“There’s nothing like a giant mouthed noseless person eating a burger to get me in the mood for a Rustlers.” Said no one EVER!!!
Note: This is a Not Enough Bread satire article that pretty much writes itself. While we hope you find this fictional story funny and the real adverts (below) terrifying. May it also be a warning of our impending AI generated industrial scale advertising slop future.
Nearly 30,000 UK Ad agency jobs could be at risk over the next few years as Google and Meta look to do even more of the advertising for businesses. Your heart might not bleed for them but at least they are human (mostly)
Anyway, back to the article.
“Mummy, why does the burger man have no soul… or nose?”
That was just one of many concerned questions overheard at UK bus stops this week, as Rustlers’ new AI-powered burger ads began rolling out across shelters nationwide.
The campaign — featuring grotesquely AI-warped, enthusiastic faces clutching suspiciously perfect burgers with unsettlingly oversized hands — seems to have triggered an unintended side effect: a sudden rise in children swearing off meat entirely.
“We wanted to promote big taste,” said a Rustlers spokesperson, “but we may have accidentally promoted big nightmares.”
The real advert spotted in the wild!
It Was the Salad That Gave It Away
Initial suspicion that the images were AI-generated arose not from the bizarre facial proportions, but from something even more unusual: the burgers contained clearly visible, crisp salad.
“It was the lettuce that tipped me off,” said one local graphic designer. “Nobody puts that much fresh green in a Rustlers. That’s when I knew something wasn’t right.”
Sources close to the ad agency claim the faces were created using a “fun experimental filter” that definitely wasn’t checked against the uncanny valley guideline. They also declined to answer questions about where the noses went — or why the hands appear to be the size of tennis rackets.
Children in Crisis, Parents in Dismay
Meanwhile, vegan groups report an unexpected boost in sign-ups. One parent told us:
“After seeing those bus stop faces, my 8-year-old now cries if I even mention Rustlers. So thanks, I guess?”
Not everyone was immediately aware of the AI oddities.
“To be honest, I didn’t even clock the giant hands or the weird faces at first,” said another commuter. “I was just alarmed to see so much salad in there. I thought Rustlers had changed their recipe and I panicked.”
Another real advert spotted in the wild!
The Ad Agency Responds
Feast & Pixels Creative Labs
“We aimed to blend human appetite with AI’s limitless creative potential. Admittedly, we didn’t expect the hands to come out that large, or for the AI to become so enthusiastic about lettuce. But we believe the campaign is generating strong engagement — fear is an emotion, after all.”
More Quotes From the Scene
- “I can’t tell if this is making me hungry or making me fear for my life,” said one teenager at a Manchester bus stop.
- “My 5-year-old now thinks burgers are alive. Cheers, Rustlers,” said an exhausted parent on Facebook.
- “I walked past three of these on the way to work and now I’m questioning everything. Also, where are their noses?” said one local commuter.
- “I’m not worried about the faces. I’m worried about the sheer amount of salad. That is not canon,” added a Rustlers superfan and self-described “microwave burger historian.”
Internal Memo (Leaked)
Subject: Slightly Unexpected Consumer Reaction to New Bus Stop Campaign
“Team — please be aware we’re seeing an increase in online chatter around the bus shelter posters. Feedback includes terms such as ‘nightmare fuel,’ ‘salad horror,’ and ‘burger creatures from beyond.’ Media team to monitor tone. Brand team to assess whether lettuce quantity needs scaling back in visuals.”
“Note: Legal has also advised against publicly commenting on ‘missing noses.’”
Public health officials are monitoring the situation. The AI, however, remains blissfully unaware — and terrifyingly cheerful.
Not Enough Bread opinion: If this is what AI thinks humans like to look at while eating burgers, we may need to unplug a few servers. And perhaps check for noses — and realistic salad content — next time. That said, we had a tough time convincing ChatGPT to make the header image with no noses. Perhaps they have better prompt engineers.
“First they came for the noses. Then they came for the hands. Now they’re coming for your lunch. Welcome to the future of out-of-home advertising.” WPP all is forgiven…
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