Ogilvy and CAA to launch ECHO for approved AI celebrity ads

In short: Ogilvy and Creative Artists Agency (CAA) say they are building ECHO, a platform meant to let brands create ads using approved AI-made versions of celebrities.

What happened

Ogilvy, an advertising agency, and CAA, a talent agency, are developing ECHO, a new system for making celebrity-led ads and other branded content. The companies say the goal is to make it easier for brands to use AI-generated celebrity promotions while keeping control in the hands of the talent.

ECHO is described as “consent-first,” meaning a celebrity must agree before their digital likeness is used. A digital likeness is a computer-made copy of a person’s look and sometimes their voice (like a realistic stand-in that can be used on screen).

Actor Terry Crews is the first named participant. He said he authorized the use of his likeness because he is worried about people using celebrity images without permission and without paying them.

The project builds on CAA’s Vault, a program that captures performers’ digital likenesses for controlled, licensed use. Think of it like a secured media library that can be checked out under rules, rather than copied freely.

Ogilvy and CAA plan to publicly unveil ECHO on November 12, 2026, during an OgilvyOn Live webinar. Reporting so far describes the goals, but it does not spell out the exact rules for things like payment, approval steps, or how someone could withdraw permission later.

Why it matters

AI makes it easier to create convincing fake endorsements. If ECHO works as promised, it could offer a more organized way to make celebrity ads while reducing unauthorized lookalikes, but the real test will be the details of the consent and compensation rules.

Source: NYTimes