The tool that graded Converse’s ad an F

One ad, two AI reviewers, two very different verdicts. When Crystal Foote, CEO and founder of Digital Culture Group, ran Converse’s September sneaker ad through ChatGPT, it earned a B minus. The model’s only cultural note was that the styling “could be interpreted as gender non-conforming styling.” ARI, Digital Culture Group’s Audience Resonance Index, gave the same creative an F.

Converse pulled the ad after two weeks of backlash. Some long-time fans threw their shoes away or burned them on social media. The imagery, many viewers said, clearly evoked the KKK and lynching.

The same ad, two readings

ARI flagged what ChatGPT missed. It named robes and hoods as hate symbols and said dangling shoes could be read as hanging or lynching imagery. The model’s suggested fix was direct:

• Robes and hoods can evoke KKK imagery.
• Dangling shoes can echo hanging or lynching imagery.
• Place the product in a shoebox or on a shelf instead.

Since the Converse ad was already live, ARI had likely picked up real reactions. But the point of the new module is to run this check before media spend goes out.

Pre-flight, not post-mortem

In late September, Digital Culture Group launched Resonance Studio, an ARI module that predicts how creative will perform and flags likely critiques. The company also launched the ARI 100 Ad Pledge, offering 100 pro bono creative assessments to brands and agencies.

ARI draws on the American Community Survey, eMarketer’s predictive analytics and Nielsen’s cultural research. It also listens to social platforms including Reddit, X and Meta.

What specificity looks like

CARE, the humanitarian organization, submitted two pieces of creative as part of the pledge. Its National Women’s Day ad asked people to sign a pledge to “level the playing field for women and girls everywhere.” ARI’s feedback: be specific about where those signatures go. Would they go to a petition, a legislator, or somewhere else?

Mary Kate Wilson, CARE’s associate VP for creative and content marketing, put the audience’s question plainly: “What difference do I make by lending my signature to this?” A second care-package ad scored high on cultural relevance but needed to feel more time-bound to today, so donors could see exactly what their money funds.

Resonance is more than avoiding offense

For Vella Bioscience, a women’s health and sexual wellness brand, the tool also flagged inclusivity. Its Meltwater ad tested well: predicted click-through rate was 106% of Vella’s benchmark and psychographic alignment around 85%. But because the ad leaned on one model, ARI suggested adding multiple images or a video where several women interact.

“Resonance Studio will help us understand if we’re talking to ourselves,” said Joy Allen-Altimare, president of Vella Bioscience.

The takeaway for marketers is not to make creative risk-free. It is to add a cultural-signal layer to pre-flight checks, then fix specifics before the audience has to.

Source: AdExchanger