Perplexity, the AI-powered search platform, is launching its biggest ad campaign yet with a national spot that will air during the first half of tonight’s “Monday Night Football” game on ESPN and ABC.
While other AI providers have used their marketing to highlight the cutting-edge nature of their technology, Perplexity’s ad resembles a more traditional attempt at enticing the masses, opting for humor and celebrity over anything that could remotely confuse viewers. The term “AI” is not even shown or mentioned in the 60-second ad, which depicts Jim Harbaugh during a press conference.
“The spot brings AI down to earth,” said Dmitry Shevelenko, Perplexity’s chief business officer.
This effect is also the motive behind Perplexity choosing a marquee occasion like “Monday Night Football” to carry its ad. From Gen Z to boomers, the platform’s target audience consists of “anyone who asks questions,” Shevelenko said—that is, anyone who might find use in a platform that delivers in-depth and conversational responses to internet queries.
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The commercial, developed with creative agency Sandwich, shows Harbaugh having trouble answering questions at a press conference. After taking a swig from a bottle labeled with Perplexity branding, the Los Angeles Chargers head coach smoothly fires off knowledgeable information in response to any query, from the impact of humidity on a football game to recommendations for ramen in Tokyo.