LG Redefines AI for Emotional Appeal

The rise of Artificial Intelligence, and the rush to incorporate it into all aspects of technology, has left advertisers with a tricky problem. How do you talk about AI in a way that makes the benefits feel tangible to consumers, without triggering their concerns about loss of autonomy or removing the human element?

LG have become the latest brand to try and solve this puzzle with the newest instalment of their “Life’s Good” campaign. The campaign has always centered on the ways in which LG technology makes life easier for customers, so it’s not a big jump to extend this into smarter devices powered by AI.

Where LG stand out with this ad is to reframe the entire concept of “Artificial Intelligence” into something more human – Affective Intelligence. The idea is that the way LG are using AI in its products is by creating devices that are responsive to emotions and moods. Like an empathic friend, they can ‘read the room’ in an emotional sense and tailor their recommendations and actions accordingly.

The ad gives viewers a sense of what this might be like, with a family who use a voice controlled, AI-powered LG assistant on multiple devices to help make their day happier and easier. Whether it’s recommending menus, programming entertainment, or picking the ideal moment to stop or start a playlist, the AI knows how its human users feel. It’s also useful for practical things too – cleaning the house and saving energy with smart lighting. And it can even help in a crisis, as when a pregnant woman goes into labor and the AI quickly finds the best route to the hospital. The ad ends with the tagline, “Less artificial, more human”.

The ad is selling the emotional benefits of AI and Affective Intelligence, with this vision of an AI that operates discreetly to help people live better, more interesting lives, rather than overruling humans or making major decisions. But it’s also a functional showcase for several individual LG products. These range from entertainment-based devices like the LG StanbyME portable screen, to labor-saving assistants like the LG WashTower which uses machine learning to optimize laundry. What they all have in common is that they represent a way of expanding the idea of AI in the consumer’s mind, from the generative devices that get so much publicity to a host of less glamorous applications which help, not replace humans and are probably more useful.

How well does the commercial land with Brazilian viewers? We tested it using System1’s Test Your Ad platform which predicts long- and short-term business impact as well as measuring the strength of branding. The ad scores well on all our three metrics, with particular strength in short-term Spike Rating and in Brand Fluency, which measures the speed and accuracy of brand recognition.

“Less Artificial, More Human” is an ad which scores extremely well on surprise (one of the positive emotional drivers) with viewers being impressed by the range, integration and innovation of the LG technology. They also picked up on the emotional element of Affective Intelligence, though it’s still innovation which rules the day as a key association.

Overall, it’s a strong launch for the Affective Intelligence positioning and one which fits smoothly within LG’s overall brand image as an innovative but practical supplier of new technology.