AI is absurdly fallible in FactSet’s new campaign by VSA Partners. The campaign, Fluent in Finance, uses quirky humour to pinpoint the weaknesses in in “off-the-shelf” AI solutions for the finance services company. It confronts an era where financial professionals face mounting pressure to adopt AI solutions when every vendor claims to be “AI-powered”, highlighting that generic AI tools lack deep understanding of financial industry language, context, and workflows can’t deliver the precision and reliability that investment professionals need. When it fails to understand common financial  and business terminology, such as “hedge,” “gains,” “attractive spread,” “alpha,” “exposure,” and “big fish.”, the AI goes off on wild tangents.

VSA Partners’ new campaign uses the same sophisticated, humour-forward approach that made the previous Not Just the Facts so successful. The accompanying OOH, that launched in January, takes over the Wall Street subway station with AI-generated images that intentionally expose the tech’s limitations when confronted with industry-specific language. It’s a metacommentary that resonates immediately with enterprise decision-makers who have experienced firsthand the limitations of AI tools that don’t understand their industry.

“In an era where AI promises are everywhere, financial professionals need a partner that truly understands their world,” stated Jenifer Brooks, chief marketing officer at FactSet. “Our AI isn’t just powerful, it’s fluent in the language of finance. It understands the nuances, context, and workflows that drive decision-making in our industry. This campaign reflects our commitment to delivering AI solutions that our clients can actually trust with their most critical decisions.”

“FactSet is bold, innovative and clear-eyed about who they are and what they believe,” added Kim Mickenberg, Partner, campaign design at VSA Partners. “By using a familiar reference—an AI assistant—to show the limits of generic AI solutions, we’re able to tap into the zeitgeist and make a clear point: Technology alone can only do so much. Ultimately, it’s the human expertise behind it that makes all the difference.”

The spots were directed by the Docter Twins (Matt and Jason Docter), who also directed the award-winning Not Just the Facts spots. Their cinematic and comedic sensibilities give the campaign their signature warmth and humanity, both of which are all too rare in B2B advertising.

“Collaborating with the creatives at VSA, the FactSet client and an incredibly talented cast has been a continually evolving, rewarding process,” stated Jason Docter, director, Thinking Machine. “We couldn’t ask for a better campaign to be directing.”

“Between the recurring cast and crew, the talented creatives at VSA, and the always welcoming client at the FactSet offices in Norwalk, CT, we’ve become somewhat of a makeshift family,” added Matt Docter, director, Thinking Machine. “It feels like some kind of annual improv reunion.”

View all the spots here.