Ericsson & LM Ads
| 3 minutes read
Ericsson & Laura Mercier Digital Ads: Two Brands, One Creative Standard: Precision for Technology, Desire for Beauty
This project brought together two radically different brands under a single creative mandate from Grey Advertising. Ericsson, a global leader in telecommunications and infrastructure. Laura Mercier, a luxury beauty brand rooted in refinement, intimacy, and aspiration. ShopAI was commissioned by Grey Advertising to handle all creative direction, copywriting, and digital execution for both campaigns. While the industries, audiences, and emotional registers were different, the challenge was the same: translate brand truth into digital advertising that feels intentional, confident, and unmistakably premium. This was not about visual consistency across brands. It was about creative precision within each brand’s world.
The Emotional Starting Point
Ericsson and Laura Mercier live at opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. Ericsson speaks to cities, systems, futures, and scale. Its value is trust, intelligence, and long-term vision. Laura Mercier speaks to the individual. To ritual, self-expression, and quiet confidence. Its value is elegance, intimacy, and desire. The role of ShopAI was to respect these emotional realities while delivering digital ads that felt elevated, clear, and persuasive in a crowded online environment.
Ericsson: Making the Invisible Feel Tangible
The Ericsson ad focused on the future of cities and the role of connectivity in shaping urban life. The challenge was emotional distance. Infrastructure is essential, but rarely felt. The creative approach centered on making complexity feel human. The imagery placed innovation in a real, recognizable cityscape, grounding abstract concepts like networks and data in everyday life. The copy avoided technical jargon, instead speaking in terms of progress, growth, and possibility. “The Future of Cities” wasn’t framed as a promise. It was framed as something already unfolding. The tone was calm, confident, and authoritative. The ad didn’t try to impress. It reassured. It positioned Ericsson as a quiet force shaping the world behind the scenes, without spectacle. The digital execution emphasized clarity and hierarchy. The message was immediate. The call to action was understated. Everything was designed to communicate trust.
Laura Mercier: Turning Products Into Desire
Where Ericsson required restraint, Laura Mercier required seduction. This campaign centered on a limited-edition holiday color collection. The emotional core wasn’t urgency or discounts. It was aspiration. The visual language leaned into stillness and contrast. Soft gradients, controlled lighting, and refined composition created a sense of intimacy. The products felt curated, not advertised. Copy was minimal, poetic, and seasonal. “’Tis the season to look flawless” wasn’t a command. It was an invitation. The products were positioned as objects of ritual, not consumption. Something chosen carefully. Something owned proudly. The digital execution respected attention. There was no clutter, no noise. Just focus, elegance, and desire.
One Creative Philosophy, Two Expressions
What connected these two campaigns was not style, but discipline. For Ericsson, ShopAI designed clarity. For Laura Mercier, ShopAI designed longing. In both cases, the work avoided excess. Every word, every visual choice, every interaction had a reason to exist. The ads didn’t explain brands. They expressed them.
The Lasting Impression
These campaigns demonstrated how strong creative direction adapts without diluting itself. Ericsson emerged as visionary yet grounded. Laura Mercier emerged as luxurious without being loud. Grey Advertising entrusted ShopAI with full creative ownership, and the result was work that felt native to each brand’s world while maintaining a shared standard of craft and intention.
Why This Matters
Digital advertising often flattens brands into formats. This project pushed back against that. It showed that with the right creative rigor, digital ads can still carry nuance, emotion, and authority. That technology brands can feel human. That beauty brands can feel restrained and confident. At ShopAI, we don’t design ads to fit platforms. We design them to honor brands.