Welcome back! We’ve made it to Friday the 13th—but don’t let the date, AI, or the future of TikTok spook you. Let’s dig into the last two.

Mint and McDonalds Experiment with AI in Commercials

AI-generated scripts are already making their way to commercials, as Ryan Reynold’s ad for Mint Mobile shows. And McDonald’s has launched a commercial featuring an AI-generated 3D scene using "neural radiance fields (NeRF) technology.” Meanwhile, CES 2023 displayed all of the new AI robots rolling out to help automate tasks likely to be outsourced anyway (like John Deere’s robo-planter, which could make farming more sustainable).

On the marketing side, agencies are excited to adopt AI that can take the low-level load off marketers. As CEO of content marketing agency Manifest, Melissa Bouma, told Marketing Brew, she thinks AI could be “most valuable” for copy processes like A/B testing and “personalization of the experience.”

The artificially-intelligent future may seem foreboding, but the benefits could outweigh our fears. By automating the busy work and tedious tasks, marketers can free up their time for higher-level, creative thinking and planning.

Is TikTok on the Clock?

Creators and brands alike are getting increasingly concerned about the potential of a TikTok ban in the US.

“Any interruption or ban on TikTok would invariably affect thousands of creators making a full or supplemental living on the platform,” Ryan Detert, CEO of marketing agency Influential told Digiday. “And by proxy, technologies and agencies would be adversely affected with upwards of 50% of spends on creator campaigns happening on TikTok.”

This begs the question: if TikTok disappears, where will these creators go and how will brands follow? Since TikTok’s ad platform has proved a cheaper alternative to Meta, it doesn’t look like Instagram will be the post-TikTok solution. However, YouTube Shorts has entered the chat.

But a potential ban doesn’t mean brands are pulling money out of the platform. Quite the opposite—TikTok is projected to gain even more ad dollars in 2023. And TikTok is launching a Talent Manager Portal to let managers negotiate deals for their creator clients.

It’s never safe to put all your efforts into one arena, but it’s also unwise to abandon an effort prematurely. Keep creating content but crosspost and wait out for the shake out. At present, it’s just too early to tell.

Around the Web

• Instead of Dry January, Rémy Martin toasts tradition.

• ‘Thursday Night Football’ fell short of audience numbers and Amazon is paying the price—literally.

• The state of the economy isn’t all doom and gloom for marketing agencies.

• How Friday the 13th became free marketing for tattoo parlors.

• Lowe’s is bringing marketing in house.

Just Can't Get Enough

The Super Bowl is quickly approaching, and marketers aren’t here to play. After all, the Super Bowl is the Super Bowl of marketing. How are brands handling the big game?

• Doritos’ dance-off draws demographics.

• It’s a beer and liquor free-for-all.

• And Marketing Dive is tracking all of the Super Bowl LVII initiatives.

Which AI-crafted ads have hit your funny bone and which have just plain creeped you out? Reply and let us know!

Thanks for joining us to close out the week, and we’ll see you Monday!