A New Series Entices Audiences with Its Persona Synthetics Branding

Published: Jul 8, 2015

Humans is an upcoming ABC television series that used fake advertisements for an artificial intelligence brand called Persona Synthetics in order to create buzz with audiences. First rolling out a series of YouTube ads that advertised the lifelike qualities and capabilities of the robots, the ABC-produced series is a science fiction drama about the industrial robots and their everyday uses.

Depicted doing everything from cleaning up around the house to looking after children, the Persona Synthetics commercials are unsettling in a way that can't be explained. By setting up the series with an eerie take on a potential soon reality that is so unsettling, ABC and Humans are able to ensnare audiences with that first emotional connection.

The use of the fake branding for Persona Synthetics is an example of emotional marketing, as ABC's clever rollout speaks directly to the heart of consumers and namely, their fear of a future defined by AI robots.