Why do some AI-generated ads go insanely viral while others get instantly roasted in the comments as “AI slop”? In this hilarious and insightful session from Creatives and Conversions 2026, directing duo Noam Sharon and Tal Rosenthal reveal the secret to bridging the gap between generic AI assets and brand-defining hits.
The Problem: AI Makes “Ones,” Brands Need “Hits”
As the CEO of UTA famously noted, AI is great at making “ones” (basic assets), but it isn’t great at making hits. And in the marketing world, brands don’t just need content to fill space—they need hits that rise above the noise.
Noam and Tal compare the current state of AI advertising to the early days of YouTube in 2009. Back then, the platform was filled with low-quality, home-video “slop,” but eventually, brands like Dollar Shave Club and Old Spice figured out the medium and created massive, category-defining hits with a unique language. AI is in that exact same awkward transition phase today.
The “Liquid Death” Spec Ad That Changed Everything
After facing a dry spell in live-action client work, the directing duo decided to experiment with AI and created an unsolicited spec ad for Liquid Death. Nobody asked for it, but the video went wildly viral, bringing in a flood of new clients.
Why did it work so well? While people praised the narrative and visual continuity, the real secret was that it felt exactly like a Liquid Death ad. It didn’t look like generic AI; it had a specific, distinct voice that matched the brand perfectly.
Why Good Ideas Turn Into “AI Slop”
Brands often fall into the trap of sacrificing specificity for spectacle. They use AI just to prove they are using AI, leading to campaigns that feel completely disconnected from their actual brand identity.
Take Miro, for example. The duo was approached to create an AI campaign set in Ancient Rome. On paper, using AI to visualize something impossible to film in real life (like Roman soldiers) sounds like a great idea. However, as Noam and Tal pointed out, a B2B company like Miro would never actually shoot a multi-million-dollar gladiator epic in real life. When the production scale of an AI ad is 20 sizes too big for the brand’s real-world budget, the audience’s brain immediately flags it as fake—or “slop.”
To fix this, the duo scaled down the aesthetic. They made the AI visuals look like something Miro could actually film, making the final product far more relatable, memorable, and on-brand.
The Brain’s Categorization Problem
When we watch video content, our brains instantly try to categorize it: Is this a high-budget Hollywood production? Is this claymation? Is this low-fi UGC shot on an iPhone?
When AI generates something that doesn’t fit neatly into one of these established visual categories, the brain rejects it. If you ask an AI for “Pinocchio shaving,” it will default to the most generic, middle-of-the-road average of everything it has ever learned. To defeat the “slop” label, you have to push past the generic first prompt and force the AI into a specific, recognizable visual technique.
There Is No Playbook (And That’s the Opportunity)
If you are waiting for a definitive rulebook on how to use AI in advertising, you will be waiting a long time. Just like early YouTube, the AI playbook hasn’t been written yet. Now is the time to experiment, make weird content, and find your brand’s unique voice within this new technology.
🎥 Watch the Full Session
Want to see the viral Liquid Death spec ad, the Miro campaign, and the bizarre Dollar Shave Club Pinocchio video in action?
Watch the full video to see Too Short For Modeling’s hilarious breakdown of AI video generation and learn how to avoid the “slop” trap.
This article is based on a session from Creatives and Conversions 2026 (Creatives & Conversions TLV III), brought to you by the Growth Marketing Pros community. Stay tuned for more cutting-edge strategies from top industry experts.
