The Carousel Podcast Creative Review: ChatGPT and Mamdani
Nov 11, 2025
Dive into the compelling world of political branding with a spotlight on two striking campaigns. Discover how nostalgia in visuals, particularly VHS aesthetics, shapes modern advertising. Explore the effectiveness of ChatGPT's intimate storytelling and Mamdani's bold hand-drawn style that counters AI polish. Examine the rise of schizo edits and the impact of organic figures in media, revealing authenticity's powerful draw. Isaac critiques various campaigns, including Mamdani's straightforward policies, emphasizing how creative simplicity can resonate deeply.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Nostalgia-As-Cinematic-Branding
- The current ad trend mixes nostalgic VHS visuals with scrolling text like film credits to create intimate, cinematic brand moments.
- Isle of Any's ChatGPT campaign exemplifies this minimalist, transparent aesthetic and avoids quippiness for emotional resonance.
Schizo-Cut Became Mainstream Visual Language
- Schizo-cut collage edits have become a dominant propaganda and ad vocabulary across brands and political actors.
- Anthropic's Claude ad borrows that style but fails to cohesively marry insight and brand line, unlike ChatGPT's clearer approach.
Pair Insight With A Clear Brand Promise
- Build campaigns around a clear insight and pair it with a complementary brand promise for impact.
- Avoid generic taglines that don't resolve the insight into a specific benefit for the audience.