Editor’s Note: While some brands are using generative AI to produce brand content, Swedish oat milk brand Oatly, known for its original, animated packaging and irreverent copy, is taking a wait-and-see approach, trying to “stay fresh” and largely skipping ChatGPT in an effort to avoid “watered down” content. Chief Marketer Network publication AdExchanger chats with Malia Killings, Oatly’s North America Creative Director and Design Director, about the company’s approach. Below is an excerpt of the article; go here for the full piece.

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Whether it’s on a shelf, Instacart or an online shopping page, a brand needs to take advantage of every inch it has to express itself and entertain potential customers.

At least that’s always been the perspective of Oatly, the Swedish oat milk brand known for self-deferential marketing. On billboards and its packaging, the company likes to grab attention and turn that attention into potential new customers.

“Everything started from the packaging and has grown from there,” Malia Killings, Oatly’s North America creative director and design director.

The company was motivated to rebrand its line of creamers this year partially because the new recyclable plastic bottles didn’t have the same canvas for the brand as the milk carton. “A large part of us redesigning the packaging was to make sure we could bring back the Oatly voice on those pack sides,” Killings said.

Defying the standardized approach

For many food and beverage brands carried on countless different store shelves, the API-based system of online grocery and advertising often leads to templated versions of product pages, keywords, product descriptions, imagery and the like.

For Oatly, there’s a commitment to making each bit of copy feel original, Killings said.

The product description on Kroger’s site might read, “You’re also on Kroger today! That’s so great. Nice to see you here,” she said. Those retailers allow only strict word counts in certain boxes on the page and want specific types and formats of image or video, she added. Plus they need to convey the actual product info.

Oatly’s copywriter is kept busy making sure even those little bits of brandable real estate are in an Oatly voice. “We think all of that can help grab attention,” Killings said.

“We try not to make our choices based on data-driven results of things,” she said. “We try and make our choices based on what feels like the right thing to do and what keeps our brand voice strong.”

Read the full piece in AdExchanger.