Avocados From Mexico marketing VP on ChatGPT and ‘avocado intelligence’

Avocados From Mexico is bringing out the big guns for its upcoming Super Bowl LVII ad.

For one thing, they have Anna Faris. In a teaser video released earlier this week, we see Faris – known for her over-the-top look of perpetual astonishment and deep concern – apparently dressed as an archetypal Eve and holding an avocado as if it were some kind of sacred relic. (Is AFM trying to draw a connection between avocados and the biblical Fall? We’ll have to wait and see.)

The brand is also wheeling in ChatGPT, the viral generative AI model that’s swept across adland in spectacular fashion since its release in November 2022. (Ryan Reynolds, for example, recently starred in an ad for his Mint Mobile brand, the script for which was generated by ChatGPT.) AFM will include a QR code within its new Super Bowl spot, which upon being scanned will link viewers to a webpage where visitors can generate tweets using ChatGPT.

Here’s what Ivonne Kinser, vice-president of marketing and innovation at AFM, had to say about the brand’s upcoming ChatGPT-integrated Super Bowl campaign:

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Why did the brand decide to leverage ChatGPT for its upcoming Super Bowl campaign?

We see AI as being a versatile power to disrupt multiple areas of the industry, especially as the technology develops further and the algorithms get smarter. One of the things that makes this technology so powerful for marketers is that it has the collective intellectual output of one of the most creative industries being used as training data for the algorithms.

Sometimes we use technology to make a splash. We have launched complex AI integrations in the past, but this time we just wanted a simple integration to fuel the amplification of our message.

The truth is there is nothing genius about this integration, it’s just a creative adaptation of technology to engage our performance. Our approach also has the perfect timing.

What role do you envision generative AI models like ChatGPT playing in your brand's marketing efforts in the future?

I see ChatGPT the same way I see any other martech tool and platform: as a tool to augment the power of our campaigns and get us closer to our KPIs in more efficient ways.

Was the idea to include a QR code in your upcoming ad in any way inspired by the 2022 Super Bowl ad from Coinbase?

Not really, in fact, one of our initial commercial ideas last year included multiple QR codes, but we featured them instead across multiple tactics and campaigns as a connector of the online and offline worlds.

I look at QR codes from a very practical perspective. It’s a connecting device. We use QR codes on our avocado bags to connect shoppers with our messages across digital platforms. We are using QR codes in the spot to connect users with our generative AI page (which we call “avocado intelligence” or “AI”), to engage with the brand and share the result of that engagement through their networks.

What advice would you offer to marketers who are interested in using ChatGPT or other generative AI models in their own efforts?

There has never been a better time to be a marketer. Modern marketing technology is here for all of us to enhance the results, engagement, reach and frequency of our campaigns. As incredible as these tools are, the real brilliance lies in our ability to combine them. The combination of strategy, creativity and technology is a wonderful art that allows us to differentiate ourselves and our brands from one another, despite the fact that we all have access to the same technology. The tools, as advanced as they are, are just devices. It’s our curiosity, intellect, and creativity that make them extraordinary.

Ivonne Kinser is also a judge for The Drum Awards for Marketing. You can find out more about the awards and how to enter here.

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