#3 Is AI finally getting personal?
From new branding to offline events, a quick look at how brands are trying to be relatable & personal.
Hi friends,
Welcome back to our weekly newsletter.
This week, we’re spotting signs that the era of one-size-fits-all AI might be shifting. OpenAI’s Super Bowl ad and new landing page hint at a future where AI targets specific niches while Mistral AI races to compete with OpenAI’s chatbot dominance. Meanwhile, a Paris-based brand is using digital press-on nails to break into NYFW. As the tech landscape evolves, the big question remains: What do REAL people actually need AI & new tech for? Let’s dive in.
This week entails organized notes on Emerging Trends and Behaviors.
Vertical-Targeted AI:
With the release of OpenAI’s latest $14 million dollar Superbowl ad—The Intelligence Age.
Every idea, every breakthrough, every leap forward—begins with a single starting point. What will you create next?
We’re noticing a new brand emerge from OpenAI. Their use of pointillist pixels is aligned with a new landing page prompt. It’s looking like OpenAI is going to start branching out to new niches and verticals directly.
Along with the campaign, OpenAI.com has updated its website by integrating ChatGPT into the Hero Section, replacing the previous promo banners. With prompts catering to a wider range of personal interests, this shift makes the company more inviting and consumer-inclusive rather than early adopter-exclusive.
“What do I need it for?”
While it’s undeniable that LLM’s have dramatically transformed our understanding of what technology will be capable of, there’s still a lingering question for those who aren’t so close to the dev and early adopter markets. It’s not about what AI can do; it’s about what people, non-developer people, will need chatbots for. AI companies will have to get specific and help stir the imagination of casual users.
New Week, New Chatbot
Mistral AI has launched "Le Chat," a chatbot app for web, iOS, and Android that delivers responses at up to 1,000 words per second, surpassing competitors like OpenAI's ChatGPT. Features include image generation, code interpretation, and real-time web search. A Pro subscription at $14.99 per month offers unlimited messaging, web browsing, and advanced data analysis. As the race for differentiation continues, Mistral AI seems to be angling for a competitive price point to competitors like OpenAI.
Digital Nails Hit NYFW
Paris-based Brand Chipped Social cracks the code on NYFW with lines out the door. The company makes press-on nails with a programmable chip for sharing contacts, websites, and any other media that you can program. An interesting win for an emerging tech product. This brand is cleverly leveraging fashionable people’s needs: the need to standout and the need to self-promote.LINK
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OpenAI’s First Major Ad Campaign
OpenAI aired its first Super Bowl ad, The Intelligence Age, during the first half of the game. The 60-second spot used pointillism-inspired animation to highlight key technological breakthroughs, ending with ChatGPT. Our take? We think this is a quiet rebrand from OpenAI. We think that this is a move towards product differentiation, signaling OpenAI’s intent to cater to specific niches, positioning ChatGPT as a versatile tool within vertical-specific audiences. But more on that in the future
Apple Invites Takes on Social Planning Startups & Hits #1 in the App Store
Apple has entered the social planning space with Apple Invites, a new app designed to streamline event organization through customized invitations, shared albums, and Apple Music integrations. The app quickly climbed to #1 in the Lifestyle section of the App Store, signaling strong early traction. Meanwhile, Partiful, one of the biggest names in this space, took notice—subtly referencing Apple’s move in a nod to its own developer guidelines on copycats. With Apple stepping into a category that’s been reshaped by startups, the question remains: will we see more legacy brands revisiting and modernizing past product categories to compete?
3D-Printing Company Elegoo’s Cinematic Marketing Push for Centauri Carbon
Elegoo has launched a series of playful, cinematic ads ahead of its Centauri Carbon 3D printer launch. The latest installment, “That’s My Printing Zone,” humorously highlights a common 3D printing struggle—keeping pets away from prints—while showcasing the Centauri Carbon’s enclosed design for added stability, safety, and protection. By framing a common frustration through a playful, relatable narrative, Elegoo positions its latest printer as not just an upgrade in performance but in practical, everyday usability. Elegoo’s roll-out leads up to the February 17 pre-order date, reinforcing Elegoo’s shift toward narrative-driven marketing—where storytelling, not just specs, takes center stage. LINK
Speaking of merch… This week, I stumbled upon Zara’s “merch”.
In collaboration with Style Not Com, a popular social media fashion observer account with over 450K+ followers, Zara has transformed Style Not Com social media posts into walking posters, physical merch that resonates. This partnership is an obvious attempt to strengthen their connection with the digital-first audience.
We break down the wins—and the misses—of top consumer tech brands.
Expect deep dives, cultural signals, and community-driven insights that go way beyond the usual GTM playbooks.
Reach out: mo@hybrid-rituals.com
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