Screenshot via Maybelline New York/TikTok
Given that CGI can erase certain boundaries, there are also questions around which ones brands can cross: British Airways was criticized this year for posting an image that appeared to show a billboard at Glastonbury, where such ads are limited. Another British company, GymBox, also recently received pushback for a FOOH campaign depicting ads on top of buses in London, which would have been the first of its kind.
Padgham said he often talks to brands about the importance of not trying to convince audiences that something is real when it’s not. “That always backfires because then people just feel let down,” he said. “I think the idea is to find that fine line of sparking people with a sense of charm and imagination that’s like, ‘Okay, this isn’t real. But it would be cool if it was.’”
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