Generative AI for Visual Advertising: Impacts on Creativity, Brand Consistency, and Consumer Response

Abstract

This article examines the impacts of generative artificial intelligence on visual advertising, with a specific focus on creativity, brand consistency, and consumer response. Using a systematic review of peer-reviewed studies published between 2018 and 2022, the study consolidates fragmented evidence on the use of generative models in formats such as display advertising, social media content, online video, and synthetic or CGI influencers. The results indicate that generative AI primarily augments rather than replaces human creativity, is particularly effective for large-scale variation, performance optimization, and rapid testing, and can encode brand guidelines to deliver visually consistent identities across channels and segments. At the same time, the review highlights risks of creative homogenization, brand safety incidents, and intensified consumer concerns about authenticity, transparency, and manipulation when AI-generated visuals are used without clear disclosure or ethical safeguards. The article discusses these dynamics through creativity, branding, and consumer psychology perspectives, and concludes with a research agenda that prioritizes longitudinal, comparative, and field-based studies on AI-human creative collaboration in real campaigns.