DTC Brands Test GenAI with Mixed Results

Interesting story from AdAge on some of the ongoing challenges with GenAI powered image generators …

Using ChatGPT to write ad copy became increasingly popular in 2023, with brands such as Sephora and Mint Mobile using the AI tool to create campaigns. And while direct-to-consumer brands have been using ChatGPT to write marketing copy too, they’re also exploring what other marketing challenges AI could help them address. 

Take DTC boxed wine brand Juliet Wine, for instance. Allison Luvera, Juliet’s co-founder and CEO, said in an email that she’s used ChatGPTto generate relevant copy ideas and edit captions in Juliet’s tone of voice on social media, paid advertisements and other marketing materials. 

When it comes to integrating AI into her brand’s marketing strategy, Luvera didn’t stop at ChatGPT. Lately, she’s been testing out AI image generation tools such as Flair.AI in an attempt to create product photography on a budget. 

“Modern brands need to be content powerhouses,” she said, adding that for “early-stage start-ups with limited resources this presents a unique challenge. … How do you create thousands of pieces of quality content each year with small budgets and a lean team?”

Luvera’s not alone: Marketers from DTC brands such as Ipsy, Wisp and Sloomoo also said that they’ve experimented with using image generation tools in an attempt to feed the ever-hungry content beast on the cheap. But these brands haven’t used any AI-generated images in their marketing efforts thus far, because the resulting images are often far from what the brand asked the AI tool to create.

“We were excited to try AI product photography tools like Flair.AI that offer to create low-cost creative assets for e-commerce and social media usage,” Luvera said.  But that excitement quickly dwindled upon closer inspection of the images Flair.AI created. “Our trials revealed that although the images generated by AI looked acceptable at a glance, upon closer inspection they often lacked realistic details,” she said.

Full story at AdAge.