CPG brands see the need for content provenance solutions

Haleon is tackling the issue of fake ads by adopting digital watermarking technology to authenticate the legitimacy of their ads. This ensures that the endorsements from dentists for brands like Sensodyne are genuine and the research claims are real. The rise of generative AI has made it easier to create fake ads, prompting Haleon to use this technology to maintain trust and transparency with consumers.

The rise of generative AI has made it easier to make all kinds of fake ads. That’s leading Haleon to adopt a digital watermarking technology not only to authenticate that its ads are real but also to show how AI figures into production and that the people and research-based claims in its ads are real.

Sensodyne is Haleon’s first brand to use the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) technology, which aims to prevent the spread of misinformation. The toothpaste brand’s digital ads in the U.S. recently have featured the C2PA “Content Credentials” technology to show that dentists providing endorsements are indeed real dentists, not paid actors.

That’s just one of many use cases for C2PA, according to Katie Williams, U.S. chief marketing officer for Haleon, whose brands also include Advil, Centrum, Polident and Voltaren, among others. Additional use cases include battling any potential fake or spoof ads, explaining the use of generative AI when it’s used in production and helping authenticate claims.

While C2PA has been around since 2021, backed by Adobe, Google, Publicis Groupe and others, it hasn’t become widely used yet. But the growing use of AI in ads is among the factors spurring interest, and Haleon’s experience suggests more brands may find it pays to adopt the technology.

Full story at AdAge.