The brand cost of AI slop
Creative Bloq’s critique of Fanta’s AI-heavy Halloween advertising is a useful reminder that novelty, speed, and visual polish do not automatically add up to a coherent brand idea.
A production shortcut becomes a brand signal when audiences can feel the lack of authorship.
The Story
The backlash is not simply about whether AI was used. It is about whether the work feels observed, edited, and made for a particular audience—or merely generated to fill a seasonal slot.
That distinction is becoming central to visual identity. AI can multiply options, but it can also multiply the number of weak options that reach the public before anyone has asked whether they belong to the brand.
A useful Studio Wensday checkpoint: after every generative round, remove more than you keep. The job is not to prove that a tool was used; it is to make the final expression feel intentional.
Studio Wensday Angle
Use AI to widen exploration, not to outsource taste.