AI-creative-vs-human decision rule by product category
Problem solved: CMOs over-invest in AI ad creative for categories where authenticity outranks volume — wasting budget and creative-team trust.
What
Operational rule from two practitioners with opposite samples: in DTC ecommerce ($1M+ brands), zero AI-generated videos crack the top-20 creatives — authenticity is part of brand trust. In apps + web subscriptions, virtually no top-budget brand DOESN'T use AI video — volume across geos/personas is the bottleneck. Rule of thumb: lean AI for app/subscription verticals; keep humans for DTC ecommerce, with AI confined to static images, b-rolls, and variations. Always disclose AI/actor-portrayal — AI-imitated "real customer" testimonials are FTC-prohibited and now also subject to per-violation state fines.