Brands breaking all the rules

Feels like there is no escaping the constant doomer reminders of Ai taking jobs away especially to those in the creative industries with the wake of the likes of Chat GPT and midjourney. But is any of this scare mongering warranted and if so who is really at risk. Anyone who relies on Ai or data too much is doomed to be mid. big bands, movies and products fell into this trap before Ai even really got here. Brands who are desperately chasing algorithmic validation have decided to cater to everyone rather then innovate. in the words of Emily Chapps, the Digital Creative Lead at MØRNING.

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“We’ve lost risk, we’ve lost uniqueness, we’ve lost the human touch, and worst of all we’ve lost creative intuition – and isn't this what really makes us love a brand?”

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Big Data and Ai training all comes from the same place, the past. In 1993 behavivoural data would have predicted a big future for the fax machine. It simplifies things and make for an easy rationale in corporate meetings to believe that market data fits neatly onto human behaviour, but it doesn’t. Often time we are irrational purchasers. Take Redbull for example. Sound market data would suggest people want a cheaper drink in a larger can and that doesn't taste like piss. Redbull thought otherwise.

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This go against grain idea extends past energy drinks. Nothing is a brand that wants to put the fun and innovation back into products like phones and earbuds. Nothing claims that a lack of reinvention and a lack of innovation by brands has made consumer tech boring, and judging by Nothing success they’re not alone in thinking that. Apple who were at one stage the underdog and needed to be bold have now scaled to such a large point that they have to cater to everybody by making incremental changes to their products year on year.

Nothing successfully identified that there is a demographic of people that want more unique products. They did this by creating a brand & design strategy rooted in legacy design styles of early tech like IBM and early days Apple products with current phone and ear buds features at very competitive prices. A testament to the success of their brand strategy is the hype they were able to generate before they even had a product announced. This risk taking attitude is summed up by their lead designer Adam Bates, who left his job working at Dyson for over 12 years to venture into something new.

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"There's a bit of trusting our gut instinct of what excites us and what excited us in the past, because data is not going to lead us there – data is going to lead us to the same place as everyone else.” - Adam Bates

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We can see the change to cater a wider market with brand likes Sony and the Playstation. While video game consoles were still in their relative infancy playstation clearly wanted to make a splash with their PS2 campaign. Given the muted tone of the strategy behind the current Playstation 5 it's crazy to think that these ads are from the same brand let alone ever published.

Gentle Monster is another such example of a brand willing to take big risks by diving into the absurd to generate hype and attention. The founder Kim Han-Kook, left his financial section career to take on fashion giants by identifying a lack of larger frames in the market, larger frames which are more favoured by asian clientele who prefer to have the frames create an image of a smaller face.

Since then Gentle Monster has exploded into cult popularity with they surrealist anything goes approach towards their brand. They have consistently put out some of the most creative campaigns that go way beyond the expectations for eyewear. What they have also become know for is their store design where you would be forgiven for thinking you were walking into an art gallery rather then a retail store.

Equinox is a fitness brand that has garnered a lot of notoriety for their controversial ad campaigns and positioning to a niche upper-class clientele. One such campaign was their “We Don’t Speak January”, where they rejected new memberships for the month of January which is typically the busiest month for gym sign ups. This risky but calculated move distinguished themselves as not just another fitness brand but one that is committed to long term dedicated individuals.

Equinox doubled down on this theme with their “Commit to something” campaign, shot by fashion photographer Steven Klein. The campaign aims to empower their target audience to become the best possible version of themselves. Each image is not at all what you would expect to find in an ad for a gym. They each show individual examples of personal commitment and identity. Heres what Klein himself had to say about it;

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"I view my work through the eyes of a photojournalist, as I draw influence from what's going on outside my door every day.  This approach lends itself naturally to this year's Equinox campaign, where we're using imagery to tell highly personal stories and inspire conversation about important issues,”

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Closing thoughts

In a world inundated with warnings of AI encroaching on creative industries, it's easy to succumb to the doomsday narrative. But the real danger lies not in technological advancement itself, but in over-reliance on it at the expense of our own intuition. While predictive analytics can offer valuable insights, they often fail to capture the complexities of human behaviour and desires.

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Brands like Nothing, Gentle Monster and Equinox prove this with boundary-pushing products and experiences. Their success underscores the enduring appeal of creativity and originality in a world saturated with conformity. In a landscape where Ai threatens to homogenise creativity, it is the risk-takers who will find the most success.

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