Rank & File: Performance Marketing & Creative Development

Most ads in the social media death scroll suck. It's not because the products themselves suck (although many do, and are competing in saturated markets). It's simply that the marketing/creative team is either non-existent, unskilled, or is not putting in the time and thought it takes to develop interesting ads with compelling offers. I'll argue that most early to seed stage brands are suffering from a combination of all three of the above reasons. They fell into a trap of minimal funding, fail forward/move fast, and lack of knowledge on the type of talent and thought required to creating ads that don't suck. The consumer is tapped out. Bombarded with competing ads. It's like competing for a three year old's attention while they're mesmerized by the entire cast of Disney in song and dance all at once, with cotton candy in the three old's hands. You not only have to stand out, but you have to convince your prospect that there's value in your product, your offer is compelling... and you have to do all of that in about 7 seconds (some studies say as low as 3 seconds). But what makes a great paid social ad? I'd say it's simple: it's an ad concept that expresses your product's value prop in a creative (i.e. different per your brand's style). So, if you and your creative team are not spending several hours a week developing ad concepts, tweaking storylines, editing and fine-tuning until things are drum tight, then you're blowing money on ads that won't convert. And don't talk to me about AI... yet. AI tools might help with the actual content (i.e. bringing down production costs), but AI is currently unable to take that AI gen content and create an ad concept that expresses your value props in a creative way. Lastly, the cool AI generated ads you're seeing are often 6-10 tools deep in terms of the tech stack--so you're still relying heavily on creative talent ATM. And if you've recently seen a great paid social ad (AI generated or not), please share a link below in the comments! #paidsocialads #ads #advertisements #googleads #metaads #facebookads #creatives #ai #artificialintelligence #aitools

In his thought-provoking piece, Steve Tate delves into the evolving dynamics of human connection in the era of AI. He posits that as AI permeates our daily existence, our interactions with both technology and fellow humans are poised to transform. Tate suggests that as AI advances, it could potentially develop its own unique perspectives, akin to adolescents asserting independence. Consequently, he argues, it falls upon us to steer and provide context for AI's evolution, much like guiding children through their formative years. Collaboration between humans and AI emerges as crucial in navigating this paradigm shift, facilitating mutual understanding and minimizing potential risks. Check out more in the last edition of the Social Capital Compendium https://lnkd.in/ggbskc2P #socialcapital?#peopleanalytics?#futureofwork?#hybridwork #organizationalnetworkanalysis?#socialcapitalcompenduim

Does the story of humanity's existence boil down to efficiency? Has this been our main prioritization and is AI the boiling point to all this effort? With the rise of AI, humanity’s relationship with each other is about to change even further. We’re no longer engineers of all this output but we are parents of it. As our relationship with AI grows, the connections with each other may deteriorate. When you zoom out, the picture can become rather bleak, but it doesn’t have to be... Explore the latest installment to my series Humanism 2.0, here. #artificialintelligence #ai #writing #writers #marketing #creativity #humans #humanconnections #agi #engineering #engineers

What if I told you algorithms can influence, if not control up to 80% of your life? Your first response is probably, “I’m not controlled by anything,” but it's actually not far-fetched. If anything, it's more than 80%. Consider how you met your newest friend, how you got your most recent job, or how you found the last restaurant you visited? Now, let’s consider your thinking and decisions in other areas of life. Maybe whom you voted for, where you vacationed, or the parenting approach you take or don’t. When was the last time you had a truly original or unique thought? Ever notice that your topics of conversation are spurred by what you see on your discovery page? That’s the algorithm’s control I’m talking about. Now, let’s imagine what's to come. AI just recently had its moment when ChatGPT went viral in November of 2022. But the developments have just barely scratched the surface. How will you ever "disconnect" when artificial general intelligence becomes as ubiquitous as the Internet? Will it even be possible to disconnect at that stage? I don't mean to scare you, but a Super Intelligent AGI paired with mass surveillance doesn't exactly make going to bed at night easier. But you know what does? Escaping to the void. What is that you ask? It's exactly what it sounds like: unplugging from everything. Consuming pre-internet books, TV or film. Or here's something crazy... when's the last time you actually turned your device off for an entire day? Unless you're observing Sabbath, my guess would be never. Ask yourself, who's running your life? To whom do you look up? What do you believe in? Have you opened the door to your existential crisis yet? ?? Now, here’s the most interesting question, which is directly related to business & marketing: how much of your business and work are dictated by the algorithm? I’d say we’re now getting closer to 100%.? Let’s assume this is true. That means you don’t even work for yourself, as a founder or entrepreneur. You work for Big Tech (i.e. Microsoft, Meta, Apple, Google, Amazon and others). Do we stand a chance once AGI is here? It’s going to be hard, but I think we do stand a chance. This is my half-baked BIG IDEA: the window is closing to our only chance to come together, before we’re fully under the algo’s control. The rise of humanity, collectivity and connection must be prioritized. Humans have done this before and succeeded. We can do it again. Follow me for more as I explore these ideas in a series of posts and articles here on LinkedIn called Humanism 2.0. For more on Humanism 1.0, see below in comments. #ai #humanism #artificialintelligence #chatgpt #mentalhealth #algo #algorithm #humans #agi #apple #meta #google #microsoft