In today’s fragmented media landscape, where attention is fleeting and consumer skepticism runs high, beauty brands are under increasing pressure to deliver not only eye-catching campaigns but emotionally resonant ones. This has led to a surge in both futuristic, CGI-driven content and grassroots, guerrilla-style activations. While these approaches seem worlds apart—one grounded in digital fantasy, the other in real-world spontaneity—they’re proving most effective when used in tandem.As digital culture continues to evolve, beauty brands are learning to balance imagination with authenticity, reach with relevance, and spectacle with connection. The question isn’t whether computer-generated imagery (CGI) and guerrilla marketing can replace each other; it’s how these tools can be wielded together to build more immersive, multi-touchpoint brand worlds.The Rise of CGI: Storytelling Without Physical BoundariesCGI has exploded in popularity across beauty marketing in recent years, fueled by demand for viral social content and the ability to push visual boundaries without the constraints of time, location, or physical materials. What was once limited to Hollywood and gaming now fuels everyday campaigns on TikTok and Instagram Reels.“CGI has a time and place—it can be incredibly engaging, especially when we want to inject a sense of fun, creativity, or fantasy into our content,” says Jaimee Lupton, founder of MONDAY Haircare and the Gen Z- and Gen Alpha-focused brand DAISE Beauty. “For a brand like DAISE, CGI gives us the perfect canvas to build out our playful, immersive brand world where beauty meets play.