Why Tech Brands Need Personality Again

Episode SummaryIn this episode of Culture and Code, hosts Rei Inamoto and Tara Tan dissect the recent advertising campaigns from AI giants OpenAI and Anthropic, exploring what these vastly different approaches reveal about tech marketing, brand personality, and the humanization of AI. From OpenAI's intimate, film-shot vignettes to Anthropic's philosophical anthem, they examine how Silicon Valley is attempting to solve its image problem and why tech brands have lost their playful edge.Key TakeawaysThe Tale of Two AI CampaignsOpenAI's approach: Real-life moments shot on 35mm film featuring mundane, relatable scenariosAnthropic's strategy: Philosophical, anthemic spot encouraging deeper thinkingThe irony: OpenAI didn't use their own Sora technology to create their adsBoth attempting to humanize AI technology amid growing image problemsThe Power of Hype in Tech MarketsNews cycles directly correlate with funding rounds and stock pricesOracle's $300B OpenAI data center deal sparked a 45% stock surge in one daySam Altman's mastery of generating constant news coverage"Hype as infrastructure" - how narrative drives billions in capital movementThe Lost Era of Tech Brand PersonalityThe golden age: Mac vs. PC, BlackBerry vs. Apple campaignsBlackBerry's "shot through an apple" campaign and Apple's brilliant responseToday's Silicon Valley billboards: "Do you want more GPUs?" and "Want inference faster?"The shift from playful competitive rivalry to fear-based, bland messaging-----About the HostsRei Inamoto: Creative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore. Follow Rei here: Rei's LinkedInNewsletter "The Intersection"Tara Tan: Managing partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage firm investing in the future of computing. Follow Tara here:Tara's LinkedInNewsletter: The Strange ReviewConnect & SubscribeCulture and Code is a podcast about the biggest shifts in tech, business, and culture—before they go mainstream. New episodes on every Tuesday.

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