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Welcome back to AIM! This week, we're diving into why major brands are pulling AI ads after social backlash and what it means for your campaigns. Plus, we've got an AI tool to manage your customers, and a case study showing how to create your AI powered marketing strategy in 2026.
Let’s make this week count! 🤝
More than 55,000 AI marketers are reading this newsletter this Tuesday!
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Affiliate marketing isn’t being replaced by AI, it’s being amplified by it.
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📰 Main Story
Why Big Brands Are Pulling AI Ads (And Why You Should Pay Attention)
The Reckoning: McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Meta, and H&M all yanked or reworked AI-generated ads in 2025 after social media blowback. Consumer surveys reveal the harsh truth: only 18% of people feel positive about AI-generated content in ads. The rest? Creeped out or skeptical.
What Went Wrong: These weren't cheap AI fails; they were high-budget campaigns that backfired because brands skipped a critical step: human cultural review. AI-generated content that was technically sound but emotionally tone deaf. One major fashion brand faced accusations of eugenics. Another got slammed for cultural appropriation. These aren't hypothetical risks anymore.
The Real Cost: Brand reputation damage, lost consumer trust, and the awkward scramble to apologize. In 2025, speed beats perfection, but only if it doesn't tank your credibility.
What Smart Marketers Are Doing: The winning teams aren't ditching AI, they're adding friction to the process. They're running AI-generated content through cultural sensitivity reviews, getting feedback from diverse teams, and building in approvals by adding the human touch before going live.
Your Takeaway: AI is a powerful tool. Give it the same review process you'd give a traditional campaign. Don't be the next cautionary tale.
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🛠️ Tool Spotlight
Brevo - The all-in-one AI-powered customer platform
What it does: Brevo unifies email marketing, SMS, WhatsApp, chatbots, and CRM in one platform. With 500,000+ customers relying on it, Brevo handles everything from campaign launch to customer loyalty, powered by AI agents that write copy, optimize send times, segment audiences, and analyze what actually drives results.
Best for: Growing teams tired of juggling 5+ marketing tools. E-commerce brands, SaaS companies, and agencies managing multiple customer touchpoints need a unified system, not a tool graveyard.
Why it matters: Most marketers are drowning in tools. Brevo's AI agents handle the busywork: writing email content, analyzing performance data, recommending ideal send times, and personalizing product recommendations at scale.
The AI advantage: Brevo's Aura Agents work 24/7. They segment audiences based on behavior (not just demographics), optimize campaign timing by analyzing when your audience actually opens emails, and suggest product recommendations that actually convert. One user reported 127% higher CTRs after switching to Brevo's predictive optimization.
Quick tip: Start with email and SMS campaigns, then layer in WhatsApp and web chat once your team gets comfortable. Use the AI data analyst feature to uncover hidden patterns in your customer behavior; it's where most teams find their quick wins.
⚡ Quick Win of the Week
Master Prompt Engineering in 5 Steps
The best AI output starts with the best prompts. Use this structure to level up your campaign copy:
Step 1: Define the role; "Act as a direct response copywriter experienced in [your industry]"
Step 2: Set the context; "Write ad copy for [product/service] targeting [specific audience]"
Step 3: Add constraints; "Keep it under 50 words. Use emotional language. Include one benefit and one proof point."
Step 4: Request variations; "Give me 5 different angles on this message."
Step 5: Test and iterate; Pick the top 2 variations, and A/B test them in your next campaign.
Expected result: 20-30% higher engagement on AI-generated copy.
Time investment: 10 minutes to set up, seconds to generate.
📈 This Week in AI Marketing
Why it matters: Starting June 2026, you must conspicuously disclose any AI-generated 'synthetic performer' in ads targeting New York. Miss this and face hefty fines.
Why it matters: Brands faced public criticism for AI-generated ads lacking cultural sensitivity. The lesson: balance innovation with rigorous review.
Why it matters: Shows how big brands operate marketing-wise. Duolingo's CMO: leverage audience feedback for sharper creative. Chili's CMO: convert viral buzz into loyal in-store customers. Listening beats guessing.
Why it matters: Traditional ads don't reach high-intent AI users inside ChatGPT and Claude. Shift to native AI advertising and watch CTRs climb to 5%.
📚 Learn Something New
This week: Building an AI-Powered Marketing Strategy (Without Getting Lost)
The basics: A solid AI marketing strategy breaks down into three parts: audience targeting with AI, campaign automation to save time, and smarter analytics to measure what actually works.
Why it matters: Teams mapping out AI pilots or scaling their toolkit need a roadmap, not just a bunch of tools: strategy first, tools second.
Common mistakes:
Buying tools before knowing what problems they solve.
Treating AI as a "set it and forget it" solution.
Ignoring brand voice and cultural fit in automated content.
Best practices:
Start with one AI tool focused on your biggest pain point (content, targeting, or reporting).
Train the AI on your brand guidelines and past winning campaigns.
Review and optimize weekly. AI gets smarter when you give it feedback.
Plan for human review on anything customer-facing.
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