI and focused on human creativity in its ‘Great Ideas Start on Mac’ campaign.  The ad deliberately spotlights human judgment and creative choices while pointedly avoiding any mention of AI – a strategic move considering there is no compelling Apple AI product to market yet. Even OpenAI’s latest ChatGPT campaign is following the Anti-AI trend in its new 30-second TV spots that are airing across the US. The series of ads emphasise how the App can help users spend more time making memories offline with road trip, workout, playlist and recipe recommendations. While AI technology is definitely helping retail marketers streamline campaign production, the wave of anti-AI branding is most likely just getting started.