Dollar Shave Club has once again disrupted the personal grooming industry, this time by flipping the script on how generative AI is used in advertising. In an age where artificial intelligence can be polarizing, the company has crafted an ad that positions AI not as a savior, but as the punchline.

Titled “We Put Our Money Where It Matters,” the 60-second spot reveals a fictional boardroom at a competitor company called Razor Corp. In the scene, executives pitch cost-cutting ideas like abandoning an in-house DJ and selling a private jet. However, it’s the CEO’s misguided suggestion to replace the staff with AI that earns the biggest laugh—and raises the biggest questions.

The ad, created in collaboration with satirical creative studio Too Short For Modeling, marks Dollar Shave Club’s first campaign built using generative AI. It animates surreal scenes such as a skyscraper shaped like a razor and a gorilla shaving itself as part of a parody “animal testing” program. These visuals were crafted with a quick production turnaround, demonstrating AI’s ability to compress timelines without sacrificing creativity.

This isn’t just about making people laugh, though the brand has always relied on humor to cut through the noise. The deeper message is a criticism of legacy brands that cling to bloated expenses and outdated business models. AI’s role here isn’t to replace, but to spotlight the absurdity of certain corporate decisions—an increasingly relevant message in an economy where efficiency is everything.

The campaign signifies a broader shift in how consumers interact with AI-based content. While some brands, like McDonald’s Netherlands and Coca-Cola, have faced backlash for relying on AI-generated visuals that lacked emotional nuance, Dollar Shave Club manages to sidestep this pitfall. By leaning into satire and breaking the fourth wall, the campaign resonates on both emotional and strategic levels.

This strategy feels like a return to form for Dollar Shave Club, which originally built its identity in the early 2010s through low-budget, viral videos that attacked industry giants like Gillette. That challenger brand DNA remains core to its narrative, even as it evolves in the AI era. The campaign also follows the company’s largest-ever marketing effort earlier this year focused on real customers, known as the “Order of the Blade,” showing that human-driven storytelling and generative technologies don’t have to be at odds.

From a marketing technology perspective, this campaign reflects a broader trend toward media that’s both engineered and authentic. The juxtaposition of AI-generated satire with real customer engagement parallels how forward-looking SaaS companies today are combining automated workflows with human insight to deliver hyper-personalized experiences.

As more brands experiment with AI in the creative pipeline, the real test will be whether the tech enhances human stories or eclipses them. Dollar Shave Club walks this tightrope well—using AI to amplify its rebellious ethos rather than dilute it. It’s a masterclass in understanding audience sentiment, brand voice, and the risks and rewards of automation.

In a hyper-competitive space not just crowded by century-old corporations but also newer DTC disruptors, Dollar Shave Club’s latest creative proves that intelligent humor and smart use of technology can still be profound differentiators. The lesson here for B2B tech brands? Authentic storytelling—especially when enhanced by emerging tools—is still your best asset in capturing attention and conversion in saturated markets.

Dollar Shave Club’s ad highlights a rising standard in how sophisticated organizations are leveraging generative AI—not just for efficiency, but as part of the brand voice itself. At DevSparks, we help growth-minded SaaS companies and startups design digital experiences that thoughtfully integrate automation and creativity to deepen customer loyalty and market distinction.