Where Boll & Branch draws the line on AI-generated advertising
Boll & Branch's Chief Creative Officer Kristen Daco discusses the brand's thoughtful approach to using AI in marketing, emphasizing that AI should amplify creative ideas rather than replace them. The company maintains strict boundaries: authentic human representation in people, accurate product depiction, and creative freedom only in environmental/world-building elements.
Summary
In this podcast episode, Kristen Daco, Chief Creative Officer of Boll & Branch, outlines the premium bedding brand's philosophy on integrating AI tools into their marketing workflow. Rather than viewing AI as a cost-cutting measure alone, Boll & Branch uses it strategically across paid social, email, and CRM channels while maintaining rigorous creative standards.
Daco explains that the brand operates with three core rules for AI usage: (1) always depicting authentic human relationships and experiences with real people, (2) never misrepresenting product qualities like color, construction, texture, or scale, and (3) allowing creative freedom in environmental and world-building elements to create surreal, fantastical imagery. She illustrates this with examples like the frozen percale sheet set in an ice cube (inspired by Absolut vodka campaigns) and a hot air balloon floating through fields—ideas that would have been abandoned due to budget constraints but became viable through AI generation.
The process is labor-intensive and requires significant expertise. Daco describes creating the ice cube image as taking 20-30 prompts to achieve the desired result, requiring knowledge of photography principles like lens type, exposure, and lighting temperature. Her background in graphic design and collaboration with the in-house photography team allows her to craft detailed prompts that specify these technical parameters. She emphasizes that skill and discernment are essential—anyone can input a basic prompt, but creating brand-aligned, high-quality assets requires intentional curation.
Regarding customer perception, Daco notes that Boll & Branch hasn't received negative feedback about AI usage because the fantastical nature of their executions makes the use of AI obvious. The brand avoids AI imagery on product pages and the e-commerce site itself, reserving it for top-of-funnel marketing where imagination is permitted. She acknowledges broader concerns about AI-generated human faces creating false reality and supports potential disclosure laws for those cases, while distinguishing between generative imagery and traditional advertising manipulation like retouching and compositing.
About this episode
These days, it is borderline expected that brands will use artificial intelligence in at least some capacity as part of their marketing. But they also have to tread carefully; otherwise, consumers may slam them with “AI slop” allegations. As a result, more companies are creating playbooks for how they approach these tools in consumer-facing campaigns. Some, like Coca-Cola, have doubled down on using AI-generated ads despite initial backlash. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s REI, which pulled an AI-generated Facebook ad after consumer backlash, saying the use of AI does not align with the company’s sustainability mission. This episode takes a behind-the-scenes look at one brand’s approach to using generative AI in its marketing creatives. Boll & Branch, known for its premium bedding, bath and home essentials, largely sells through its DTC website and stores. The brand has been gradually using AI tools to create imagery and campaign copy for its marketing channels. This week, Kristen Deyko, chief creative officer of Boll & Branch and the person leading the brand’s use of AI tools for marketing, joins the Modern Retail Podcast to discuss the playbook. This week’s podcast episode digs into: How Boll & Branch created playbook pillars for integrating generative AI content in campaign images and copy. The company’s stance on when it does and does not make sense to use AI-generated creative. The dos and don’ts of using these tools to speed up the creative process.
Key Insights
- Boll & Branch uses AI to amplify existing creative ideas rather than as a primary creative strategy, ensuring the concept comes first and AI serves as a thought partner rather than a replacement.
- The brand maintains strict boundaries across three domains: real people for authentic human representation, accurate product depiction without alterations, and creative freedom only in environmental and world-building elements.
- Generating a single high-quality AI image requires 20-30 iterations and deep technical knowledge of photography principles like lens type, exposure, and color temperature integrated into detailed prompts.
- Boll & Branch predominantly deploys AI imagery in top-of-funnel marketing channels (paid social, email) and explicitly avoids it on product pages and the e-commerce site where customers make purchase decisions.
- The brand has not received negative customer backlash about AI usage because the fantastical and surreal nature of their executions makes AI generation immediately obvious to viewers.
- Daco argues that existing advertising practices like retouching, compositing, artificial lighting, and set building have long created false reality, distinguishing these from generative AI and questioning whether all should require disclosure.
- Ideas that would have been abandoned due to budget constraints—such as a branded hot air balloon or sailboat—become viable through AI, expanding creative possibilities without requiring massive production budgets.
- The founder-led company's approach to AI emerges from the brand's foundational values rather than external pressures, with founders Scott and Tannen encouraging continuous innovation while maintaining brand integrity.
Topics
Transcript
Hello, and welcome to the Modern Retail Podcast, our show that covers the ways the retail industry is changing and modernizing. I'm senior reporter Gabby Barco. With AI-generated imagery and content becoming nearly expected from brands, more companies are creating playbooks on how they approach these tools for their consumer-facing campaigns. Some, like Coca-Cola, are doubling down on using AI-generated ads despite initial backlash. On the other end, there's REI, which pulled their ad after customers reacted saying the use of AI does not align with the company's sustainability mission. In this episode, we're going behind the scenes into one brand's approach to using generative AI in their marketing creatives. Bull & Branch is known for its premium bedding, bath,…
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