Pamela Anderson, once known for not wearing much clothing, has in recent years been celebrated for not wearing much make up.
Which makes her the perfect choice for lingerie brand Aerie (owned by American Eagle Outfitters), and its “100% Aerie Real” campaign against AI. This new spot by agency Shadow opens with Anderson issuing AI prompts to build three models for a campaign, and ends with her giving up and inviting three real-life models on-set.
Aerie CMO Stacey McCormick said: “It doesn’t get more real than Pamela — she embodies real and what it means to reclaim yourself. We know the influence she has, our audience really responds to her and we know she transcends age within audiences.”
The “100% Aerie real” campaign appears to be working: the first iteration launched last October and helped the brand to a 23% sales life in the fourth quarter. American Eagle clearly has a knack for impact, as it did with the controversial Sydney Sweeney ad for its jeans line.
It’s a strong campaign and a great illustration of the limits of AI, but it’s a shame that the “good times” Pamela is supposed to be having with the real girls at the end look staged and forced.
MAA creative scale: 6
