The Advice Pivot: How Clinique and ScottsMiracle-Gro Are Scaling Expertise via AI
Fast Company March 30, 2026
Legacy brands are moving beyond traditional advertising to deploy AI-driven educational resources, meeting a new generation of consumers who treat search bars as personal advisors. For leadership, this marks a strategic shift from 'brand awareness' to 'brand utility,' using AI to provide scalable, expert-level value at the point of intent.
Key Intelligence
•Apparently, even 'dirt and lipstick' brands are transforming into tech-first advisors to stay relevant in an AI-dominated search landscape.
•Did you hear that ScottsMiracle-Gro and Clinique are ditching broadcast ads in favor of AI tools that solve specific customer problems in real-time?
•Marketing leaders are realizing that consumers no longer want to find products; they want to find solutions, and AI is the new frontline for that interaction.
•The strategy focuses on 'meeting the consumer where they are'—which increasingly means being the intelligence behind the AI chat interfaces people use for advice.
•Legacy giants are banking on the idea that loyalty is now built through personalized utility rather than just repeated exposure to brand logos.