Recently, passengers taking the New York subway may have noticed eye-catching ads for a wearable AI device called Friend. The device's ads feature a minimalist white design, which is visually striking and has attracted a lot of attention.
Avi Schiffman, CEO of Friend, revealed in an interview with Adweek that the company invested over $1 million in this advertising campaign. The campaign included more than 11,000 subway car ads, 1,000 platform billboards, and 130 city billboards. In particular, the ad at the West Fourth Street station was completely covered by Friend's promotion, creating a highly visible advertising scene.
Schiffman called it "the world's first large-scale AI advertising campaign." Although there have been AI-related ads before, none had the scale or impact of this campaign. He said this investment was a "huge gamble" and added, "I don't have much money left."
However, Friend's product has not received widespread praise. Its $129 device has sparked controversy due to constant monitoring, and even a writer from Wired magazine publicly expressed dislike for the device, calling it "I hate my friend." At the same time, some of Friend's ads have been mocked, labeled with "surveillance capitalism," and urged viewers to "find real friends."
Schiffman said he was well aware that "New Yorkers' aversion to AI might be the strongest in the country," so he deliberately used a lot of empty space in the ad design to provoke public reflection on this topic.
Key points:
🌟 Friend company spent over $1 million on advertising in the New York subway, including 11,000 subway ads and 130 city billboards.
🚫 The company's wearable AI device has caused widespread controversy due to continuous monitoring and has faced criticism and mockery.
🗽 CEO Schiffman realized New Yorkers' aversion to AI, so he intentionally used a lot of blank space in the ad design to spark public discussion.
