Campaign showcases the power of unexpected, valuable audience insights from Cognitiv’s Deep Learning Advertising Platform
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Cognitiv, the leading advanced performance partner powered by deep learning, today launched a multi-platform brand campaign, Meet Edna, announced at Advertising Week New York. Meet Edna was created to reflect how deep learning helps brands reach both tried and true, and untapped, overlooked audiences enabling more precise ad targeting and greater outcomes at scale. The campaign leverages Cognitiv’s deep understanding of users and context to showcase the possibilities of human+AI driven campaigns on one of the advertising industry’s biggest stages.
Every marketer knows an audience is more than a demographic. People are complex, full of contradictions and unexpected traits, these are the hidden layers that most platforms fail to reveal. The big data power of Cognitiv’s deep learning uncovers them and targets them, with full insights into known and new personas that are attracted to a marketer’s brand.
Each ad introduces a distinct character with familiar descriptors then the reveal flips expectations. When the character appears fully defined, the ad takes an unexpected turn, challenging assumptions and reframing how audience targeting can be perceived. Take Edna for example, the ad explains that she is “landlocked,” “afraid of sharks,” and “hates swimming,” then unveiling a fun twist that Edna loves cruises. This element of surprise highlights Cognitiv’s power to uncover what other partners cannot see: the nuanced, hidden drivers of consumer behavior. Ultimately, it emphasizes for marketers that discovering and embracing the rich dimensions of untapped customers can unlock some of their most valuable incremental growth drivers. To bring the campaign to life, Cognitiv and its creative agency, Manual Labor, tapped into AI to create the personas and creative imagery, echoing Cognitiv’s recently launched AI personas product.
“Marketing has always been about understanding people, and people are full of surprises,” said Justine Frostad, SVP of Marketing at Cognitiv. “With Meet Edna, we’re highlighting how deep learning uncovers the hidden traits and unexpected passions that traditional targeting can miss. Great marketers already excel at knowing their customers, but consumer behavior, especially purchase choice and timing, is complicated. This campaign shows how AI can amplify that intuition, giving them new ways to build on what they do best and connect with audiences in smarter, more impactful ways.”
“Cognitiv’s Meet Edna campaign showcases the creative potential when AI and human expertise work in true partnership,” said Samantha Choi, Chief Creative Officer at Manual Labor Studio. “AI does not replace the strategic thinking and design instincts that drive great creative, it amplifies them. For Meet Edna, we used AI – with the intention not to replace traditional photography – to generate personas that allowed us to push the possibilities of visual style and answer who they could be. Working with Cognitiv was particularly meaningful because we are not just talking about AI, we are demonstrating it. This shows marketers what is possible when you embrace AI as a collaborative tool, to not just accelerate creativity but to amplify your strategic and human touch, which is exactly what the industry needs to see at Advertising Week.”
The Meet Edna campaign will run in various formats, with the initial launch today at Advertising Week New York. Digital out-of-home (DOOH) placements will run in contextually relevant locations in and around the event. To further extend reach, Cognitiv will also run connected TV (CTV) pause ads designed to drive awareness and consideration. Activating ContextGPT™, Cognitiv will ensure marketers are engaged in the most relevant environments and moments, delivering precision and impact at scale. The campaign creative was developed by Manual Labor Studio, and the DOOH is being executed by OOH partner, billups. The campaign will run from October 6 through the first half of 2026.
Human experience and engagement are the major forces behind the campaign, with Cognitiv hosting a series of supporting events and content activations throughout Advertising Week New York.
This campaign builds on the success of Cognitiv’s first brand campaign, More Time – which drove a 650% increase in organic LinkedIn search, with additional growth across other channels. The momentum of Cognitiv’s first brand campaign has carried through the company’s overall business momentum including Cognitiv’s most recent product evolution, ContextGPT.
About Cognitiv
Cognitiv is the leading advanced performance partner powered by deep learning. Leveraging cutting-edge AI technology and data science since 2015 to more accurately predict consumer behavior and understand nuance, Cognitiv connects brands with their customers in more precise, relevant, impactful moments at scale. Cognitiv’s Deep Learning Advertising Platform provides marketers with unprecedented flexibility, activating as a Dynamic Deal run through the DSP of your choice, as a managed service DSP, or through its industry-first ContextGPT product. Cognitiv is on a mission to bring intelligence to advertising. Keep up with Cognitiv on LinkedIn, X and Instagram.
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Isabella Locke
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