Reddit has launched a new brand campaign in the US, positioning itself as the human part of the internet.
‘People Are The Best’, unveiled today (29 June) and developed with creative agency Mischief, comprises three ads focusing on the beauty, TV and soccer subreddits, respectively. Each ad highlights the things you can learn from other posters on Reddit, in a light-hearted and irreverent tone.
The campaign looks to position Reddit as the antidote to AI slop. Jim Squires, Reddit’s CMO. said: ‘At a moment when people are craving something more real online, there’s no better place to find it than in a Reddit thread. “People Are the Best” is our way of celebrating the hundreds of millions who show up every day to keep the internet human.’
That strategy makes sense in an era when the internet is increasingly littered with AI generated content. More than 20% of videos shown to new YouTube accounts feature low-effort AI slop, according to a study by Kapwing, and nearly 60% of videos on a new TikTok account’s ‘For You’ page are AI generated.
Whether Reddit is really that place is another question — research from Originality.ai says that 15% of Reddit posts are likely AI-generated — but as a brand campaign it is likely a strong choice. ‘This is where real people are’ is a compelling argument. The social media site basically made this argument to the likes of Google and OpenAI, which resulted in lucrative licensing deals, and now it’s making the same pitch to the average person.
But the campaign isn’t just about leaning into the authenticity of Reddit conversations, it also paints it as a site where connections are made. ‘At its core, Reddit has always been about a different kind of connection — people may come for a shared interest, but they stay for the humanity they find along the way,’ said Greg Hahn, co-founder and CCO at Mischief. ‘So much of the internet feels disconnected from real life now, and Reddit is a place where people can learn from others’ life experiences, and feel part of something bigger than themselves. This campaign is our way of showing that Reddit communities and human connections are worth coming back for.’
It’s a message that hopes to separate Reddit from other social media platforms at a time when skepticism about online content has never been higher. It follows a similar strategy to Pinterest, whose campaign in April ended with the line: ‘The best thing you can find online is a reason to go offline.’
‘People Are The Best’ will initially run in New York City and Chicago, and will include TV, streaming, and out-of-home and social ads. From what we understand, Reddit chose these markets because they’re competitive and a good bellwether for how effective the work is. There are plans to expand to additional U.S. markets in the coming months.