The Willy Wonka debacle in Glasgow has once again shown us that customers can find themselves disappointed by promises of events adorned with attractive images. The event promised an immersive Willy Wonka experience where visitors could spend the day in a mythical chocolate fantasy land and even meet Willy Wonka himself and a cast of characters. The event turned out to be exceptionally disappointing and took place in a warehouse with sparse decorations and no chocolate! Customers took to social media to complain about their poor experience. While it’s not uncommon for events to fail to live up to their hype, the difference in this case is that customers were deceived by GenAI (Generative Artificial Intelligence)-generated images that promised so much and yet so little. The advertising images which led to customers paying up to £35 for a ticket presented a world which truly seemed to have been created by Wonka himself. So is the use of GenAI in advertising a new way to mislead customers or is it part of the same unethical practices that have always been used by some marketers?
What is GenAI? Using machine learning (neural network) technology and algorithms, GenAI delivers rapid processing of large amounts of information into human-like results, enabling more people to create content quickly, easily , without specialist knowledge and at a relatively cheap price. . Simply put, AI generation learns patterns from existing data (text, images, art, etc.) and then produces new content based on those patterns. The more data and learning a particular GenAI has, the better the outcome will be; over time, GenAI’s capabilities improve, giving us a wider range of possibilities.
This is the crux of the problem: the ease and apparent adequacy of the material produced by GenAI creates the impression that anyone can do it without any extensive quality control.
Dr Sarah Montano, Dr Inci Toral Manson and Dr Kamilya Suleymenova, University of Birmingham
Before GenAI allowed us to create images in minutes, creating marketing materials was more likely to be left to artists or specialists, which would be costly in both financial and time terms. To some extent, GenAI is more egalitarian and small business owners have access to almost unlimited images and broader content creation and can therefore compete with larger companies. At first glance, this content may appear compelling and presentable. This is the crux of the problem: the ease and apparent adequacy of the material produced by GenAI creates the impression that anyone can do it without any extensive quality control.
However, the quality of the content created is questionable and examples of controversies created by the use of GenAI already exist (view the Queensland Symphony Orchestra Facebook adAnd Amazon uses AI to market new Fallout TV show). Thus, quality control becomes even more crucial, as GenAI results often appear “smooth” and convincing. While GenAI does indeed make content creation easier and expand our options, we cannot be fooled into using it in a careless and unethical manner, even if only by omitting mistakes or deliberately making false declarations. It is the people/organizations producing the content who must take full responsibility for it. Otherwise, a hard-earned reputation will be lost as companies or individuals use GenAI to cut costs and produce “cheap” content.
There may be a belief that “there’s no such thing as bad marketing.” Yet this latest GenAI debacle is not the first example of marketing dysfunction, nor will it be the last. It’s not so surprising that promotional failures affect all brands, from the largest to the most local. Bad marketing campaigns highlight the fine line between newsworthy success and memorable failure. For example, in 2017, Dove launched a Facebook ad campaign intended to celebrate diversity. However, this created the complete opposite effect and a large public backlash occurred, leading Dove to publicly apologize (The Guardian). People widely criticized the brand for suggesting that a black woman transformed into a white woman after using Dove body wash. While big brands may have a broader reach and fame from the “bad campaign” can quickly go viral, local attempts aren’t immune to mistakes either. Christmas “wonderlands” tend to morph into “Wondershams” with their Scary Santa and boring deals.
The old marketing principle of knowing what your customers want, meeting their expectations, and keeping all your promises is as true today as it has always been. Brands should not use new tools to trick and deceive their customers.
Dr Sarah Montano, Dr Inci Toral Manson and Dr Kamilya Suleymenova, University of Birmingham
With the rapid penetration of GenAI into our daily lives and with the promise that “it can be your companion in anything you want”, anyone can become an artist or writer almost for free. The recent Willy Wonka Experiment, which used AI-generated images for its promotions, promised a magical journey but failed due to poor planning and execution. With overcrowded rooms, uninspiring and under-prepared activities rather than the expected whimsical charm led to disappointment, resulting in police intervention. Instead of a sweet adventure, guests were left with a bitter taste in their mouths, reminding marketers everywhere that delivering on promises is the key to preserving the magic of a brand.
In conclusion, GenAI is just another tool that marketers can use, but like all marketing tools, it must be used ethically, wisely, and responsibly. The old marketing principle of knowing what your customers want, meeting their expectations, and keeping all your promises is as true today as it has always been. Brands should not use new tools to trick and deceive their customers. As for consumers, as always, beware!
