Frag Houses using AI?- What are your guys’ thoughts?

I recently came across this video from Robin James, which i’ll attach here

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/H1jslzwZT8E

In the video he points out something that i find a bit alarming, which is the increase of ai usage in advertising, particularly in this video… Pengaligon’s

They took it down quickly but have already faced immense backlash from it, i think. But the time it was up there already has made comments and got people talking about it.

And it isn’t just Penhaligon’s, i’ve found Memo Paris, and even Xerjoff have started using AI for their images and videos, although they’re not as widespread, they’re still there.

Now Robin expressed dislike and disapproval of Penhaligon’s usage, especially considering how quickly they took it down. It’s almost like they were experimenting and dipping their toes into the water, to see if they could or not.

I myself am not the biggest fan of this either, and it’s for a few reasons. You can disagree with me on this if you want, and if you do, i’d love to hear your perspective on the matter.

Now a disclaimer before we talk about this, i want to make it clear that im not some gigantic ai hater who goes seething at the mouth whenever i see its usage.

There’s tons of brothers even in this community, myself included, who enjoy using it for visuals and such, and there’s no problem in that. It’s a quick and simple way to add fun visuals to your posts and illustrate your points better. There’s no problem in that. For individual use, i think it’s perfectly fine and quite fun to use!

Number two, i don’t want to come across as like a virtue signaling “look how correct I am, let’s CANCEL these guys” or whatever lol. This is just my opinion personally.

Now with that being said, id like to explain my reasoning on why i’m kind of disappointed in these brands for using AI.

The biggest reason for me is in the same realm for why I disapprove of communities like fragrancetok, the huge rise and over saturation of clone houses, and a boom of constant advertising on social media…

…the damage of artisanal brand heritage.

The thing is, perfume is an art form. The craftsmanship, prestige, and culture and storytelling should all come into play when making a fragrance. It isn’t just smelling good, it’s WEARABLE art. And that art shows in a lot of different ways.

For me personally, when Houses use ai or other cheap gimmicks in their marketing, it takes away that human craftsmanship feeling behind it. Even with sleek, modern designer commercials, you can still appreciate the work and effort put behind it. It makes sense, it shows artistic integrity, because it shows the human craft in ALL aspects, not just the fragrance.

But when you take that element away, it feels less like an artisanal house, and more like a brand. I’m well aware that all houses are “brands” in a way, but to me, they shouldn’t feel like every other saturated overstimulating brand that desperately pushes something at you 24/7.

What i appreciated about Houses like Creed, Diptyque, Penhaligon’s, Xerjoff, etc, is that they would thrive on this almost historical feeling of heritage and culture behind them, and human elements are the key aspect in culture!

But now with these companies starting to use cheaper, easier methods, which isn’t just AI, but other things too like changing the packaging, making more designer quality scents, reformulating their fragrances, and focusing on trend chasing, it takes away that prestige they once carried, and they still demand the premium price for it too.

In my humble opinion, premium brands shouldn’t be chasing trends, they should instead be setting the gold standard and example for what they should be.

To conclude, i’m basically saying that it feels like a betrayal of what these Houses stand for when they resort to things like AI and reformulating. The point of art and culture is to enjoy the human made aspects for it. That’s the cornerstone OF art and culture. To me it feels cheap, and cutting corners almost, which is wild to think about. You wouldn’t have imagined luxury brands doing something like that in a previous era. It felt absurd or ridiculous almost. But now it’s almost commonplace, and it’s saddening to me.

Now with all of that said, what are your guys’ opinions on this?

2 comments