Athlete partnerships have become saturated, with brands competing for star endorsements and aiming to stand out while remaining authentic. Kane Footwear, a recovery shoe maker, chose a different path by partnering with a fictional AI athlete. Yeti Boo, a shaggy white yeti character with over 180, 000 Instagram followers, headlines Kane’s Revive AC shoe campaign, illustrating how a made-up athlete can drive real product promotion. Yeti Boo, known for his peace signs and obsession with lifting, protein shakes, and elk burgers, now shares Kane’s athlete roster alongside real figures like ultra marathoner Matt Johnson and Peloton instructor Olivia Amato. Before entering footwear marketing, Yeti Boo already had a fully developed personality that aligned naturally with Kane’s brand messaging for the Revive AC, according to Jesse Straus, Kane’s director of brand marketing. This gave Kane creative freedom without relying on complex CGI animation, focusing instead on storytelling and scripting. Straus noted, “AI has been part of the zeitgeist these last couple years; we thought, ‘why not explore what’s possible here?’” The Revive AC shoe, priced at $120, is built for all conditions, especially winter recovery. It features a rubberized outsole for traction, a sewn-in neoprene collar for warmth, nylon grosgrain tabs with reflective details for easy wear, breathable upper patterns, and a lightweight slip-on design. To maintain authenticity, Kane treated Yeti Boo like a real athlete, giving him an athlete feature page, homepage presence, and active social media profiles.

Straus emphasized the importance of avoiding “AI slop, ” stating, “If this starts to feel like AI slop, we cancel the project. ” Despite seeming like an easy shortcut, the project required significant human oversight, likened to a director-actor collaboration. Iterations involving scripting, prompt ideation, and software adjustments were “human, labor-intensive and took months of work. ” Yeti Boo also played a key role in Kane’s “World’s Toughest Recovery Shoe” campaign, strategically launched during the holiday season to focus on engagement and shareability rather than direct sales messaging. While Kane expected potential criticism for using AI in athlete marketing, none has emerged. Straus credits this to thoughtful content and Kane’s established reputation for working with real athletes. He clarified that such playful AI ideas are “not intended to replace real athletes but to serve as a stunt to stop people in their scroll while landing an important brand message. ” Looking ahead, Kane’s core strategy remains grounded in real athletes and recovery stories, with Yeti Boo serving as a playful “permission slip” for experimentation. Straus stated, “AI allows us to explore new storytelling forms but will never replace the human engine behind the brand. ” Kane envisions AI as a tool for building characters, while humans continue shaping brands and preserving authenticity. “This tech can generate new possibilities, but only people can shape those ideas to feel tonally right for the brand, ” Straus concluded.