By: Brittaney Kiefer | Link to article
CMO Stacey McCormick says this continues the brand’s no-retouching pledge
Aerie is the latest brand to take a stand against AI in its advertising, pledging never to use the technology to create images of people or bodies in its campaigns.
Today, the clothing brand owned by American Eagle Outfitters launched ads across social media promising to remain “100% Aerie real.”
The pledge is a follow-up to the brand’s 2014 #AerieReal campaign, in which it vowed to stop retouching people and bodies in its campaigns. This promise now extends to generative AI, which has seen explosive growth across industries including advertising since the introduction of ChatGPT in November 2022.
Aerie will also require its partners and creators to make the same promise, chief marketing officer (CMO) Stacey McCormick told ADWEEK.
“For us it’s a no-brainer. For the past 10 years it’s been in everything we do,” McCormick said. “We started to get a sense of AI coming into retail and marketing, and as it becomes more prevalent, we wanted to put it out there and hopefully inspire others in the industry along the way.”
The commitment refers not only to how it represents people in ads but also to the fact that it relies on humans to make the work, McCormick added.
“We’re also noticing it affecting the craft itself, like the art of photography. Those things we want to protect in a big way and create those moments and experiences, whether in real life or a photo shoot,” she said. “Making sure people know that real people made this is just as important.”
Consumers want real
McCormick did not completely rule out the use of AI across the business, saying it was a helpful tool in behind-the-scenes work or to make processes more efficient.
“But it doesn’t have a place for us with generative AI modifying bodies. Nothing at that level will ever be used in our campaigns,” she said.
Aerie follows in the footsteps of Dove, which said last year that it would never use AI-generated imagery to represent “real bodies” in its advertising.
Over the past few years, numerous brands, from Coca-Cola to H&M to Heinz, have boasted about using generative AI to create advertising. However, some of those campaigns have been met with backlash from consumers who criticized the work for eroding human craft and connection.
Brands like Lego have since apologized for their use of generative AI in certain cases.
“We want to make sure we’re transparent and customers know this is what we stand for,” McCormick said. “Consumers expect real people modeling real products.”
