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Boll & Branch Draws Internal Lines on AI-Generated Advertising

Boll & Branch has been folding generative AI into its marketing imagery and campaign copy, but the premium home brand is setting its own guardrails on where the tools are allowed, chief creative officer Kristen Deyco says.

Deyco, who leads creative at the bedding, bath and home essentials brand, has built a playbook governing how generative AI fits into consumer-facing campaigns. The company has been adopting the tools gradually rather than all at once, using them to produce imagery and copy across its marketing channels.

The bulk of Boll & Branch's business runs through its own direct-to-consumer website and its physical stores, which gives the brand tighter control over how AI-assisted creative reaches shoppers.

The approach reflects a wider balancing act across the industry. Using artificial intelligence in at least some marketing capacity is now close to expected, but brands risk consumers dismissing their output as "AI slop" if the work lands badly.

Responses have diverged sharply. Coca-Cola has kept using AI-generated advertising despite early criticism, while REI pulled an AI-generated Facebook ad after a consumer backlash, saying the technology did not fit its sustainability mission.

Against that backdrop, a growing number of companies are writing formal playbooks for how they deploy these tools in campaigns that face consumers directly.