Adobe's Frank Ilett collaboration is kind of weird

We've seen plenty of unusual brand collaborations with influencers over the years, but I did not expect to see Photoshop maker Adobe hooking up with a Manchester United fan who went viral for not cutting his hair.

Frank Ilett has became something of a social media celebrity after promising to grow his bouffant until United achieved a run of five consecutive victories. He thought he would have to wait four or five months, but 16 months have passed. United's draw against West Ham last night means there's still no appointment with a hairdresser.

A post shared by Frank Ilett (The United Strand) (@theunitedstrand)
A photo posted by on

With over 1.4 million followers on Instagram, regular coverage in the tabloid press and an agent shielding him from the ire of Wayne Rooney (who apparently now blames Frank for United's woes), the collaboration offers have been rolling in.

Unsurprisingly, that's included courtship by betting brands, while Argos has been named his “Official Delivery Partner” for shaving and grooming tools. Less expected is Adobe coming on board for a social media post promoting its Firefly AI model.

The creative software giant is proposing that people use Firefly AI to choose Frank's haircut. It took the opportunity to show how users can generate different hair styles using text prompts.

The collaboration backs up Adobe's message that its AI tools are designed for ideation and iteration and takes it to a wider audience.

The potential market for creative software has expanded with the explosion in generative AI tool and through social media platforms that have turned everyone into content creators. At the same time, Adobe has been aiming to broaden its audience beyond creative professionals and studios.

While other AI-focused companies like OpenAI (ChatGPT) and Anthropic (Claude) have rolled out glossy cinematic campaigns, Adobe seems to be focusing more on social actions with viral potential. It previously plugged the use of Adobe Express to create fantasy football logos). My doubt is whether football fans following Frank Ilett are going to subscribe to Adobe products when they have access to other AI image generators.

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Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.

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