In the race to win over consumers, AI startups are turning to an age-old marketing strategy: trying to make people feel something.
This year, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity have all ramped up their brand marketing efforts. OpenAI launched its first large-scale brand campaign for ChatGPT on Sunday, while Anthropic rolled out its debut campaign for AI chatbot Claude earlier this month.
Like Perplexity, which released its first celebrity-led ad in March, these campaigns use classic brand building techniques like storytelling, emotional messaging, and cultural partnerships—fundamental to creative advertising across sectors, but largely untapped by AI startups until now.
The shift reflects AI firms’ maturation in an increasingly competitive market. In just a few years, some AI startups have rocketed to sky-high valuations, with OpenAI valued at $324 billion and Anthropic at $178 billion, according to Forge Global data. Three-year-old Perplexity was valued at $20 billion as of September.
Amid explosive growth and intensifying rivalry, AI is entering the mainstream. Now is a crucial time for these companies to start building distinct brands that emotionally connect with consumers, said Nilesh Ashra, founder and CEO of AI training platform OK Tomorrow.
“The AI models have converged and become commoditized much quicker than anyone thought,” Ashra said. “In any category, once your product is no longer differentiated, you have to ask yourself: How do we build a competitive one? That’s the unique potential of creativity.”
Relatable stories
While different AI companies are taking slightly different creative approaches, they are all trying to inspire, emphasize the tech’s usefulness, and center the human experience in their own ways.
OpenAI—one of the dominant players—began its shift into mainstream marketing after appointing Kate Rouch, former chief marketing officer (CMO) of cryptocurrency firm Coinbase, as its first CMO in December. Since then, it’s been building an in-house creative team, hiring Michael Tabtabai as its first leader in August.
Earlier this year, OpenAI hit the national advertising stage with its first Super Bowl commercial. The ad used abstract, animated dots to draw a through line from humanity’s greatest inventions (fire, airplanes, television) to ChatGPT.
Its latest campaign brings the tech down to earth. The spots depict everyday moments, such as cooking dinner for a new romantic partner or going on a roadtrip, when ChatGPT comes in handy.
“Our storytelling is built on the real ways people are using ChatGPT right now,” Rouch told ADWEEK. “We want to highlight those small moments of possibility, discovery, and connection… making the technology feel optimistic, helpful, and accessible to everyone.”
Anthropic also came out with an optimistic message in its first campaign for Claude, backed by a multimillion-dollar media investment. Created by independent agency Mother, the sleek ad with a hip-hop soundtrack introduced the tagline “Keep Thinking” and positioned Claude as a problem solving sidekick for issues spanning medicine, education, creativity, and the environment.
The message is that Claude is “an AI you can trust with your most meaningful challenges,” said Andrew Stirk, head of brand marketing at Anthropic.
“We wanted to create a celebration, invitation, and rallying cry all at once,” he said. “We want people to feel like they’ve found a thinking partner worthy of their ambitions.”
In its creative approach, Anthropic drew inspiration from brands like Patagonia, “for their exacting focus on product quality, their principled actions, and the inspiring vision of their founder,” Stirk added.
Perplexity has a similar proposition “to help curious people,” said head of communications Jesse Dwyer. But its recent advertising has been less lofty, leaning into humor and pop culture instead.
In March, its largest campaign to-date—a seven-figure media buy across streaming platforms—starred Squid Game actor Lee Jung-jae and playfully jabbed at Google. In May, it signed an endorsement deal with Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton.
“We ask, ‘What would be fun to people? What would be interesting and very human?’” said Dwyer.
He added while this isn’t “a radical idea,” the approach could stand out in the tech sector, where “a lot of ads end up reflecting the bubble of technology itself,” he said.
“The more other AI companies just talk about themselves,” he added, “it reinforces our story that we’re about people and our users, and we care more about them than we do ourselves.”
Tackling mistrust
Building human and accessible brands could be particularly challenging around AI, which has sparked fears about replacing jobs and eroding human connections. Tech giants like Meta and Google have previously faced backlash for marketing of their AI products, especially when it appeared to overshadow human creativity.
Compared to other emerging technology, “There is a bigger level of mistrust that sits around AI,” said Sam Williams, head of strategy at AMV BBDO. “There’s also a risk of a bigger mistrust backlash if you get this wrong.”
To build trust and appeal to the masses, AI marketers must answer, “How do we give heart to technology, which can be very cold?” said Andrés Ordóñez, global chief creative officer of FCB. “If you show me how powerful you are, I might be scared. But if you tell me how you get me and why you’re part of my life, that’s relatable.”
If successful, AI startups could follow the path of other tech giants like Google, which has built its brand through emotional advertising that showcases the power of its products. Or, according to Williams, AI startups could “transform into big lifestyle brands” like Apple or Spotify, which are also widely acclaimed for their brand storytelling.
But they’re not there yet, Ashra said. So far, AI brands are “accidentally creating category ads that sell the idea of this emerging technology versus their specific tech,” he argued.
“Domains like problem solving and knowledge are not uniquely ownable by any large language models, so there’s a risk that a really lovely Anthropic ad will make consumers feel warm and fuzzy about OpenAI,” Ashra added.
As AI companies scramble to differentiate, they should be specific in their storytelling and communicate their distinctive missions, much like celebrated brands like Nike and Apple have done before.
“I think there are mission statements on the white boards at some of these companies that they’re not sure how to actually say to the world,” Ashra said. “Some of these ads are struggling to navigate that. They’re sweet and a little bit vague, but they miss the opportunity to say what they really believe. They’re holding back.”