Ad Age is marking Black History Month 2025 with our fifth-annual Honoring Creative Excellence package. (Read the introduction and all the essays here.) Today, guest editor Lynnwood Bibbens turns the spotlight to Datwon Thomas, executive producer at Dick Clark Productions and editor-at-large at Vibe, who writes about creating campaigns that allow influencers to shine.
Kai Cenat is the biggest streaming influencer—not just within the urban space but for the pop mainstream audience as well. This young New York native, a Black kid with locs and oversized clothes that match his oversized personality, stands out as a megastar. At just 5’5”, his stature is dwarfed by his influence, making him a natural fit for commercial campaigns for T-Mobile and McDonald’s.
However, while I applaud the smart casting that aligns with today’s cultural pulse, the execution of these ads feels underwhelming. There’s a noticeable disconnect between the brands’ intentions and what Cenat’s unique persona could have brought to the table.
Take the T-Mobile spot, for example. Pairing Cenat with Snoop Dogg was a solid move (on paper, at least), but the creative execution fell short of matching Cenat’s cutting-edge appeal. Known for being ahead of trends and receiving exclusive products, Cenat was instead cast as a customer who clumsily breaks his phone, only to be scolded by Snoop for not upgrading. The concept felt lazy and, frankly, negative. Worse, Cenat’s energy seemed off—he appeared awkward, uninterested and disengaged, with blank expressions and eye rolls that might have been part of the act but came across as unconvincing. Even with Snoop’s presence to anchor the scene, the entire ad felt cringeworthy.
This is where cultural context and high-quality production come into play. A talent like Cenat deserves creatives who understand his audience and can translate his influence into something impactful. It’s a delicate balance to strike, but there are professionals out there who can make it happen.
When creating ads targeting specific audiences, it’s crucial to prioritize strong, well-rounded storytelling. These campaigns need to shine so they can lead to even bigger and better opportunities. It’s a shame that you would have to struggle to find a current ad spot that spotlights a talent like this for an audience like Cenat’s. Which makes this theme a more compounded situation.
Yet, in the ’90s Sprite did the best ads for the soft drink when they incorporated rappers of the moment including Grand Puba, Pete Rock, CL Smooth, Large Professor and even Nas and AZ in their TV campaigns that also carried over into print hip-hop magazines like The Source and Vibe. Those spots found the entertainers in their natural environments, like music studios and on street stoops, in their stylish gear, amped demeanors and rapping how they would if it were their music videos. It didn’t feel sellout-ish, more authentic and showed their talent and influence at the same time.
I’m not placing all the blame on Cenat—talent is only as good as the production team supporting them—but building a meaningful connection between the talent and the concept is essential. An agency that does this amazingly is the Kendrick Lamar–founded pgLang. The way they take concepts and tilt them with new spectrums can be seen in the creative trailers for his promotion for his Super Bowl LIX halftime performance. National TV spots featuring young Black men in the mainstream are rare, and we can’t afford to squander these opportunities. Lamar and team are doing us proud.
That said, all is not lost. There’s still time to maximize Cenat’s potential. By surrounding him with production teams that push him to excel, and integrating his core audience organically into the creative process, we can turn things around.
Cenat’s success isn’t just about him; it’s about paving the way for others who look like him. When he wins, he creates opportunities for more creatives, producers and cultural storytellers to step into the spotlight. Let’s make sure we’re setting the standard, not falling short of it.
