Got Beef, a Sacramento-based direct-to-consumer grass-fed beef jerky brand, has introduced an AI-generated brand spokesperson named "Granny" — a photorealistic character deployed across social media channels and a new outdoor billboard campaign, the company announced Tuesday.
The character was produced entirely using artificial intelligence tools, without a human actor or traditional production crew. The rollout includes a YouTube commercial and billboard placements, representing the brand's first coordinated multimedia campaign built on an AI-driven creative stack.
The move reflects a broader operating philosophy at Got Beef centered on technology as a cost-reduction lever — a strategy gaining traction among smaller consumer packaged goods brands competing against larger players with substantially deeper marketing budgets. By eliminating conventional production costs associated with talent, location shoots, and post-production, lean DTC operators can iterate on creative assets at a fraction of traditional spend. Analysts covering the better-for-you snack segment have noted rising interest in AI-generated content as CPG startups look to extend runway without sacrificing brand visibility.
Got Beef's grass-fed positioning places it within a crowded but growing premium jerky category, where brand differentiation increasingly depends on storytelling and social engagement rather than distribution scale alone. The "Granny" character appears designed to inject personality and memorability into a segment where most competitors rely on conventional athlete endorsements or outdoor lifestyle imagery. DTC food brands have increasingly leaned on social-first content strategies to build loyalty without the margin erosion of wholesale channels.
The company did not disclose campaign spend, production costs, or revenue figures tied to the launch. No guidance or comparative financial data was provided.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
