Italian fashion house Valentino released a fully AI-generated advertising campaign for a handbag in late 2025, and the response from its own audience turned negative within days. Commenters on Instagram described the ads as cheap and lazy, according to BBC reporting, with many questioning why a brand built on craftsmanship and human skill would rely on generated imagery to sell its products.
The backlash arrived alongside a wider shift in how consumers judge AI-generated advertising. Research published in the Journal of Advertising Research found that consumers respond more negatively when luxury brands use and disclose AI-generated imagery in their campaigns, concluding that the practice signals lower effort and reduces perceived brand value and authenticity.
Valentino's campaign followed a similar pattern seen at Coca-Cola, which released a fully AI-generated holiday commercial in late 2024 that also drew public criticism for its uncanny visuals. Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch mocked the Coca-Cola ad on social media at the time.
Industry data suggests the reaction to Valentino's campaign reflects a broader trend. DoubleVerify's 2026 Media Quality in the Age of AI study found that 43 percent of consumers in North America said a brand's use of low-quality or uncanny AI-created ads would negatively affect their opinion of that brand.
In response to the shift in sentiment, some brands have begun marketing the absence of AI in their campaigns. Apparel brand Aerie posted an Instagram ad in October 2025 stating it used real people with no AI-generated bodies or retouching, a post that became one of its most-liked in a year.
Source: Yahoo Finance (Moneywise) - https://finance.yahoo.com/media-advertising/articles/valentino-coca-cola-faced-fierce-100000529.html