Claude: Ads about ads 📺

Case Studied
Raising the question 

Some of the most memorable brand campaigns are about saying something, not selling something. 

We saw this in 2004 when Dove launched its long-running Real Beauty campaign that challenged the beauty industry’s unrealistic, harmful depictions of women and girls. In 2011, Patagonia took out a full-page ad in the New York Times on Black Friday with the headline "Don't Buy This Jacket." And more recently, we saw Anthropic make a statement about the convergence of AI and advertising. 

This week, Case Studied explores how Anthropic questioned the role of advertising in AI during its Super Bowl debut.

The Brief

Founded in 2021 by former OpenAI researchers, including CEO Dario Amodei and President Daniela Amodei, Anthropic positioned Claude differently from its competitors. It frames it as less of a productivity tool and more of a thinking partner. This is clearly shown in its "Keep Thinking" platform, which focuses on the idea that Claude is a tool to expand human thinking rather than replace it.

Fast forward to 2026 and the AI landscape was looking significantly more crowded and more commercial. ChatGPT's parent company, OpenAI, announced plans to introduce advertising into its product. That prompted real conversations across industries about the future of AI and the attention economy. 

Among these conversations, Anthropic saw an opportunity to put Claude's brand philosophy front and center and draw a clear line between Claude and its competition. And it decided to do so on one of the largest advertising stages.

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The Execution

Anthropic partnered with Mother on its first Super Bowl campaign for Claude called "A Time and a Place." It included a series of four darkly comedic films that extended the brand’s "Keep Thinking" platform.

The central idea was to question whether advertising belongs in AI chats. Directed by Jeff Low of Biscuit Filmworks, the spots depicted people turning to AI for help with genuinely personal questions. In response, they receive answers…and ads. 

In one film where an inquirer asks “Can I get a six pack quickly”, he receives an ad for insoles that add vertical height to help “short kings stand tall.” In another film, a man asking, "How can I communicate better with my mom?" receives an ad for a dating app that matches “sensitive cubs and roaring cougars.” In the final frame of all the films, the end card says “Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude.”

Much of the film’s humor came from how obviously wrong it felt once you saw it played out. Mother CCO Felix Richter noted, "All the time, we see proof that advertising works brilliantly in the right context. We're using advertising's biggest stage to ask a simple question: does it belong everywhere? So we made funny ads about how unfunny it would be."

It’s worth noting the role Claude played in the campaign. The chatbot assisted with research, brief development, and keeping a complex production on track. Everything else was handled by human beings at Mother and Anthropic.

The Results

Anthropic’s Super Bowl campaign resonated widely. Within days of airing, "A Time and a Place" won the Super Clio for Creative Excellence in Super Bowl Advertising, a recognition launched by The Clios alongside WPP's Rob Reilly to identify the standout creative work from the Big Game each year. The pregame and in-game spot alone reached 120 million viewers. 

Nicole Purcell, CEO of The Clios, said of the campaign: "It's refreshing to see a brand like Anthropic take bold risks with its product messaging in their first spot in the big game. I hope it encourages more newcomers to green light big ideas."

The Takeaways

1) Get ahead of industry shifts.

When OpenAI announced plans to bring advertising into ChatGPT, Anthropic didn't wait to see how the story would unfold. They used the moment to define their position before the narrative could be defined for them. And the Super Bowl helped give that statement maximum visibility.

When your industry is undergoing a significant shift, there's an advantage to being the first brand to say something meaningful about it. Brands that plant a flag early can shape how the conversation develops. Those that wait often end up reacting to someone else's framing.

2) Turn a competitor's move into your moment.

Anthropic didn't need to name OpenAI to make their point here. By building a campaign around Claude’s own brand philosophy, they made a competitor's announcement work in their favor. And they did it in a way that didn’t come across as a direct attack.

When a competitor makes a move that cuts against your brand values, consider whether it’s worth responding. Is there an opportunity to reinforce what your brand stands for? If so, offering that contrast could serve your brand well.

3)  Fuel creative strategy with brand philosophy.

Anthropic led with its brand's position on AI and advertising but humor was close in tow. On a Super Bowl stage, many bet on a feel-good story with broad appeal. Leading with a brand philosophy is the riskier move but humor helped that risk pay off. 

If your brand has a clear point of view worth broadcasting, consider what makes it palatable at scale. Oftentimes, the tricky part of leading with philosophy is getting your audience to meet you there. Find a way to make your message entertaining so folks have a reason to engage.

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