Image generated by Brian Delp using Midjourney v6.1 from the prompt “robots playing in the Super Bowl”
February 11, 2025
The Surge of AI in Super Bowl Commercials: Selling Innovation or Pushing Too Far?
Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly transformed from a back-office efficiency tool to a front-and-center character in modern advertising. This year’s Super Bowl 2025 made it clear that AI isn’t just something we use; it’s something brands want us to relate to. I counted as many as 10 ads featuring AI in some capacity. Companies like Google, OpenAI, and Meta are now positioning AI as personal, emotionally intuitive, and an essential part of daily life — blurring the line between technology and humanity.
Their heavy-handed goal attempts to soften AI’s image, making it feel less like an industry-disrupting force and more like a helpful, friendly assistant. However, as companies race to integrate AI into their branding, the retail industry stands at a crossroads. Will AI advertising and customer service applications enhance customer engagement, or will it create a backlash similar to past controversies in corporate marketing?
AI as a Companion, Not a Threat
The latest wave of AI-focused advertising emphasizes emotional appeal. Google’s Dream Job Super Bowl ad, for instance, featured a father using Gemini Live to prepare for an interview, framing AI as a supportive mentor. This positioning was chosen specifically to contrast against the rising perception of AI as a job-stealing rival. In addition to this, Google Workspace also ran a separate ad, further reinforcing the integration of AI into everyday work and productivity.
Meta brought in some star power to support its campaign, with two separate spots. The company’s commercial featured actors Chris Pratt and Chris Hemsworth using AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses, seamlessly integrating AI into a lifestyle of effortless cool. On the other hand, OpenAI took a more direct approach, using its first-ever Super Bowl ad to introduce itself to a broader consumer audience. Salesforce also ran two spots. Along with GoDaddy, each highlighted AI-integrated tools designed to enhance their existing business models.
On the more controversial side, AI wasn’t only depicted as a helpful companion — its risks were also on display. Blumhouse’s M3GAN 2.0 trailer capitalized on AI’s darker side, featuring the return of the murderous AI doll, including a now-iconic dance sequence. Meanwhile, Cirkul’s Super Bowl ad humorously showcased the potential pitfalls of AI, illustrating how a virtual assistant’s shopping error could go hilariously wrong. While these commercials highlighted concerns about AI, they also reflected its growing role in everyday consumer interactions.
For retailers, this signals a larger industry shift: AI is being depicted not just as a tool — but as a brand personality. From AI-powered shopping assistants to AI-generated marketing campaigns, retailers are experimenting with how automation can shape customer experiences.
When AI-Generated Content Misses the Mark
Despite its strategic appeal, AI marketing has already seen missteps. Google had to edit its Super Bowl ad after its Gemini AI response falsely claimed that Gouda cheese made up “50 to 60 percent of the world’s cheese consumption,” as reported by The Verge. While this was a minor error, it underscored a broader issue: AI-generated content is only as good as its data sources, and credibility is at risk if consumers feel misled.
A more striking example came from Coca-Cola’s attempt at AI-driven holiday advertising. In late 2024, the company reimagined its classic “Holidays Are Coming” campaign using AI-generated imagery, replacing traditional animation with computer-created polar bears.
The backlash was swift. Many consumers found the AI-generated spot unsettling, calling it “unnatural” and “lazy.” Critics, including animator Alex Hirsch (creator of “Gravity Falls”), slammed the company for replacing human artists with algorithms.
This is a cautionary tale for retailers. AI-generated marketing can cut costs, but if it lacks human authenticity, it risks alienating customers. In industries like fashion, luxury goods, and home décor — where brand storytelling is crucial — overreliance on AI could diminish the emotional connection between brands and consumers.
Lessons From Past Backlashes: The ‘Go Woke, Go Broke’ Effect
AI’s growing presence in marketing has parallels to other corporate controversies, particularly in the retail sector. The phrase “go woke, go broke” has been used to describe brands that faced backlash for engaging in social and political messaging.
A striking example is Target’s handling of Pride Month merchandise in 2023. After introducing LGBTQ+-themed products, the company faced criticism from conservative groups, leading to employee threats and store protests. Target responded by pulling certain products from shelves, which in turn sparked outrage from LGBTQ+ advocates.
The financial impact was significant. By late 2024, Target’s stock had dropped 22%, partly due to backlash over its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, according to Reuters.
Retailers must consider how consumers will react to AI-driven changes in marketing. If AI campaigns come across as forced, manipulative, or detached from human creativity, they risk facing consumer skepticism — just like brands that misstep in social messaging.
AI’s Role in the Future of Retail Marketing
Retailers have already begun leveraging AI to reshape the customer journey, but they must balance automation with human creativity. Key trends include:
- AI-driven personalization: AI powers hyper-personalized ad experiences, dynamically tailoring content based on customer behavior. While this enhances targeting, retailers must be mindful of consumer privacy concerns.
- AI-powered customer service: Retailers like Walmart, Sephora, and Nike have deployed AI chatbots and virtual shopping assistants to streamline customer interactions. While AI customer service is efficient, overreliance on chatbots can frustrate shoppers who prefer real human assistance.
- AI-optimized pricing & promotions: AI is revolutionizing dynamic pricing strategies. While this helps retailers optimize revenue, consumers may resist if prices change too frequently, as seen with Amazon’s AI-driven pricing shifts.
- AI in retail advertising: Google’s AI-powered ads are reshaping digital marketing, allowing small businesses to use AI-driven ad optimization. However, if AI-generated content is not carefully monitored, retail brands risk undermining consumer trust.
- Consumer trust as the ultimate test: Retailers must ensure that AI-driven advertising maintains brand authenticity. If AI-generated marketing becomes too impersonal or detached from consumer sentiment, it could do more harm than good.
Conclusion: AI in Retail Needs a Careful Balance
AI is revolutionizing how retailers market products, interact with consumers, and optimize pricing strategies, but it must be implemented thoughtfully. Retailers must:
- Maintain authenticity: AI should enhance storytelling, not replace the emotional connections that make retail advertising effective.
- Balance automation with human interaction: Overuse of AI in customer service, marketing, or pricing can feel impersonal and drive customers away.
- Ensure transparency: AI-driven personalization and pricing should be clearly communicated to maintain consumer trust.
For retailers, AI isn’t just about efficiency — it’s about trust. Brands that use AI to enhance consumer experiences rather than replace human interaction will be best positioned for success in this new era of marketing.
Ultimately, AI’s role in retail will be determined not just by what brands can do with it, but by how consumers feel about it.
Discussion Questions
How can retailers ensure AI-driven marketing maintains authenticity and emotional connection with customers?
Will consumers accept AI-generated content in retail marketing, or do you anticipate pushback?
How should retailers ensure that AI aligns with their brand’s values and long-term vision?
Poll
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Brandon Rael
Strategy & Operations Transformation Leader
Brad Halverson
Principal, Clearbrand CX
Neil Saunders
Managing Director, GlobalData
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AI is a great technology, and it has some very useful applications for consumers. It is interesting that tech firms are now using Super Bowl ads to sell it to consumers. Did it work? Partly. Ads certainly raise consciousness and understanding. However, they don’t necessarily suppress concerns over AI – including privacy (Meta glasses!) and replacing human jobs – even if these worries are misplaced. I also think there is a view coming through that AI can do everything and anything. The reality is that it can’t and nor should we want it to. The Google ad was a prime example of this: rather than actually learning the rudiments of the game, the character just parroted phrases given to him by AI. That’s not learning. That’s not living. It’s superficial and fake – and it underscores one of the dangers of AI: that people stop thinking for themselves!
Ah, but can AI overthink an issue like a human can? The comparion to “go woke, go broke” is so nonsensical it might serve as an example that AI isn’t alone is promulgating gibberish: few people will care, and even fewer will realize, how the ad they are seeing was created. The world has more important things to worry about (almost anything is more important)
Craig…I’d argue that as marketers these are in fact very much the issues we should be overthinking. It is important to understand your audience and how they may interpret your messages. There are always risks, but minimizing those risks and potential backlash is critical to maintaining brand equity, particularly given controversial topics and themes.
I’m not saying we should ignore concerns, I’m saying I don’t think this is something people care about. For example, the much beloved Budweiser ad seems to feature a heavily altered image – one of AB’s St Louis brewery buildings set against a mountainous background (ski St Louis lately?); it’s not really AI – more like CGI – but a certain amount of “fakery” nonetheless…I’ve yet to hear complaints.
OpenAI, Google, and Meta ads at this year’s Super Bowl present a future that’s more fiction than fact. Because Google led the charge for AI during this year’s game, I will focus on them here. Their products that feature AI-enhanced Workspace and Gemini large language models were promoted.
One advertisement depicts a man reflecting on how raising children enhanced his abilities as he prepares for a job interview. This advertisement demonstrated AI features such as real-time language translation, which enabled the man to communicate effectively across a variety of languages.
In addition, the article discussed smart scheduling tools that enabled him to manage his time more effectively by automating meeting arrangements. The AI also provided personalized suggestions for email responses, which improved his communication and increased his productivity.
In my opinion, Gemini’s reassuring nudge didn’t demonstrate capabilities beyond those of a supportive friend. The tone was nevertheless reassuring and humane.
Google Workspace ran a similar advertisement on YouTube before the Super Bowl about a Wisconsin cheese shop and how it can provide cheese facts on demand. A controversy arose when viewers noticed the chatbot provided potentially inflated cheese consumption statistics.
A subsequent edit to the advertisement revealed how even AI from a tech giant may “hallucinate,” creating doubts. Furthermore, another part of the commercial appeared to be prewritten copy from 2020, casting doubt on the accuracy of the AI.
These incidents highlight the growing concern about the reliability of AI technologies and their impact on public trust. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life, the potential for errors or misinformation can undermine confidence in these tools. It is crucial for companies to ensure transparency and accuracy in their AI products to maintain and build public trust.
As a result of Google’s message, concerns were eased. With Artificial Intelligence, you can adjust a cover letter or run a small business with ease. That was Google’s message, and I think for the most part it was delivered well enough.
For the food retail side, AI will be justified as authentic and usable if it primarily focuses on helping shoppers accomplish one or more things – saving time, helping find/buy the products they want, or find deals/prices they want. If grocers, small markets, and convenience stores can align their brand messaging and store operations to help customers here by using AI, a trusted relationship is built for the long-term.
But delve into tempting tech like store floor AI robots, asking customers to wear AI glasses, or peering into shopping activity to shelf price maximize, and you’ll lose authenticity, trust with shoppers.
Authenticity, nostalgia, unique approaches, and storytelling have always been the foundation for advertising, especially during one of the year’s biggest events in the United States, the Super Bowl. So many ads resonated over the years, as they had the right concept and something people wouldn’t forget so easily. Without all the advancements in technology and especially AI, who could forget the Mean Joe Greene Coca-Cola ad, the Cindy Crawford Pepsi Ad, the McDonald’s Michael Jordan vs Larry Bird Ad, the iconic Apple 1984 Macintosh shocking ad, and many more?
With the advancements in AI capabilities, there are so many ways that this technology can augment and enhance how we work, collaborate, and design new concepts. Yet, with great power comes great responsibility. AI and GenAI capabilities by no means can replace the ingenuity, creativity, and human genius behind these iconic ads.
The concerning element is that there is a misconception that AI innovations and GenAI-produced commercials will transform how we view and appreciate ads. Just as society has been overwhelmed with the relentless connectivity via our smartphones, we are desensitized to AI-generated content, especially when we’ve seen what marketing and advertising teams are capable of. Change is constant, and things will shift over time, becoming a hybrid of GenAI and net new content from humans. Finding that balance will be crucial across the industrial advertising complex.
Exhibit A for pushing something out before it is ready for the market. Stupid is as stupid does.
In my opinion, retailers will lose their identity if they let AI take over their marketing without a clear strategy. AI can help in personalizing the content, but if it completely replaces human creativity, it starts to feel fake.
People connect with brands because of their stories, not because an algorithm told them to. Customers will accept AI when it adds value, not when it’s used by retailers just to cut costs.
Retailers need to set clear boundaries whether AI will be used to support their brand’s voice or completely takeover it. If AI marketing feels robotic or forced then customers will push back, and retailers will struggle to rebuild that trust.