AI Startup Friend’s $1M Subway Ad Blitz
▼ Summary
– Friend is running a massive New York City subway ad campaign costing over $1 million, featuring thousands of ads.
– The campaign’s CEO, Avi Schiffman, has described it as the world’s first major AI advertising campaign and a huge financial gamble.
– The $129 Friend wearable AI device has faced significant criticism for enabling constant surveillance.
– Some of the ads have been vandalized with messages like “surveillance capitalism” and “get real friends.”
– Schiffman deliberately used ad designs with white space to encourage social commentary, acknowledging New Yorkers’ particular dislike for AI.
For anyone navigating the New York City subway system lately, it’s been hard to miss the bold advertising campaign for Friend, a new wearable AI device. The startup’s CEO, Avi Schiffman, revealed the company invested over one million dollars in this massive marketing push, which includes more than 11,000 ads inside subway cars, 1,000 platform posters, and 130 urban panels. Certain stations, such as West 4th Street, have been completely taken over by the stark white Friend advertisements.
Schiffman boldly described the effort as “the world’s first major AI campaign,” acknowledging that while other AI advertisements exist, few have attempted a print campaign on this scale. He admitted the move represents “a huge gamble” for the young company, confessing, “I don’t have much money left.” The campaign is clearly designed to make a splash and generate conversation in a highly visible urban environment.
However, the product itself has already stirred significant controversy. The $129 wearable device has faced sharp criticism, notably from Wired, where writers panned its constant surveillance features and published an article titled, “I Hate My Friend.” This sentiment has spilled over into the physical world, with some of the subway ads being defaced. Vandals have scrawled messages labeling the device “surveillance capitalism” and advising onlookers to “get real friends” instead.
Interestingly, Schiffman says he anticipated this kind of reaction. He noted that “people in New York hate AI … probably more than anywhere else in the country.” This understanding influenced the ad design; he intentionally chose layouts with ample white space, seemingly to invite public commentary and social debate directly onto the posters themselves. The campaign, therefore, is not just an advertisement but a calculated provocation, turning the subway walls into a public forum on the ethics of artificial intelligence.
(Source: TechCrunch)
