The world of snacks just got smarter. When Mondelez International started experimenting with generative AI to reinvent its marketing machine, it wasn’t just about flashy tech — it was about rewriting the economics of creativity.
Imagine cranking out hundreds of ad variations in minutes, all tailored for different markets, and paying a fraction of the usual cost. That’s exactly what the maker of Oreo, Cadbury, and Milka is doing.
Working hand in hand with Accenture, Mondelez has begun rolling out a proprietary AI tool to craft everything from bite-sized product videos to slick social media visuals.
The early numbers are wild — some campaigns have seen production costs drop by 30 to 50 percent.
If things go as planned, the company could soon expand into fully AI-generated TV ads, with test campaigns lined up for next year’s holiday season and whispers about a potential Super Bowl spot, according to industry chatter.
But let’s not sugarcoat it — there’s an uneasiness in the air. As AI-generated content becomes more common, creative professionals are wondering if this is a revolution or a takeover.
Mondelez is treading carefully, setting up strict ethical guardrails that forbid its algorithms from producing anything that could glamorize unhealthy behavior, promote stereotypes, or manipulate emotions.
Those measures mirror similar policies cropping up across the advertising world, as seen in other corporate AI ethics initiatives.
There’s also the question of taste — and no, not the chocolate kind. When Coca-Cola tried using AI for its holiday ads last year, the results were… well, unsettling.
The visuals were pristine, but something about them felt hollow, missing that human spark that makes an ad stick in your memory.
Critics were quick to call it “soulless,” as one creative analysis from The Verge put it. Mondelez seems determined to avoid that trap by keeping humans in the editing room, adding warmth where the machine can’t.
Still, I can’t help but wonder — are we heading for an era where every commercial looks a little too perfect?
A friend of mine who works at an ad agency told me last week that teams are now “prompting” AI tools instead of storyboarding.
It’s not that creativity is dying; it’s just changing shape. In fact, a recent piece from Harvard Business Review argued that creative teams using AI effectively often end up more imaginative, not less.
They’re freed from grunt work and can focus on storytelling — the human part of the process.
At the same time, Forbes has pointed out that brands embracing this technology are learning that speed can’t replace soul.
Marketing leaders are being pushed to balance automation with authenticity, as seen in emerging trends shaping AI-driven brand storytelling.
Mondelez’s gamble is a bold one — a bet that technology and human creativity can coexist in harmony rather than competition.
Personally, I’m torn. Part of me loves the idea of a company modernizing without losing its flavor.
But another part worries that once AI starts writing our jingles and scripting our smiles, we might lose the beautiful imperfections that make marketing — and humanity — so compelling.
Then again, maybe that’s just nostalgia talking. After all, who says a machine can’t make you crave an Oreo… just a little bit more?
