From Cadbury’s Diwali hyper-personalized ads, Heinz getting creative with AI’s idea of ketchup, to Absolut’s AI cocktails, brands are making AI marketing campaigns more human, remarkably creative, memorable, and viral.
This blog explores in detail how top brands blend creativity with AI tools to drive results and how you can apply these insights to your marketing strategies.
What Are AI Marketing Campaigns?
AI marketing campaigns are marketing strategies that use artificial intelligence (AI) tools and algorithms to create more personalized, efficient, and creative experiences for customers.
Unlike traditional marketing, AI campaigns can:
- Quickly create original, innovative content ideas and creative visuals
- Give people the freedom to create and personalize their own content or experiences using AI tools.
- Predict customer behavior and interests
- Encourage participation through AI-powered tools (like image or video generators)
AI boosts creativity by helping brands try new ideas, involve users, and deliver marketing that feels fun, fresh, and made just for the audience. This leads to higher engagement, stronger brand buzz, and even better sales.
Let’s take a quick look at what this blog has in store.
Table of Contents:
- Real World AI Marketing Campaigns
- What These AI Marketing Campaigns Teach Us
- AI marketing Isn’t Just for Big Brands- You Can Do It Too
- Wrapping up: Final thoughts on AI Marketing Campaigns
Real-World AI Marketing Campaigns
Let’s dive into how some of the world’s biggest brands are using AI in powerful, creative ways
Cadbury’s #NotJustACadburyAd
How AI Turned India’s Biggest Star into a Small Business Hero
Imagine walking into your neighborhood store, the same one where you’ve been buying chocolates and groceries since childhood and seeing Shah Rukh Khan promoting it. Sounds impossible, right? But Cadbury made it happen!
Using AI, they transformed the world’s biggest superstar into the brand ambassador of thousands of local businesses, giving them a spotlight during Diwali, their most important sales season.
The Why Behind the Campaign:
- During Diwali, Cadbury experiences its biggest sales in India, especially for their chocolate gift sets.
- Their sales depend on small retailers– Kirana shops (small general grocery stores), clothing stores, electronics outlets, businesses that stock their chocolate gift boxes.
- The COVID pandemic hit these small stores the hardest, leaving them struggling to survive.
While big brands bounced back easily, local shops lacked the resources to advertise and attract customers.
That’s when Cadbury Celebrations and Ogilvy India came up with an innovative idea:
Why not use India’s biggest superstar, Shah Rukh Khan, to promote these small businesses?
The Core Idea + Tech
- Cadbury partnered with Rephrase.ai, an AI-powered video creation platform, to bring this idea to life.
- Using different types of AI technologies like machine learning and generative AI, they trained a model to replicate Shah Rukh Khan’s face and voice, generating videos that made it appear as though he was personally endorsing thousands of local businesses.
- The campaign featured different versions of the ad, tailored to four key business categories: Fashion, Footwear, Electronics, and Kirana (grocery stores).
These ads were targeted based on location, so viewers saw nearby small businesses being promoted in their area.
To see how Cadbury supported local retailers during Diwali, check out their campaign video below:
However, even with AI, it wasn’t possible to create a personalized ad for every store in India.
Then, how did they execute?
The Execution:
So, Cadbury took it a step further and empowered small business owners to create their own version of the ad!
Cadbury built a microsite- NotJustACadburyAd.com where shop owners can easily:
- Enter their store name, category, location, and contact details
- Instantly receive a personalized ad video on WhatsApp
They could then share this video on social media.
The Results:
The following results were officially shared by the 2022 APAC Effie Awards, where Cadbury’s campaign was recognized for its impact:
- 130,000 personalized ads were created by small businesses
- Reached over 30 million viewers on social and digital platforms.
- ₹6 million worth of free PR
- 35% rise in sales compared to the time before COVID
- 41% more stores included Cadbury chocolates in their inventory.
- Chocolate lovers bought over 33 million Cadbury gift boxes during the campaign.
Why this campaign was a Success:
Cadbury’s AI Marketing campaign was a Marketing Masterpiece because:
- Cadbury wasn’t just about chocolates in this campaign. They supported small businesses to grow.
- Using AI, personalization, and Shah Rukh Khan, they made a simple ad unforgettable.
It revived community spirit post-COVID, supporting local stores while boosting Cadbury’s brand and sales.
Win-win for all, small businesses gained customers, Cadbury grew stronger, and fans loved seeing SRK spotlight local shops.
And when the thought behind a campaign is this strong, success naturally follows.
Absolut’s ‘Mix Your Neighbourhood’
Turning Canadian Communities into Cocktails with AI
What if your neighborhood could be turned into a cocktail? Sounds wild, right? Well, that’s exactly what Absolut Vodka did with their Mix Your Neighbourhood campaign!
With this campaign, Absolut served us a mind-blowing cocktail- a cocktail with a mix of creativity, technology, and people with the help of image-generating AI tools like Midjourney. Read on to see how they brought this unique mix to life!
The Idea – Mixing Drinks, People, and Communities
In partnership with Ogilvy Toronto, Absolut launched “Mix Your Neighbourhood” to celebrate the unique culture, energy, and flavor of local communities.
By teaming up with residents and bartenders, they set out to discover the traits or “ingredients” that defined each neighbourhood, whether it was the nightlife, fashion, creativity, or attitude.
Caroline Begley, VP of Marketing at Corby Spirit and Wine, summed it up perfectly “Absolut has always been about mixing, so why not blend the spirit of neighbourhoods into drinks?”
With AI being a hot topic, it became the perfect tool to translate these community vibes into something visually and emotionally engaging.
The Execution:
The campaign unfolded in three key steps:
- Discovering Neighbourhood Flavors:
Absolut spoke with locals like bartender Mike from Ossington, who described his neighbourhood as kinetic, fashionable, and alive with nightlife. These conversations uncovered the “ingredients” that gave each community its vibe. - AI-Generated Cocktail Art
Using those real descriptions as prompts on an AI platform, AI transformed neighbourhood traits into stunning cocktail visuals, mixing colors, textures, and themes that captured the spirit of each area. - Bringing AI Cocktails to Life
It didn’t stop at the screen. Absolut and local bartenders turned AI art into cocktails that captured the true flavor of every neighbourhood.
See how Absolut brought this creative AI campaign to life in the video below:
The Impact:
- The campaign featured 22 Canadian neighbourhoods, and the response was incredible.
- Over a thousand people nominated their communities, hoping to see them transformed into Absolut cocktails. It was so successful that Absolut even expanded it to include more locations.
- To take it a step further, Absolut hosted an art exhibition in Toronto, turning these AI cocktail artworks into a real-world celebration of Canadian communities.
To sum it up,
The campaign was not just about the drink, it was about celebrating culture, creativity, and bringing people together. By mixing AI with mixology, Absolut turned local pride into something people could see, taste, and experience.
Nestlé La Lechera’s Taste the AI
A Century of Colombian Sweetness Meets AI
Want Some AI Dessert for Your Sweet Tooth?
Nestlé La Lechera teamed up with Publicis Colombia to take dessert innovation to a whole new level with the “Taste the AI” campaign.
But this wasn’t just about technology; it was a celebration of 100 years of La Lechera in Colombia, blending tradition, history, and AI-generated creativity with the help of the AI tool Midjourney to create something truly unique.
Nestlé La Lechera is best known for its sweetened condensed milk, a kitchen staple across Latin America. This single ingredient has been used for decades to create rich, sweet treats.
Why Colombia?
La Lechera turned 100 in Colombia, and for Nestlé, it was more than just an anniversary; it was a celebration of culture and tradition. From flan to tres leches cake, Colombians have used La Lechera to create beloved desserts for decades.
What better way to honor this milestone than by blending history, AI, and traditional flavors?
How the “Taste the AI” Campaign Was Executed:
Nestlé La Lechera created 10 unique dessert recipes, each inspired by a different decade from the past 100 years. Instead of simply looking at old recipes, they used AI to generate entirely new desserts based on historical trends!
Execution of the Campaign:
- From 1920 to 2020, each decade inspired a different dessert.
- A historian helped gather key historical facts, trending fruit/ flavor, and art styles from each decade. These were combined with La Lechera’s condensed milk.
- This data was then entered into an AI tool (Midjourney) as a prompt, generating stunning AI-created dessert concept images.
- A pastry expert brought these AI-generated desserts to life, turning virtual ideas into real, delicious treats!
For example, the 1940s dessert was inspired by cumbia music, coffee, street art, and condensed milk- a flavorful mix of cultural elements from that era.
To celebrate, the final 10 AI-generated desserts were showcased at the Museum of Modern Art in Bogotá, where people got to taste history on a plate!
The recipes are now available on recetasnestle.com.co.
Watch the campaign video uploaded by Publicis Colombia on AdForum.
The Results:
- 560,700+ social media impressions
- 9 million + people reached
- $47,000 USD in PR value (earned purely through buzz and publicity)
Many people felt like they were tasting a piece of history. The desserts were praised for blending history with delicious, sweet flavors.
This campaign wasn’t just about promoting Nestlé, it was about celebrating Colombian culture, 100 years of La Lechera, and the fusion of tradition with AI-driven creativity.
A perfect mix of nostalgia and innovation!
Heinz Got AI to Imagine Ketchup
What if AI could prove your brand is the best, without you saying a word?
That’s exactly what Heinz did with the help of the agency Rethink.
In one of the most creative AI marketing campaigns, Heinz used the AI image generator tool DALL·E 2 and simply asked it to “draw ketchup.” The AI created images that looked just like a Heinz bottle, without any brand input!
Even AI can recognize that Heinz sets the standard for what ketchup should be.
By letting AI show Heinz as the ultimate ketchup, the brand delivered a clever, organic message that resonated with a tech-savvy audience, proving superiority without saying a word.
Developed by Canadian agency Rethink, the campaign first launched in Canada but quickly gained global attention, thanks to its clever use of AI, organic virality, and strong brand recall.
How Heinz Executed the Campaign:
- Heinz kicked off the campaign using 100% AI-generated visuals in ads, print, and social media. But they took it a step further, fans could get involved too!
- People joined the trend, asking AI to “draw ketchup” and sharing their results using #AIKetchup.
- As more people joined, they got creative, prompting AI with unique ideas like #KetchupInSpace and other fun variations.
AI-generated futuristic, artistic, and unexpected ketchup images make the campaign even more engaging.
- Major brands like Ducati and Sportsnet soon joined in, boosting the campaign’s reach and credibility.
- Heinz didn’t stop online. They brought AI to life, turning the digital images into real billboards, print ads, limited-edition Heinz bottles, and even a metaverse art gallery!
Watch Heinz’s “Draw Ketchup” Campaign video below:
The Results, as per The Drum:
The campaign won top industry awards like Cannes Lions, Clio, D&AD, and The Drum.
- 1.15 billion earned impressions worldwide
- 2500% more earned media value than what they paid for, as the campaign’s buzz spread widely through social media, news, and word-of-mouth.
- 38% higher engagement than previous Heinz campaigns
- 100% of the responses in North America were either positive or neutral, with no backlash.
And the biggest impact?
The AI tool kept showing Heinz for ketchup so much, they had to adjust it – that’s brand power.
This wasn’t just Heinz using AI, it was Heinz marking its territory. Instead of self-promotion, AI and consumers did it for them. That’s what made the campaign feel so genuine, interactive, and unique.
- Seamlessly blended technology, trends & creativity
- Earned global media success
- Heinz made AI work for them, and they were the ones leading AI.
- Made a cultural impact
This campaign was a masterclass in AI-driven storytelling, participation, and brand positioning in the AI era.
KitKat’s Have AI break
“Have a Break” has been KitKat’s go-to line for ages.
But how do you make it relevant in an AI-driven world? Simple- let AI take a break too!
KitKat teamed up with Courage, a Toronto-based agency, to create Have AI Break, a campaign that proved even AI performs better after a breather.
The Big Idea:
KitKat has always found fresh ways to bring “Have a Break” into culture. The team at Courage found that AI answers could be improved with better prompts.
Then, a Google DeepMind study (Page 1, Table 1 ours) backed it up, proving that AI performs better when told to “take a deep breath” before answering.
That’s when it clicked:
Taking a deep breath helps AI, just like having a break helps people recharge. KitKat’s tagline wasn’t just for humans, it worked for AI too! And that’s how Have AI Break was born.
Putting AI to the Test,
To prove it, they ran a simple experiment:
Asked the AI like ChatGPT the same question twice, once normally, once with “Have a Break and tell me…”
The result? AI’s answers were 10-15% more accurate after being told to “have a break.”
Watch KitKat’s “Have AI Break, Have a KitKat” campaign video below:
The Results? (Source: Strategy Awards)
Gold Winner in Tech Strategy at the 2024 Strategy Awards, one of Canada’s top marketing honors.
- 3.5 billion organic impressions worldwide.
- 9 million organic impressions in the first week, without a single paid ad!
- 18% jump in social engagement.
- 250% boost in brand love (Yep, people loved it that much!)
- 14% lift in purchase intent
Why It Worked So Well?
This campaign wasn’t just about AI, it was about proving a simple truth most creatively:
- Breaks make everything better, even AI.
- Gave KitKat’s famous line a cool, modern twist with tech.
- Blended science, humor, and storytelling for a viral hit.
KitKat didn’t just use AI for fun- they used it smartly to stand out and show that their famous “Have a Break” message still connects with people today.
Now that we have covered these remarkable, creative, impactful, and successful AI marketing campaigns, let’s discuss what we should learn from these campaigns.
What These AI Marketing Campaigns Teach Us
These AI marketing campaigns weren’t just creative experiments, they offer real lessons for marketers today. Here’s what stood out:
1. Engage Your Audience
These campaigns didn’t just talk, they invited participation. Heinz’s user-generated AI ketchup images went viral, proving that interactive content boosts reach and creativity.
2. Use AI to Enhance brand message
AI served the story, not the spotlight. For example, KitKat’s twist on “Have a break,” brands used AI to creatively support their core message.
3. Focus on Real Experiences & Emotions
From Cadbury’s emotional Diwali campaign to Absolut’s locally inspired cocktails, and Nestle’s history inspired desserts, these stories felt personal, emotional, and real, both online and offline.
4. Creativity Doesn’t Need a Big Budget
Most of these AI marketing campaigns used accessible AI tools like Midjourney, ChatGPT, DALL·E, or Rephrase.ai. While production costs may vary, the AI components were often budget-friendly, highlighting that creativity doesn’t always require big budgets to drive results.
5. Make It Personal (at Scale)
AI helped brands deliver personalized content to millions, whether it was Shahrukh Khan promoting your local store or a cocktail recipe based on your neighbourhood.
6. Show Results
These AI marketing campaigns showed that creativity backed by data is a winning combination. They delivered real outcomes by gaining higher visibility, audience participation, sales uplift, and media coverage. For example, Heinz earned massive media value and Cadbury’s sales boosted.
AI Marketing Campaigns Aren’t Just for Big Brands – You Can Do It Too
AI is unlocking new opportunities for all, not just big names. Whether you’re a solopreneur or a small business, you can start today with simple AI-powered tools.
- Turn customer reviews into engaging videos using accessible tools like InVideo.ai or explore cutting-edge models like Sora by OpenAI, designed for advanced text-to-video generation.
- Create fun posts using Canva AI, write catchy captions, or get video scripts with ChatGPT.
- Brainstorm campaign ideas or content using AI, and even create a brand video or reel.
No need for a big plan, just pick a story, idea, or message, choose a format, and let AI help you bring it to life. That’s the beginning of your journey to a powerful AI-driven campaign!
Wrapping up: Final Thoughts on AI Marketing Campaigns
AI isn’t just a trend, it’s a creative partner helping brands connect, surprise, and inspire in powerful new ways. As these AI marketing campaigns show, when technology meets imagination, the results can be unforgettable. And AI helps in executing it and turning it into reality.
Whether you’re a big brand or a growing business, AI gives you the power to think bigger, be more creative, act smarter, and market in ways that truly stand out and connect.