Been running campaigns for major brands for 14+ years, and for the past two years I've been obsessively tracking how companies use AI in their marketing. What I found completely flipped my understanding of what works.

Plot twist: The companies winning aren't the ones with the "smartest" AI.

• McDonald's AI suggested "ice cream sundae with extra sadness." Most brands would panic and shut it down. McDonald's ran a whole campaign around it. Sales jumped 18%.

• Wendy's AI started roasting customers so hard it made their human social team look tame. Instead of reining it in, they amplified it. Engagement shot up 400%.

• Spotify's AI creates playlists for emotions that shouldn't exist. Millions of shares.

• Balenciaga's AI invented a category called "clothes for your existential crisis." 230% sales increase in that made-up segment.

Here's what jostled my head: While 90% of companies are burning resources trying to make AI predictable and "safe," this small group is building unbreachable competitive advantages by embracing AI's alien logic.

They're not being reckless; they're being strategically transparent about something everyone knows but won't admit: AI thinks differently than humans, and that's actually valuable.

The high hat: Your competitors are probably in that 90% right now, spending money to make their AI beige af.