Pitching with AI

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AI BEST PRACTICES: PITCHING

AI-generated creative can be extremely valuable: It can help accelerate ideation, create new visual possibilities, and unlock creative opportunities that were previously difficult or expensive to achieve.

BUT! AI-generated creative still needs to follow the same production realities as any other creative project.

We’re increasingly seeing situations where ambitious AI-generated concepts are being pitched to clients before Creative Studio has confirmed whether:

✅ AI CAN BE USEFUL FOR

❌ AI SHOULD NOT BE TREATED AS

The Creative Studio official mockup tool is coming soon! Watch this space. 👀

*Read our blog post on AI-Gen Creatives here.

💸 REVENUE RISK

Even with the best intentions, we can accidentally cause more harm than good for our clients. If we have to tell a client that a concept that they loved, it:

BEST PRACTICE

Creative Studio is happy to help shape and strengthen ideas early in the process. Strong collaboration before the pitch creates better outcomes for everyone:

*See a feasibility check example here.

If in doubt, involve Creative Studio early. We’d much rather help shape an idea before it is sold than have to scale it back afterwards. 🙏

Clients do not differentiate between Sales and Creative Studio. To them, we are one team. If we pitch unrealistic concepts, the whole business loses credibility. Going forward, please treat AI-generated concepts as exploratory inspiration - not as production-ready solutions.

Need more detail? Read the explanations below👇

A few important points to keep in mind:

INVOLVE CREATIVE STUDIO BEFORE PROMISING AI TO CLIENTS

What may look simple in an AI-generated video can be extremely complex to recreate in a scalable advertising format.

Or, worst case, the execution you have sold your client might not exist.

Before committing to an execution, please check feasibility with the Creative Studio team so we don’t end up seeming uncooperative when we have to be the bad guys and say it can’t be done. 🥺

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OPEN FILES ARE STILL NECESSARY

If a client wants an AI-generated concept, we still need the same production assets as any other project, including:

AI outputs alone are rarely sufficient to build a production-ready campaign.

AI DOESN’T KNOW THE CLIENT’S BRAND RULES

AI tools are not familiar with client:

Generated outputs should always be reviewed rather than assumed to be correct.

AI DOESN’T AUTOMATICALLY MAKE MULTIPLE ASSETS

One AI-generated video is not the same as a complete campaign.

We still need to:

People often think AI generates an entire campaign with one prompt. In reality, AI usually creates one image or one video. We still need to:

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AI speeds up parts of the process; it doesn't remove the production work.

BUDGET STILL MATTERS

Another common misconception is that “the AI made it, therefore it should be cheap.”

We still invest in people, software, infrastructure, quality control, revisions, project management, and creative expertise to bring campaigns to life.

Remember that minimum spend requirements are there to ensure production costs are covered by sales margins.

WHY WE CAN’T USE AI TO RECREATE REAL PEOPLE

Using AI to recreate a real person does not remove the need to obtain the appropriate rights and permissions.

There are typically two separate legal considerations:

Generating images of real public figures using AI does not remove the legal or commercial licensing requirements.

When we purchase a stock photograph, we're paying for the copyright licence to use that specific image. 

PERSONALITY (OR PUBLICITY) RIGHTS

Many public figures - particularly athletes, actors, musicians, and influencers - have commercial agreements governing how their likeness may be used in advertising. 

AI should not be considered a replacement for obtaining the necessary commercial rights. Using AI-generated images of real individuals in advertising could still expose the campaign to legal or contractual issues if the advertiser does not have the appropriate rights to use those peoples’ likenesses.

For that reason, we cannot assume that "just using AI" is a compliant alternative to licensing photography.

Where a campaign features a recognisable real person, the safest approach is for the client to provide assets that they have the legal right to use, such as:

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This helps protect both the client and Eskimi from potential legal, contractual, and reputational risks.

WHY WE CAN'T USE AI OR 3D TO RECREATE COPYRIGHTED CHARACTERS

Using AI or 3D modelling to recreate well-known fictional characters does not remove the need to obtain the appropriate intellectual property rights.

Many famous characters - such as those from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, DC, Nintendo, Pokémon, Minions, The Simpsons, and other films, TV shows, games, or comics - are protected by copyright and trademark law. Even apparel like Nike Air Jordans are extremely restrictive about this. 

Whether the character (or even logo) is:

…the underlying intellectual property still belongs to the rights holder.

Creating "something that looks like" a protected character for commercial advertising may still infringe those rights, even if no existing artwork was copied.

For this reason, AI and 3D modelling should not be considered a way to bypass licensing requirements.

If a campaign requires the use of a recognisable fictional character, the client should provide:

This helps protect both the client and Eskimi from potential legal, contractual, and reputational risks.

Revision #7
Created 16 September 2026 13:04:05 by Lee Geldenhuys
Updated 17 September 2026 06:51:53 by Lee Geldenhuys