AI in Advertising

For the Fall 2025 semester, I had the privilege of collaborating with peers in a senior-level AI in Advertising course at Appalachian State University. This class explored a new era of creative development leveraging artificial intelligence for campaign ideation, ethical evaluation, and execution. Each student was assigned a brand to research and reimagine through the lens of human insight and machine creativity.

My assigned client was Carhartt, a legacy workwear brand with deep roots in American craftsmanship. The challenge: develop a campaign that honors Carhartt’s heritage while expanding its relevance to emerging audiences. This required strategic research into brand perception, emotional resonance, and market segmentation.

Working with AI tools presented unique challenges. Aggregated online data often lacked context or credibility, requiring discernment and cross-referencing to ensure accuracy. Communicating effectively with AI also demanded precision when each prompt had to clearly articulate intent, leading to multiple iterations and refinements. The process mirrored real-world creative development: test, revise, and validate.

Although the class explored leveraging a new era of creative development, the process was essentially the same as any other case study. I began my process by utilizing Ai for background research into Carhartt. Ai, at this time, proved to be a bit more of a hurdle than anticipated as much of the information it brought to the research portion of the project was inaccurate or from a questionable source. However, through discernment, I was able to pull together the necessary information to support my final results.

The videos below were created using Vidnoz and Grok, Ai platforms that allow the user to create life-like renderings of human narrators.