AI startup Artisan has launched a controversial campaign across San Francisco urging companies to replace people with AI employees.
The campaign is part of the company’s marketing efforts to position Artisan as a leader in AI-driven workforce solutions and raise awareness for its products.
By challenging societal norms about employment and highlighting the transformative potential of AI in automating tasks traditionally performed by humans, Artisan managed to drive awareness and attention.
Hire Artisans pic.twitter.com/9f2LMYtc0m
— Jaspar Carmichael-Jack (@jasparcjack) November 9, 2024
The campaign went viral and ended up sparking discussions across social media, news outlets, and industry platforms making the public question whether the campaign is dystopian marketing or a bold innovation.
“They are somewhat dystopian, but so is AI. The way the world works is changing. We wanted something that would draw eyes — you don’t draw eyes with boring messaging,” said Artisan CEO Jaspar Carmichael-Jack in an interview.
Carmichael-Jack justified the company’s decision to promote its product by highlighting a shift away from traditional human roles in the workforce.
Bold Billboards Making a Statement
Artisan’s OOH campaign stood out for its minimalist yet bold design that resonates with tech-savvy audiences and challenges traditional advertising norms.
The ads intentionally lack imagery and focus on bold typography.
They were prominently displayed across key locations in San Francisco on various placements including physical and digital billboards as well as bus shelters featuring provocative messaging like:
- “Stop Hiring Humans”
- “Artisans won’t complain about work-life balance“
- “Artisan’s Zoom cameras will never ‘not be working’ today“
- “Hire Artisans, not humans“
- “The era of AI employees is here“
So this was a huge booth at entrance of the event. The irony of calling consolidated software artisans 😭 https://t.co/z958biAOfYpic.twitter.com/JdtWT6Z6Hf
— Jingna Zhang (@zemotion) October 30, 2024
The bold messaging created a sense of urgency, sparking attention and igniting meaningful public debates about the future of work and automation.
The Strategy Behind Artisan’s Controversial Campaign: Was It Worth It?
With hundreds of tech billboards across San Francisco all competing for attention, mostly with generic messaging, Artisan knew they needed something different, something that would stand out.
You don’t win by doing the same thing as everyone else. We’re in a hyper-competitive market — our first product, Ava, is an AI SDR. With new AI SDR products popping up every week, we’ve been leaning into using brand as a moat."
We wanted everybody to know who we were and to think of Artisan when they hear “AI Employee”, so billboards seemed like our best bet,” Jack noted.
The company spent days brainstorming to come up with a simple but provocative message: "Stop hiring humans."
Ads Encouraging Employers to Hire AI Employees
byu/foxannemary inCyberpunk
Was it worth it?
Artisan’s controversial approach led to:
- 10s of millions of impressions
- 100s of article mentions
- October and November became its biggest months ever, bringing in over $2M in new ARR
- Coverage in prominent publications such as SF GATE, Breitbart, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, and HubSpot
- Interview requests from CBS, Fox, and more
- A mention in HubSpot's newsletter
Of course, these results did not come without controversy. Many people reacted negatively to the campaign, with some even sending in threats through the company's website, email, and social media, as well as Carmichael-Jack's personal social media accounts.
Artisan's campaign on "Stop Hiring Humans" teaches other businesses that daring and provocative messaging has the power to capture attention and spark impactful conversations.
However, this approach can also bring various risks that businesses must overcome thoughtfully.
Artisan isn't the only brand to feel the heat after launching a new campaign. Skechers also drew criticism for using an AI-generated ad in Vogue's December issue.
