American brand Dollar Shave Club launched an advertising campaign for $400 using generative AI that became the most successful in the company's history. For comparison: in 2012, their startup video cost $4,000 and made the brand famous — now the marketing team creates creatives in-house in a week instead of months working with agencies. Chief Brand and Innovation Officer Laura Higgins calls this a revolution in speed and cost of advertising content production.
How the brand uses AI to create advertising
Dollar Shave Club released three advertising campaigns entirely on generative technology in two months. The "250 Years. No BS. Still Free" campaign, launched July 1st, was created by the internal team using AI tools Higgsfield and Claude. Briefing took one day, conceptual work — three days, full execution — one week. Previously, a similar project involving an agency would take months.
The second campaign, "Danglers," promotes the Ball Spray product through a 15-second video using "truck nuts" as an anatomical metaphor. Higgins emphasizes: without AI, such a concept would be impossible to execute at the same speed and budget due to constraints when working with live actors. Generative technologies make it possible to create caricatured images that deliver the brand's humor without ethical and production complexities.
"AI allows creatives to be creative and brand managers to be strategic, removing routine work from their jobs"
Impact on agency work and media buying
Previously, Dollar Shave Club worked with the Too Short For Modeling agency, which created AI campaigns based on briefs from the brand. Now that the internal team has proven its ability to generate content independently, the role of external contractors is shrinking. Higgins predicts continued collaboration with the agency, but in smaller volumes — the model of media buying and creative production is shifting in-house.
The "250 Years" campaign adds Dollar Shave Club logos and competitors Gillette and Harry's logos to paintings from the American Revolutionary War era, drawing a parallel between colonial tax protest and modern discontent with hidden fees. The $2.50 starter offer attracted an audience that bought not just the promotional bundle but additional products — the combination of concept, price, and precise messaging delivered results.
Product line expansion and new launches
The Ball Spray product promoted by the "Danglers" campaign sold out during a soft launch of the DTC platform without marketing support, though it faced production challenges. An additional "Size Matters" video positions the travel-size spray format as a universal solution for the gym and everyday life — expanding product application beyond primary use.
In 2026, Dollar Shave Club entered the female shaving products market for the first time with the same "no BS" message. Higgins poses the question: "How many razors with shiny handles do you really need?" The brand plans a platform-wide campaign uniting its entire product line for October 2026.
What this means for Russian brands and influencer marketing
Dollar Shave Club's experience shows two trends: cheaper creative production and shifting capabilities in-house. For the Russian market, this means brands can test more hypotheses with lower spending, but strategic planning remains key — which channels, which audience, which KPIs. Influencer advertising wins here: integrations with bloggers require understanding their audience, forecasting reach and CPM, selecting formats for platform and brand. Generative AI can create a video in three days, but media planning, selecting influencers by relevance, and coordinating ad labeling require expertise — this is what the ETC team does, combining the speed of technology with the precision of targeting.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to create an ad campaign with AI
Dollar Shave Club created a successful campaign for $400 and a week of internal team work. The cost depends on access to AI tools, concept complexity, and post-production scope, but it's tens of times cheaper than traditional production with agencies and film crews.
What AI tools does Dollar Shave Club use for advertising
The brand uses Higgsfield and Claude for generating visual content and text. These platforms enable concept creation in three days and campaign finalization in one week, including caricatured characters and complex visual metaphors without live actors.
Will AI replace advertising agencies
AI reduces the volume of agency work but doesn't replace them entirely. Dollar Shave Club continues working with Too Short For Modeling, but less frequently — internal teams handle production while agencies focus on strategy, complex projects, and specialized tasks like media buying and influencer selection.
In brief
- Dollar Shave Club created its most successful campaign for $400 in one week of work using generative AI — 10 times cheaper than their 2012 startup video
- The internal team uses Higgsfield and Claude tools, cutting the cycle from brief to launch from months to 7 days
- The role of external agencies is shrinking: the brand moves creative production in-house, leaving contractors strategic tasks
- The "250 Years" campaign attracted customers who bought more than the $2.50 starter bundle — combining concept, price, and precise targeting
- AI enables risky concepts (like "Danglers") without ethical constraints of filming with live actors
- For Russian brands, this means: more hypotheses for less money, but strategy, blogger selection, and KPI forecasting remain critical
Want to see where the market is heading before your competitors do? The ETC team builds a media strategy and media plan for your niche — with reach forecasts and KPIs fixed in the contract.