Storytelling has all the time been on the core of brand name advertising. Now, with AI changing into extra deeply embedded in inventive workflows, entrepreneurs are discovering new methods to scale emotional, multimodal narratives that join with audiences throughout channels.
In line with a latest examine carried out by DMEXCO and Kantar, emotional promoting will increase model demand by greater than 60%. In a dynamic and crowded panorama, emotional narratives — particularly these that may be personalised, scaled and optimized in real-time — can drive higher affect.
“AI empowers manufacturers to personalize storytelling like by no means earlier than,” mentioned Verena Gründel, host and director of brand name and communications at DMEXCO. “By analyzing habits, cultural context and preferences throughout channels, AI can tailor messages, visuals, video, audio and product suggestions to match particular person wants.”
The next case research, introduced by DMEXCO, showcase how main manufacturers throughout sectors use AI instruments to raise storytelling in methods which might be inventive, emotional and purpose-driven.
H&M, Nike and Cadbury deploy digital twins as a part of visible storytelling
As AI turns into extra entrenched in inventive processes, it permits manufacturers to create distinctive visible experiences at scale. In lots of instances, AI is a software that helps manufacturers inform a narrative extra effectively or seamlessly than it may have been informed by different means.
For instance, in a spring 2025 marketing campaign, clothes retailer H&M photographed 30 fashions and created photo-realistic digital twins utilizing AI. A number of the adverts paired the human and AI variations facet by facet, even together with quotes from the fashions about their experiences — making a hanging visible impact that blurred the road between actual and digital. H&M ensured all fashions retained picture rights and had been compensated — addressing moral questions on AI’s position in creativity whereas spurring conversations.
“Authenticity and transparency are essential,” mentioned Gründel. “Manufacturers ought to disclose how AI is used — for instance, by labeling AI-generated content material, as H&M does — whereas preserving actual folks on the heart of the story. When creatives are concerned and digital photos are used pretty, storytelling stays emotional, approachable and moral.”
Equally, athleticwear model Nike used AI for its fiftieth anniversary “By no means Finished Evolving” marketing campaign, which featured tennis icon Serena Williams taking part in in a digital tennis match towards herself. AI analyzed Williams’ actions and habits from previous matches to create the digital simulation. The consequence was an emotional story about self-discipline, psychological power and evolution, serving as a visible manifesto that emotionally amplified Nike’s “Simply Do It” model message.
“In our digital world, the place consideration spans are shrinking and content material is infinite, the tales that really transfer us are those we keep in mind,” mentioned Jens-Christian Jensen, lab supervisor at Bundesverband Digitale Wirtschaft (BVDW) e. V. and Chief Technique Officer at Plan.Internet Group.
“Generative AI ought to be seen as a inventive co-pilot, and by no means as a alternative for human creativeness,” he mentioned. “Simply as Photoshop didn’t kill storytelling, however unleashed a brand new visible language for creatives, AI opens recent narrative prospects. The story all the time begins with human perception and emotion. AI merely helps deliver it to life sooner, bolder and extra dynamically than ever earlier than.”
In one other instance that balanced digital twinning with cultural perception, sweet maker Cadbury used AI facial mapping to create a digital model of Bollywood star Shah Rukh. Via geotargeting, the marketing campaign promoted small, native companies throughout India throughout Diwali. The hyperlocal, socially impactful effort resulted in a 35% gross sales carry for Cadbury Celebrations and widespread business recognition.
“AI and digital twins allow hyper-personalized, immersive model experiences,” Gründel mentioned. “Merely adapting to native and cultural insights can massively enhance advertising ROI. The DMEXCO x Kantar examine reveals that relatable realities can enhance future model demand by 37 factors and affect by 31 factors. Why? As a result of relevance grows when folks really feel seen, understood and culturally addressed.
“AI helps manufacturers scale that type of relatable storytelling — turning international attain into native resonance,” she mentioned.
Synthesia and Pink Lobster use AI for unique advert creations
Different profitable AI efforts depend on these instruments to create one thing fully new — sharing narratives that create a way of function or place.
Think about the case of Synthesia, a platform that permits customers to generate movies with AI, utilizing options equivalent to AI avatars, generated voiceovers, script-to-video conversion and real-time translations. Synthesia markets itself via its tech, “making the instruments the story” and demonstrating how good content material creation with AI works in observe. For instance, a demo of the AI video builder makes use of a number of the similar AI avatars out there for customers creating their very own AI movies. In man-on-the-street-style social movies, passersby are requested which video presenters are actual and that are AI avatars — and are steadily stumped.
For B2B manufacturers particularly, showcasing product capabilities via the sort of participating storytelling doubles as each advertising and proof of idea. The truth that a lot of Synthesia’s advertising content material is produced by AI is a part of the message itself.
“AI is a elementary transformation that’s reshaping how we create, make choices and forge connections,” mentioned Jensen. “The very best campaigns don’t simply showcase AI; they harness it to drive actual, significant affect.”
In an instance of sonic storytelling, restaurant chain Pink Lobster created 30 AI-generated songs throughout genres like pop, jazz and nation to advertise its Cheddar Bay biscuits.
With lyrics referencing the biscuits’ addictive, buttery taste and fluffy texture, this method reframed a basic facet order into an entertainment-driven, multimodal expertise that resonated with its goal teams — capturing the very human expertise of style. Just like Synthesia, Pink Lobster’s musical marketing campaign didn’t shrink back from its use of AI, with the model dubbing its playlist as “Cheddar Bay-I.”
“Synthetic intelligence can scale content material, add emotion or translate it into new codecs — nevertheless it can’t exchange a real narrative,” Gründel mentioned. “It’s not nearly what’s technologically doable, however above all about why and for whom you might be telling a narrative.
“An open, clear method to AI — ideally with a wink, as in Pink Lobster’s ‘Cheddar Bay-I’ — creates belief and closeness,” she mentioned. “The interaction of all parts is essential right here: sound, picture, textual content and context should match collectively harmoniously. As a result of, regardless of all of the technological sophistication, one factor stays true — the message should stay human: empathetic, credible and related.”
Balancing AI and genuine storytelling for participating campaigns
Throughout these campaigns, a standard thread emerges: AI isn’t changing human storytelling however is increasing its prospects. Typically, AI is used as a conduit to share a story, however different occasions, AI tells a narrative that exists, largely, due to the expertise itself. And whether or not via visuals, interactivity, hyperlocal personalization or sound, the true affect is created when manufacturers keep their human essence.
“Profitable AI-driven storytelling might be outlined by how human it feels, not how automated it seems,” Jensen mentioned. “AI presents the unbelievable alternative to make storytelling each private and data-driven, remodeling each interplay right into a tailor-made expertise.
“That’s an infinite inventive alternative,” he mentioned. “The secret’s letting AI improve your story whereas by no means permitting it to dictate it, all whereas staying deeply rooted in your model’s core values, genuine voice and true function.”
Accomplice insights from DMEXCO
