For years, TV ads felt like the playground of big brands with bigger budgets. Polished productions, massive spends, endless timelines. For the rest of us, it was “look, don’t touch.”
But with Connected TV + AI, that stage is finally opening up. And lately, I’ve been noticing how quickly the rules of advertising are shifting, not in theory, but in practice.
👉 Carl’s Jr. leaned into AI-powered Connected TV ads and saw a 35% lift in store visits and a 152% jump in sales. That’s not “spray and pray” marketing, that’s precision, powered by tech( https://lnkd.in/gWfhaTB2)
👉 On the other end, Amazon just rolled out new AI tools inside its Creative Studio so even small and mid-sized brands can spin up streaming-ready ads without a Madison Avenue budget. Suddenly, what felt unreachable is sitting on a dashboard (https://lnkd.in/gHNgdh_S).
Here’s what that says to me:
1. The playing field is cracking open, small brands can stand shoulder to shoulder with giants if they’re willing to test.
2. Marketers get to spend less time worrying about how to produce and more time asking why this story matters.
3. And consistency might just beat spectacle. Because in a noisy world, showing up where people already are, in their living rooms, their streaming screens matter more than having the fanciest campaign.
So as I start this Monday, I can’t help but wonder: maybe the most interesting campaigns of 2025 won’t come from the usual suspects. Maybe they’ll come from smaller teams who saw the opportunity, trusted the tools, and told a better story.
💡 What do you think? Is this the real democratization of advertising, or will big budgets always win?
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