Is hating on AI a viable marketing strategy?

The one thing you need to know in AI today | AI Ready CMO

Equinox rang in 2026 with a manifesto: “Your aliveness is an act of rebellion in an artificial world.” The luxury gym chain teased AI-generated absurdities—water-skiing babies, Bigfoot dancing in night vision—then pivoted to stark portraits of real, sweating humans. The tagline: “Question Everything But Yourself.”

Something is clearly wrong with the model on the left

They’re not alone.

Almond Breeze enlisted the Jonas Brothers to mock AI-generated pitches. Aerie pledged “real people only” in its ads—their most-liked Instagram post of the year. Heineken ran billboards countering AI companionship wearables. Polaroid plastered Manhattan bus stops with “AI can’t generate sand between your toes.” And McDonald’s Netherlands had to pull an AI-generated Christmas ad after the internet called it “the most god-awful ad I’ve seen this year.”