As AI reshapes the economy, AI companies are seeking to solidify their positions as market leaders.
In their efforts to make the case for their products to consumers, AI companies are increasingly turning to traditional advertising, including digital, OOH and print.
“AI companies are engaged in an expensive arms race to attract users…,” the Wall Street Journal recently wrote in a story about OpenAI’s Super Bowl advertising plans.
The WSJ reports:
“Tech companies including Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Perplexity collectively spent $333.6 million on linear TV ads promoting their AI offerings in the U.S. last year, a 43% jump from the prior year, according to estimates from ad tracker iSpot. They also shelled out $426 million on digital ads in 2025, more than triple their 2024 outlays, according to estimates from research firm Sensor Tower.”
Why are AI and tech companies turning to traditional advertising?
An analysis in the Harvard Business Review entitled, “Why Marketers are Returning to Traditional Advertising,” found that consumer-facing companies are leading the shift to traditional ad mediums, noting that, …somewhat ironically, companies that earn 100% of their sales through the internet are leading this inflection …”
Harvard Business Review cites several reasons, including:
1. Breaking through “digital clutter.”The authors cite research that found more than half of consumers often or always watch traditional TV advertisements and read print advertisements that they receive in the mail from companies.
2. Capitalizing on consumer trust.HBR cites research which found that “the top five most trusted advertising formats are all traditional,” with customers most trusting of print, TV, direct mail and radio advertising, writing, “As a result, marketers can use traditional advertising to build brand credibility and trust with jaded buyers.”
3. Leveraging the “digital lift.”The article notes that “Digital technology can leverage traditional tools in powerful and surprising ways,” such as using QR codes in direct mail advertising.
The bottom line
“The marketing push by AI firms is expected to intensify as the sector continues to grow,” predicts the Wall Street Journal.
As AI companies compete to earn consumer trust, and market share, traditional advertising, including print, digital, and OOH, allows them to break through the noise and make meaningful connections with consumers in trusted environments.
Mediaspace Solutions has extensive experience partnering with AI companies, and the agencies that work with them, to get the message out via strategic media plans across print, digital, radio, podcasts, OOH and more.
