A new type of competition has emerged that doesn’t sleep, eat, or spend hours editing. Amazon just launched a generative AI tool that allows sellers to create “photorealistic video ads” with just one click. It offers six ready-made video options complete with clean transitions, attractive lighting, and appealing background scores. Everything looks impressive—almost too impressive.
In a world already saturated with content, we are about to witness a surge in not just ads, but in expertly crafted ones. While everything may appear polished with clean transitions, beautiful lighting, and nice background music, it’s important to remember that good looks don’t always equate to good feelings.
African creators, regardless of whether they use a cracked Infinix camera, a handwritten label, or a shaky shot from a Lagos traffic jam, have always infused their work with genuine emotion. And it’s this emotional connection that continues to resonate with audiences.
So, how do you stand out in a space that is about to be flooded with AI-generated content? You focus on what machines cannot do: you connect, tell stories, and share your soul. Here’s how to achieve that.
1. Don’t Try to Out-AI the AI. Double Down on Real
While AI can fake a laugh, it can’t fake context. It doesn’t know what it feels like to sell Ankara on WhatsApp, or to make a delivery in the rain because a client’s wedding is in two hours. But you do.
That kind of story — your real hustle — is what people connect to. Show the behind-the-scenes. Show the “before I blew” moments. Show the almost-failed-but-didn’t. Authenticity isn’t a buzzword here. It’s your sharpest weapon.
People might pause at a shiny AI ad. But they’ll share your story.
2. Build Trust with Your Face, Not Just Your Feed
One of the scariest things about AI-generated ads is how easy it is for anyone, even scammers, to look legit. So, as AI ads rise, trust becomes your currency.
Use your face. Talk in your voice. If you’re a business owner, be visible. Even short check-in videos or voice notes can do the job. Real people want to buy from other real people. Especially in Africa, where relationships often trumps reputation.
3. Make It Personal — Literally
AI-generated ads are designed to appeal to the masses. But what wins in today’s content game is micro-connection.
Instead of trying to impress everyone, focus on your people. If you sell to Gen Z tailors in Kenya or new moms in Abuja, talk to them in your content.
Use inside jokes. Use slang. Use stories they know. AI can’t niche down like that — but you can.
4. Show the Work, Not Just the Result
AI will show you a perfectly styled shoe or a well-edited cooking clip. You? You can show the late nights, the small wins, the customer feedback, the packaging process, the chaos and the calm.
This is what builds emotional equity.
Even Amazon knows this — that’s why they added “motion realism” to their AI ads. They’re trying to mimic humanity. But you are human. And that difference will show.
5. Be Consistent — and Be You
Consistency beats creativity when creativity gets lazy. You don’t need to go viral every time. Just keep showing up with content that’s real, useful, or entertaining. AI-generated ads can’t adapt emotionally. You can. Over time, your audience will know when it’s your content and trust it more than the perfect, polished alternatives.
A Quick Data Reality Check
- According to Dash, UGC (User-Generated Content) still outperforms polished brand content across most platforms by up to 4x more engagement.
- In Africa, mobile-first storytelling is exploding. A GeoPoll study found that 71% of Nigerians and Kenyans engage more with creators who “share their real-life hustle” than with professionally branded content.
- Meanwhile, AI scepticism remains high. A recent report by Deloitte Digital Trust shows that 64% of global users are “less likely to trust” ads that feel AI-generated or generic.
So, What’s the Play?
Let Amazon have the AI. You? Keep the truth. Because while AI might win on output, you still win on impact.
And in the long game of content — soul, not software, is what builds legacy.
If you’re ready to compete, don’t copy. Create. And let your story do what no machine ever can: Make us feel something.
