At a time when AI dominates conversations about technology, Polaroid has decided to do the exact opposite. In a new global campaign, the brand uses the rise of AI to vindicate the value of analog and real-world moments.
The initiative accompanies the launch of the new Polaroid Go Generation 3, the company’s smallest instant camera, and is part of The Best of Summer is Analog campaign.
One of the messages that attracted the most attention appeared on a huge poster installed on the Coney Island beach, in New York. It read: “Go swimming before AI drinks all the wáter,” alluding to AI’s water consumption; water is used to cool off part of the data center infrastructure powering artificial intelligence.
The campaign also reached cities such as London and South Korea with other ironic
messages, such as “You can’t sunbathe in blue light,” “Dance like nobody’s filming,” and “What a beautiful day to stare at a screen.” Each one invites us to reflect on the time we spend connected and the importance of experiencing the world without constant technology intermediation.
As part of the initiative, Polaroid also collaborated with twelve content creators, who temporarily disconnected from social media to live outside the digital realm. The brand sent sensory kits with flowers, moss, aromas and sounds of nature to reinforce the idea of a more authentic and less screen-dependent life.
According to Patricia Varella, Polaroid’s Chief Marketing Officer, the campaign seeks to remind us that instant photography continues to offer a unique way to capture physical
memories and authentic experiences, something that no technology can completely replace.
Rather than positioning itself against Artificial Intelligence, Polaroid uses the conversation around this technology to reinforce what has always defined the brand: enjoying real moments. Instead of competing within AI, it turns the technology boom into the best argument to differentiate itself and to remind consumers that, in an increasingly digital world, analog can also be a value proposition.
Source: Polaroid Press.