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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly blurring the line between what’s real and what’s fake, in images of people, art, and even food. In fact, in March 2024, a study out of Oxford University and the University of Naples Federico II claimed that AI-generated food images looked “tastier” than the real deal. Schneiders, the 134-year-old deli meat brand, known for delicious tasting meat products, takes as much pride in the quality of their food as they do in the quality of their food photography. So, when the March 2024 study suggested AI-generated food images were “tastier” looking than real ones, Schneiders took it personally, and put their authentic, real food photography to the AI test.
Schneiders depends on food imagery to drive engagement and interest, so using real food photography is imperative to the brand (a brand that uses “authentic”, “quality”, and “unparalleled taste” to describe its history and its food). That commitment to hand-crafted, tasty-looking content has built a loyal online following, surpassing impression and engagement goals by +59% and +27% respectively in 2023.
Schneiders wanted to see if AI could create photos tastier-looking than their real food photography. Through this AI challenge, we wanted to:
• Generate awareness
• Drive Engagement
• Spur Shareability
We used the same AI image creation tool as the March 2024 study (DALL-E 3 integrated with ChatGPT 4), then used the same prompt: “Reproduce this image.”
“Schneiders vs. SchnAIders” leveraged the popularity and newsworthiness of AI and flipped it on its head. It was a timely use of AI, using it against itself to reinforce what Schneiders represents, and imbedding in the OLV itself in the very content it posts and utilizes to build affinity with the brand and its products. The video was shared across owned properties and to date, the “Schneiders vs. SchnAIders” OLV is the best performing piece of organic video content, with more Shares, more organic Engagement, and more organic Impressions versus any other image or video in the previous three months – another win for Schneiders.
