13 Brands Using AI for Social Media Marketing, Advertising & Content Creation
If you’re a marketer, creator, or brand owner not making the most of AI for social media, you’re lagging behind your competitors. AI is the future, but it’s also the present, with many huge brands and companies effectively using AI technology for content creation, marketing, and advertising.
From generating eye-catching visuals to personalizing the customer journey, AI is actively reshaping the digital marketing workflow. However, it’s important to remember that AI isn’t a substitute for human ingenuity (for now); it is an indispensable partner that can amplify your creative ideas and refine your strategies. So keep reading to learn about the brands thriving on Social Media with the help of AI.
AI in Social Media Advertising
Social media advertising is an arena where AI’s power shines brightest. Brands are utilizing machine learning to move beyond simple AI-generated images, creating advertising that feels less like a school computer science project and more like a futuristic production.
Brands Using AI in Social Media Ads
- Nike: Ever the leader, Nike has used AI in various social media ad campaigns over the last few years. One of the brand’s most notable uses of AI in recent years was for the #Nike50 campaign, where Nike used it to explore the evolution of Serena Williams’ career and simulate a series of matches between two versions of the Women’s tennis GOAT from different eras.
- Netflix: While primarily known for its streaming service, Netflix’s approach to content recommendation is a marketing masterclass. Over 80% of the content watched on the platform is driven by its AI-powered recommendation system. This isn’t just internal; it informs their social media advertising. By knowing what users watch, Netflix can create highly specific social media ads featuring niche content or specific genres, drastically boosting the return on ad spend and user retention.
- Coca-Cola: Coca-Cola took a huge risk during their Christmas 2024 ad campaign when they chose to mess with their successful and well-loved formula. Rather than using real actors for the brand’s highly anticipated seasonal campaign, Coca-Cola linked up with innovative studios to produce three holiday commercials with generative AI. While the end result looked sleek and professional, viewers criticized the ad for lacking warmth and attention to detail, qualities that were seen as staples of Coca-Cola campaigns.
Generative AI for Visual and Copy Automation
The time-consuming task of creating multiple ad variations is being dramatically accelerated by generative AI tools. Brands using AI for content creation are seeing incredible efficiency gains.
- Heinz’s AI-Generated Ketchup: Heinz launched a playful and visually impactful campaign using DALL-E and other generative AI tools. They simply asked the AI to “draw ketchup.” The resulting images, all bearing a striking resemblance to the iconic Heinz bottle, were used across social media, digital ads, and even packaging. The campaign’s success was immense, generating over 800 million earned impressions and showing how companies using AI art can drive massive brand awareness and engagement through a simple, clever concept.
- Meta’s Ad Sandbox: Meta itself is empowering advertisers with AI-generated ads for Facebook. The platform’s AI Sandbox allows for the automatic generation of text variations, image modifications (like outcropping to fit different aspect ratios), and even text-to-image creation. This puts the power of AI advertising directly into the hands of marketers, enabling fast testing and optimization.
The New Face of Influence: AI Models and Avatars
One of the most innovative uses of AI in social media marketing is the emergence of virtual personalities and digital models. These computer-generated figures are becoming genuine influencers and brand ambassadors.
Collaborating with AI Influencers
Brands using AI influencers are tapping into a new kind of celebrity that offers consistency, infinite availability, and total creative control.
- Lil Miquela: As one of the original and most famous virtual influencers, Lil Miquela has amassed millions of followers on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. She is a 19-year-old computer-generated girl who has partnered with high-end brands like Prada, Calvin Klein, and BMW. Her campaigns demonstrate that a personality doesn’t have to be physically real to generate massive online engagement and sell products. For BMW, she promoted an electric vehicle in a visually rich short film, blending real-world footage with AI-driven storytelling.
- Noonoouri: Known for her advocacy of sustainability and inclusivity, Noonoouri is a digital character who has worked with brands like Marc Jacobs, Versace, and Bulgari. Her strong focus on social causes gives her brand partnerships a deeper meaning, proving that AI personalities can be aligned with brand values just like human influencers.
Fashion Brands Using AI Models
The fashion world is rapidly adopting AI to streamline content production and push creative boundaries. Fashion brands using AI models are finding ways to quickly adapt to fast-changing trends without the logistical hurdles of traditional photoshoots.
- H&M’s Digital Twins: H&M made headlines by creating AI-generated “digital twins” of real-world models. These avatars are used across their advertising, social media content, and e-commerce product pages. The models consented to the digital cloning, which allows H&M to instantly generate hundreds of product images in various styles and poses without needing repeated photoshoots. This not only cuts down on time and cost but also significantly reduces the environmental impact associated with global logistics and travel for large-scale campaigns.
- Levi’s AI Models: Levi’s explored using AI models to supplement human models to increase diversity in their product imagery. While the move sparked a conversation about the role of human models, it highlights the technical capability of AI to instantly create diverse and inclusive product visuals at scale, addressing the need for representation faster than traditional means.
Generating Content Ideas with AI
AI’s impact isn’t limited to the big, splashy campaigns. It’s also about brands using AI for content creation daily, optimizing the content machine that powers social media success.
AI tools are invaluable for helping content creators break through creative blocks and scale their ideas.
- BuzzFeed’s Personalized Quizzes: BuzzFeed, a world leader in engaging online content, utilizes AI to personalize its famous quiz content. By analyzing user behavior and preferences, the AI can tailor the quiz experience and results, making the content more addictive and shareable. This constant feedback loop drives massive social media traffic and engagement.
You can use AI to help create content for your brand, from caption ideas to entire posts. Metricool’s AI Social Media assistant is the perfect colleague, helping you automate your content with minimal input. SIgn up with the button below to try our AI Assistant for free.
TL:DR
For those of you who don’t like reading, here’s a quick rundown of the brands using AI on social media:
- Nike: Serena vs Serena campaign
- Netflix: AI Social Ads
- Coca-Cola: 2024 Christmas campaign
- Heinz: AI Ketchup
- Meta: Ad Sandbox
- Prada: AI influencer collabs
- Calvin Klein: AI influencer collabs
- BMW: AI influencer collabs
- Marc Jacobs: AI influencer collabs
- Versace: AI influencer collabs
- Bulgari: AI influencer collabs
- H&M: AI models
- Levi’s: AI models
The Future Is Collaborative: AI and Human Oversight
The common thread in all these examples is that AI is a tool, not a replacement. The most successful brands using AI are those that maintain a high degree of human oversight and strategic direction.
AI handles the mechanical tasks: analysis, personalization at scale, copy generation, and visual iteration. This frees up human creativity to focus on the big ideas, the emotional connection, and the strategic refinement of the brand voice.
Your AI Blueprint for Social Media Success
For anyone working in social media, the takeaway is clear: AI is no longer optional. It’s the critical ingredient for efficiency and impactful outreach.
- Start with Personalization: Use AI-powered analytics (like Metricool’s) to understand your audience deeper. Move beyond basic demographics and predict their next action, tailoring your organic and paid social content accordingly.
- Experiment with Generative Art: Test out AI image and copy generators for low-stakes content like ad variations or quick social posts. Follow the lead of brands like Heinz and use AI art to create unique, shareable brand moments.
- Find Your Voice: Utilize AI writing assistants to generate post drafts, then refine them to ensure they align perfectly with your brand’s personality and tone. AI saves you time; your human input guarantees authenticity.
- Stay Alert: Implement AI-powered listening tools to monitor conversations, identify breaking trends, and respond quickly to sentiment shifts, just like Mastercard.
AI is the opportunity to make your social media marketing faster, smarter, and more personal. By integrating these tools into your daily workflow, you can compete with the biggest companies using AI for marketing and build a brand that truly resonates in the digital space. The goal is to maximize your time for strategy and connection, letting AI handle the heavy content creation lifting.
