Marketing in the News: Almond Breeze jabs at AI-generated slop with the Jonas Brothers

 Marketing in the News: Almond Breeze jabs at AI-generated slop with the Jonas Brothers

Firstly, I’d like to say that I am a fan of the Jonas Brothers and have been since I was a kid. Secondly, my family is all lactose intolerant, and so the presence of Almond Breeze or Silk soy milk has been a staple in my childhood. The article discusses how the brothers cleverly promoted Almond Breeze milk while poking fun at wonky AI-generated advertisements. The brothers were directly involved in the development of the content. The advertisement starts off with overzealous agents pitching the brothers the idea of drinking Almond Breeze in space or a shirtless perfume ad, and lastly as milk men riding a horse-shaped almond. Almond Breeze and the Jonas Brothers have joined the group of marketers making fun of and scrutinizing the use of AI by other marketing companies as part of their advertising message.

Almond Breeze jabs at AI-generated slop with the Jonas Brothers | Marketing Dive

The marketing proposition of Almond Breeze and the Jonas Brothers brings a level of honesty and relatable experience to consumers. Today, we face a battle with the idea of AI; we can’t decide whether it's good or bad; it's probably both. The advertisement has the potential to gain a lot of views due to consumers' personal experience with wonky AI ads and videos seen everywhere on social media. The advertisement in its long form has gotten 22k views on YouTube just in the 12 days it's been released. In the comments section, it also says, “Keeping it real isn’t always easy in a pitch meeting. Luckily, Almond Breeze is.”  This quote, in conjunction with the ad, emphasizes the importance of keeping things simple, and in the world we live in nowadays, that's something customers are looking for. The advertisement comes to a conclusion with the Jonas Brothers suggesting they say, “Almond Breeze: It’s really good.” This turns into the tagline. 

The challenge every company, including Almond Breeze, is facing is the oversaturation of advertisements. Now with the involvement of AI in advertising, it’s getting harder to seem real, authentic, or be seen at all. Almond breeze, along with several other companies are fighting against and scrutinizing the use of AI in businesses. The use of AI is seen as cheap and a cop-out for not wanting to put the time and energy into the work. McDonald’s in the Netherlands faced intense backlash over its AI-generated holiday video and recently took it down. 

McDonald's pulls AI-generated Christmas advert following backlash

Almond Breeze’s and the Jonas Brothers' approach to the advertisement highlights how some brands value taking a stance on the use of the technology and also bringing to light how it's becoming a big part of the marketing side of business. This ad, I think, appeals to all of its audience in one way or another, whether you're for or against the use of AI. However, alternative milk buyers who are strongly opposed to AI will probably favor Almond Breeze just out of principle. 

The marketing approach was fantastic because it drew on a personal experience we all have with AI and tied it to humor. Then, building trust with buyers through authenticity. If I were the marketing manager, I would emphasize keeping it real with all future advertisements, even with the improvements of AI technology. Maybe involve the manufacturing sites or processes to increase loyalty to the product. With everything in our lives feeling less and less “real,” people are looking for REAL products, ingredients, and relationships between customer and company.