When “AI” in an Ad Helps… and When It Hurts

Does calling out AI in your creative spark conversation or scare people off? In this episode, Sara Hanson, Jeffrey Carlson, and Heather Pressler unpack their Journal of Advertising Research article, “The Differential Impact of AI Salience on Advertising Engagement and Attitude: Scary Good AI Advertising.”

We dig into AI salience, meaning how obvious it is that AI made the ad through disclosures or clearly AI-looking imagery. Across four studies, they find a split effect. AI-salient ads boost engagement like more likes and longer comments, but they also trigger fear and reactance that lower ad attitudes and can dampen conversion intent. The team talks about how to handle disclosures, where AI fits along the funnel, and why finding the right balance is key.

Read the full paper here:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00218499.2025.2464307

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