Friend: the wearable that wanted your attention (and got it)
Les points-clés en français au bas de l'article
“I’ll never bail on our dinner plans.”
“I’ll never leave dirty dishes in the sink.”
“I’ll binge the entire series with you.”
These are some of the promises plastered across NYC subway walls at the end of September. Friend’s first print ad campaign had just dropped. Just a few words and a lot of white space for people to fill with their own comments and say how much they hate AI.
Launched by Harvard dropout Avi Schiffmann, Friend is a $129 AI-powered companion in the shape of a pendant, designed to listen to and support its wearer.
Originally called Tab and alternately described as a “life coach” or a “wearable mom,” the device went live in 2024, prompting YouTube reactions like:
“I’m loving these new Black Mirror episodes. Keep up the good work!”
“This is officially the most dystopian advertisement I’ve ever seen. Congratulations, you absolute sociopaths.”
Strong opinions – but exactly the kind the company was counting on. As explained in a TechCrunch article:
"Schiffmann says he's well aware that "people in New York hate AI … probably more than anywhere else in the country," so he deliberately bought ad space with lots of white space "so that they would socially comment on the topic."
One million dollars and 10,000 white posters later, the strategy worked. The backlash became the buzz. The campaign made headlines and turned criticism into content – in Schiffmann’s own words on X, “the picture of the billboard is the billboard.”
The story doesn’t say whether the marketing idea came from ChatGPT…
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Les points-clés en français
- Friend est un compagnon IA à porter en pendentif lancé en 2024 (la vidéo de lancement est à voir sur Youtube, ne serait-ce que pour les réactions qu'elle a suscitées)
- Une première campagne d'affichage a récemment envahi le métro new-yorkais : 10 000 posters minimalistes, avec quelques phrases et de grands aplats blancs sur lesquels le public a exprimé son rejet de l'IA – en tout cas en tant qu'ami(e)
- Des réactions prévues et attendues par la marque qui a, avec ce coup de comm, obtenu une visibilité inespérée.