Louise Cummins, CEO and co-founder of ACAM (Australian Centre for AI in Marketing), has said audiences in Australia enjoy seeing “in your face AI” in ad campaigns, rather than more subtle attempts to produce work more akin to something a human could create.
B&T sat down with Cummins during the Adobe Summit in Sydney this week, where the software company launched and showcased Adobe GenStudio for Performance Marketing and Adobe CX Enterprise — tools which have been designed to dramatically speed up campaign processes with the use of generative and agentic AI.
However, Cummins highlighted AI in campaigns should only ever add to the experience and do things you couldn’t do before, in what she describes as “the art of the possible”.
One example she highlighted was Tropicana’s recent ‘Give Life Some Juice’ campaign.
The campaign, created with advertising agency FIG, uses hyper-realistic CGI and AI-assisted animation workflows to build an energetic tropical universe.
Set to the track UP! by Forrest Frank and Connor Price, the video follows a sloth who is instantly rejuvenated after sipping Tropicana 100% Orange Juice, launching into a rainforest with a renewed sense of swagger. An additional suite of assets further expand the 360 campaign while spotlighting the brand’s product portfolio.
“They have gone over the top with their use of AI. In cases like this, when it’s clear that it’s AI, it doesn’t need that little label,” she said.
“With this campaign in particular, it feels out of control. The sloth is on this slippery dip, and then it’s going through this waterfall. I love it because it’s in your face AI.”
Cummins said it’s an example of “taking creativity to the next level”.
“That’s when [audiences] see the art of the possible with what can be created, and they get excited with where people’s imagination can take them.”
However, Cummins stressed that AI should never be used simply because it is available, warning brands against using the technology as a shortcut or a replacement for creativity.
“I think there’s been certain examples that have been public where it’s quite clear there wasn’t enough of a human in the loop, and that’s when there’s the backlash,” she said.
“I don’t really want to name and shame, but I think we just need to make sure that the benefit is clear. Is it benefiting the creative process, or is it just that they’re churning it out to save time or money?”
One recent example was Australian fashion brand Jeanswest, which faced criticism after releasing AI-generated social media ads promoting its new summer range.
The two 20-second Instagram spots featured AI-generated models wearing the brand’s clothing, but viewers were quick to point out the unnatural movements, blurry details and an overall “artificial look”.
At the time, Springboards.ai co-founder Pip Bingemann told B&T the issue was less about the use of AI itself and more about the lack of creative judgement and quality control.
“It’s pretty bad. I don’t think the AI production is the worst part though – the lack of an idea, judgement, understanding of craft or quality control is,” he said.
“I get there are pressures to be doing more with less but when AI is used to replace people in the whole supply chain, from idea and concept development through to approval and production and the talent themselves, those problems all get amplified.”
Cummins told B&T she believes AI should “always enhance the human creative process, not remove it”.
“I think AI will expand creativity if done in the right way, and that’s the key thing,” she said. “How do you do it in the right way that adds to the customer experience and the brand experience? At the core of it, it has to improve your brand trust as well.”
Cummins said she recently judged awards in the AI space and was struck by how early the industry still is in understanding the possibilities.
“I don’t think we’re even at the start of seeing what can be done with AI,” she said.
She recalled a recent workshop where someone explained how they had used AI to transform a bedtime story they created for their children into a picture book, then a colouring book, and eventually began exploring animation.
“I just love that there’s this really beautiful family moment where they’ve been able to take that creative idea and make it into something even more magical,” she said. “That’s what creativity is about. It’s about how do you find an initial concept and then find a way to actually create the magic.”
And while AI can unlock entirely new creative possibilities, Cummins said brands shouldn’t overlook the power of creativity that exists without the technology.
She highlighted American sandwich cookie brand Nutter Butter, whose chaotic TikTok presence has built a cult following through surreal, strange and highly unconventional storytelling.
“This is an example of content you could never get AI to do. It’s just crazy,” she said. “These videos are just full-on hectic and the people love them. This is a great example of the creativity that’s possible without AI.”
Ultimately, Cummins believes the brands that will succeed are those that understand when AI genuinely adds value — and when it simply becomes a gimmick.
“The question brands need to ask is: how does AI take it to that next level?” she said.
“If you’re just using AI for the sake of AI, then no. You have to think about what it enables you to do that you couldn’t do before.”
