ChatGPT came roaring onto the scene recently, striking fear into the hearts of every professional creative. Every industry has a "boogeyman," and ours – those who plan and write content for any brand, big or small -- is Artificial Intelligence writing.
It's no secret that smaller firms, like ours, rely on our personal connections with our community, our audience, and our clients to keep things pushin', so... how can L&L and AI connect, if they're even able?
I have ten years of professional experience in copywriting, editing, and content strategizing. I've tested AI over the last year with personal projects and job assignments alike to understand its capabilities and limitations for myself. After a lot (and I mean A LOT) of back and forth, I've come to several conclusions.
First off, let us assure you what AI *CAN'T* do for your brand or business, no matter its size:
Though the real-or-theoretical-maybe-it's-aliens-who-knows algorithm has been helping us determine certain content elements for a few years now (ever schedule an email blast based on the time MailChimp suggests to you? That's the algorithm), it hadn't been able to produce an entire email journey for us laypeople until recently.
The language, no matter how many different instructions or angles you give to the AI, will repeat similar phrases, words, and ideas, all based on what our AI friend has determined your text's category is, according to that algorithm. Once you've started, it's hard to get ChatGPT to refresh its strategy and start over.
You can ask AI to optimize your content for Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and even Threads, but does that guarantee it knows how to do that for your brand? Absolutely not. Though it can organize your content on a high level, asking it to create content that can adapt is futile.
AI doesn't "get" how to adapt your brand voice to fit an email campaign vs. a trendy TikTok caption. It can't align your content across multiple platforms, adjust expectations based on the inherent audience of said platforms, or even create up-to-date content based on what's current. This leads us to…
ChatGPT readily expresses that (at the time of this blog's publishing) its knowledge ends around September 2021--it's always about two years behind. Think back to that month and year: what's changed in the world? What's changed for your brand? If your business' campaigns have anything to do with trending audios or tropes from TikTok or Instagram, AI isn't going to be any help in planning your next viral vid.
For example, I asked ChatGPT the most recent TikTok trend it was aware of, and it brought up Ratatouille: The Musical. So.
I ran into a problem repeatedly with multiple clients: on a fundamental level, AI can't recognize brand-specific diction, phrasing, or tone of voice. If you were to ask it to write something using "casual" language, the result would be a caricature of "girlfriend" terminology that sounds as if an alien was asked to emulate a Los Angeleno based solely on buzzwords from the movie Clueless (1995).
As an example, I typed these words into ChatGPT: "Write me two Instagram captions for a travel company focused on small groups of women using casual, witty language."
"Adventure is out there, and so are your new BFFs! 🌍👯♀️ Join us as we redefine #SquadGoals one travel destination at a time. #WanderWomenUnite #GirlsTripAdventures"
"Because who run the world? Girls exploring it! 🌎✈️ Grab your travel buddies and let's paint the town (and the globe) red. No filters needed when you're living your best travel life! #SquadEscapades #WanderlustWomen"
No matter how many blog posts you copy and paste into that window, asking the AI to "study the structure," your requested blog post will come out looking wonky. If your brand has a specific layout for your emails, there's no guarantee feeding ChatGPT examples and giving it new instructions will produce a sensible copy with palpable flow.
AI will likely take a sentence from your example email and try to plug in words and phrases from your instructions. It cannot discern the difference between "follow a similar pattern of topics/use similar headlines" and "just... plug stuff in wherever. We don't care."
In line with AI's inability to connect with the "right now," it doesn't have the tools to comprehend the ever-changing cultural context in our modern world. Have you ever said, "Wow, it feels like *everything* is happening *all the time* these days?" If ChatGPT were a person, they'd look at you sideways and say, "No. Things change really slowly. No clue what you mean."
For example, though the program may understand not to use offensive terminology, it won't understand why likening something to a natural disaster ("this new product is a tsunami of fun!") would be wholly tone-deaf in the wake of that kind of emergency. And that's just one example: there are so many cultural nuances making their first or fiftieth appearance in the zeitgeist that AI isn't going to catch.
So, AI's bad and terrible for business. And we'll never use it. (<- Us when we're lying).
ChatGPT's power can benefit content strategists, copywriters, brand owners, etc. when wielded correctly.
As an example, I worked with the program to create the following list of content planning that AI can help out with:
"While AI cannot replace the unique capabilities of content strategists, it can certainly be a valuable tool to assist them in organizing and planning their content more efficiently. Here are several ways AI can support content strategists:
1. Data Analysis and Insights: AI can analyze vast amounts of data to provide insights into audience behavior, preferences, and trends. Content strategists can use this data to tailor their content to what their audience is searching for and engaging with, thus creating more relevant and targeted content.
2. Topic Research: AI-powered tools can-"
You know what: I can already tell this is going to be too long and repetitive.
AI supports content strategists in various ways:
AI complements content strategists' expertise, automating tasks and enabling focus on creativity. Think of it more like a helper, rather than another strategist on the team; adjusting your expectations (and, perhaps, your fears) of AI is the secret to unlocking its true potential for your brand.
So, not as much “boogeyman” as it is “an assistant that never sleeps.” We’ll take it.
Creating a brand that resonates with people, for real, takes more than an eye-catching logo or a catchy slogan. Memorable brands engage multiple senses, offering an experience that we can see, hear, and even feel. This is what sensory branding is all about, and it’s an approach we use at Electric Collab to build brands that generate genuine connection on an emotional level to convert the clients we want.
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