Can ChatGPT Replace My Marketing Team?
TLDR
For long-form, info-based content, I’ll stick with my English degree. An AI-generated article is unlikely to save your team much (if any) time in content creation.
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT are intriguing brands with the new possibilities they bring…and freaking people out. AI technology can answer questions, create custom images out of thin air, write copy, and more. That “more” is a growing development, as AI gets smarter and more nuanced.?
Might it mean that a brand could dismiss their marketing team and use ChatGPT as their writer, designer, and strategist? Let’s explore that.
The Nuts and Bolts of ChatGPT
Okay, before we hit the circuit breaker, let’s back up a little. ChatGPT? AI? Robots taking over the office?
If you’ve been out of the loop, ChatGPT is one of many AI tools out there that can do a lot of things. It’s expected to change search engine optimization as we know it by utilizing AI tools like ChatGPT to drive search results. AI-powered image generation tools can create virtually any image you can think of, even in a photo-realistic style. It’s not perfect—for example, it still hasn’t quite mastered the art of human hands—but the technology has gotten better and better. AI-generated “photos” are already fooling people, which is horrifying.?
However, at its core, ChatGPT (as it sounds) is a chatbot. A very, very smart chatbot. To start, you can ask it a question. You can also request short-form copy (e.g., an email subject line), or ask for longer-form copy such as an article on a certain subject. You can ask it to write a limerick about ChatGPT taking over a marketing team.?
The point is, ChatGPT will generate text results based on any prompt you give it—to the best of its ability and with varying results.
ChatGPT-powered Limerick
I asked ChatGPT for that above-mentioned limerick, yes. It gave me a two-parter:
“In the world of marketing, they say,
Can ChatGPT show us the way?
With its AI might,
Can it shine so bright,
And replace teams without delay?
But let's not jump to conclusions,
For marketing needs human illusions.
Creativity's spark,
A team's vital mark,
Together, they bring grand solutions!”
Confession.
Before writing this blog, I put on my goggles to do some testing. As a human who’s a writer on a marketing team, I wanted to know the answer to this blog’s topic first-hand. What am I up against here? Could a robot replace me?
I asked ChatGPT to do all sorts of things related to this very blog—starting with writing me an intro. But in the end, I, a real person, wrote all of this content. That’s equally because I want to keep my day job and because the copy I got back was, well, pretty robotic. More on those experiments later.
Here’s what we know.
So, how good is ChatGPT, and can it be an unpaid intern on your marketing team? ChatGPT and other AI programs are still developing and will continue to do so. That’s another way of saying: We don’t know everything about this yet. But here is what we have found out so far—based on external research and dipping my toes in ChatGPT’s waters myself.
Strengths of ChatGPT
Speed
ChatGPT and other forms of AI can deliver paragraphs of content in mere seconds. I have to admit—that’s pretty cool. You can give it a prompt, take a sip of coffee, and have a response once you’ve set your mug down.
But, slow down. ChatGPT is fast, but it won’t necessarily save you time in the long run. Keep reading!
Short-form Content
One thing ChatGPT can be helpful with is generating shorter text. For example, I asked it to write 5 email subject lines to promote this blog, and here’s the result:
I’d maybe use the first two, or variations of them—they’re not bad. The other three aren’t really in line with what we’re trying to convey. I could have also asked ChatGPT to provide shorter subject lines as well or been more specific about the style I want, which may have improved the results.?
Overall, ChatGPT can be a convenient starting point if you’re having trouble coming up with a headline, subject line, and so on. The output may still need a few adjustments, and you might end up asking for a few variations before the program gives you what you’re looking for. ChatGPT may or may not save you time, here!
Generating Ideas
ChatGPT can be a helpful resource in the brainstorming phase of a project, or in times when you’re a little stuck. Maybe you just can’t figure out that first sentence for your email message, or interesting copy for a social post. If you provide ChatGPT with the details on what you’re looking to write, it can quickly shoot you some content. Even if you don’t use the content ChatGPT gives you, it might spark other ideas to get you past your writer’s block.
Versatility
The sky is the limit in terms of what you can ask ChatGPT to do. It will try to do it all. AI tools pull from a vast sea of information to answer your questions, compose virtually any type of text you can think of, create images, and more. How well it does all those things depends on the input of the user and the limitations of the technology itself. While AI systems are smart, they are far from perfect—and have lots of learning to do.
Creativity
One of the most fun parts about experimenting with ChatGPT is testing its creative abilities. Honestly, I was impressed at some of the content it came up with in that realm.?
Now, I should make a disclaimer. ChatGPT is terrific at coming up with overtly artistic things like silly poems and songs. It’s not as great at more calculated forms of creativity, such as long-form marketing content. I went for the ultimate artistic experiment. I asked ChatGPT to write me an old-school rap song about ChatGPT replacing a marketing team. Here’s the first verse:?
领英推荐
“Yo, listen up, I got a tale to tell,
'Bout a new AI that's raisin' some hell,
ChatGPT's the name, and it's here to claim,
That it can replace your marketing team, what a shame!”
Pretty cool, right? The rest of the song was catchy and clever as well. However…ChatGPT cut the outro short mid-sentence and didn’t finish the song. Mic drop.
Where ChatGPT Falls Short
An Editing Eye
Some major weaknesses of ChatGPT are issues with composition and correctness. Most longer-form responses I’ve gotten from ChatGPT have felt rambly and repetitive. Oftentimes words are missing or misused and there are grammatical errors like comma splices. So, anyone who uses ChatGPT should make sure to have a real person go through the copy with a fine-toothed comb.
Comprehension
The output you get from ChatGPT is only as good as the input you give it. But, even a straightforward prompt may result in a strange response.
Sometimes ChatGPT just doesn’t seem to “get it.” There’s a learning curve for both us human users and for the AI program as we learn each others’ languages. Sometimes you’ll find yourself needing to reword your prompt, be more specific, or ask for a certain tone of voice. And even then, after a few tries you may find it’s easier to just write the darn thing yourself.
So, back to that email promo I was experimenting on. After asking for a subject line, I asked ChatGPT to write a catchy two-paragraph email promoting this blog. What it gave me was five paragraphs and sounded like a job applicant politely sharing their résumé with a company. It started with the overused, “I hope this email finds you well,” and ended with, “Thank you for your time, and I look forward to connecting with you soon!”
I’m sure that I could work out a prompt that would output a less “corporate-sounding” email, of course. However, this illustrates ChatGPT missing the mark on a simple request.
Sources and Reliability
While ChatGPT is a robust tool that can pull lots of information together in short order, there’s no knowing exactly where that information is coming from or how correct it is.?
When you ask ChatGPT a question or ask it to write info-based content, it scrapes data from websites and databases. In that sense, it’s smart and powerful. But it can and has gotten things wrong. Since you don’t know the source or original context of the information ChatGPT provided, it’s important not to take anything at face value. Any content used should be fact-checked.
For long-form, info-based content, I’ll stick with my English degree. An AI-generated article is unlikely to save your team much (if any) time in content creation. You’d be starting from a place of uncertainty—with a pile of content that you now have to painstakingly vet and copy-edit the dickens out of. Plus, it’s gotta sound like your brand. Oh look, our next point!
Overall Voice and Finesse
ChatGPT’s outputs do not always quite strike the right balance the user is looking for. On one end, responses often feel a little stiff and academic. But then in my experience, when I’ve tried to correct that by requesting certain styles of writing, ChatGPT often goes overboard—throwing in a whole kitchen sink of goofy phrases and losing meaning along the way.
I had mentioned that, for science, I asked ChatGPT to write me an intro for this blog. None of the attempts hit the mark on what I wanted to convey and didn’t capture the distinct sōsh voice we’ve worked to develop and refine. In a time when audiences yearn to connect and see the real, authentic nature of a brand, that’s a problem.?
So, here it is. I requested a witty, tongue-in-cheek intro to this blog, and received this:
“Step aside, marketing teams! There's a new kid on the block, and it goes by the name of ChatGPT. In a world where AI is taking over everything from our to our, it was only a matter of time before it set sights on the marketing realm. But can this digital whiz-kid really replace the creativity, intuition, and occasional chaos of a marketing team? Join us on this wild ride as explore the humans versus algorithms, the battle of slogans and hashtags, and the ultimate question: Can ChatGPT outshine the brilliance of a marketing team? Buckle up, folks, because this blog is about to take you on a rollercoaster of wit, sarcasm, and a whole lot of marketing mayhem. Let the showdown begin!”
There are fun elements to it, but it needs lots of work. I chuckled about the bizarre “Buckle up” line, then started writing the blog using human intelligence.?
Creativity
Yup, creativity is both a strength and a weakness of ChatGPT. The program seems to do quite well with writing shorter-form creative content and things like poems and songs, but it struggles with longer-form copy. That perfect balance of catchy but professional is best left to your writer.
So…Can ChatGPT Replace My Marketing Team?
In a word, no.
The weaknesses of ChatGPT should tip you off, but let’s make it clear. While AI is a powerful tool, brands should hold onto their creative team and strategists tight. And maybe randomly surprise them with coffee and treats.?
Unless robots become sentient (please, no.), AI cannot foreseeably capture all the facets of what makes a marketing campaign truly effective. We’ve seen that AI text falls short on things like style and flow, and can be repetitive and clunky at times. Equally important, it also needs to be checked by a real person for factuality and any possibility of plagiarism. If I had asked AI to write this blog for me, it would have taken me more time overall (fact-checking, reorganizing, rewording, etc.) than just writing it myself.
But, perhaps the most important thing is that AI-generated copy lacks that sense of soul your audience connects with—speaking in your brand voice, and showing sincere care for and connection to the customer. It’s that “je ne sais quoi” that’s uniquely you, and that only you can provide to your audience.
Even ChatGPT Agrees.
Remember how I said you can ask ChatGPT questions? I straight up asked it, “Can ChatGPT replace a marketing team?”
Here’s what it told me—and I’d say this was the most coherent, helpful (yet repetitive and imperfect) response I got from ChatGPT in my experiments:
“While ChatGPT can assist with certain marketing tasks, it is not a direct replacement for a marketing team. ChatGPT is an AI language model designed to generate human-like text based on the input it receives. It can help with content creation, copywriting, and generating ideas, but it lacks the strategic thinking, creativity, and human touch that a marketing team brings to the table.
A marketing team consists of individuals with diverse skills and expertise, including market research, data analysis, branding, design, social media management, and more. They work together comprehensive marketing strategies, execute campaigns, analyze results, and make adjustments based on real-time feedback.
While ChatGPT can be a valuable tool for marketers, it is best used in conjunction with a marketing team than as a complete replacement. The combination of human creativity, strategic thinking, and AI assistance can lead to more effective marketing efforts.”
There you have it. Straight from the robot’s mouth!
Final Thoughts
If your team decides to use ChatGPT (or any AI), only use it as a tool to support writers—not as a replacement for a real writer. If you have ChatGPT write you a blog and call it a day, your audience will notice. Start by keeping it simple, and ensure there’s a human hand in everything you produce.?
Let’s Chat!
ChatGPT can do a lot, but it can’t replace people. We believe that truly connecting to your customers requires a human touch: listening to your audience, having meaningful conversations, and delivering value. When it’s time to develop or refine your marketing strategy, chat with us at sōsh! We’d love to have a person-to-person conversation about where you’re at and where you want to go.
About Us
Founded in 1999, sōsh is a Milwaukee-based creative marketing and advertising agency specializing in data-driven strategies for small to large brands. Sōsh focuses on a wide range of disciplines such as creative services, social media, digital marketing, web design, advertising, and our trademark events. Sōsh creates meaningful connections between brands and their audience and does so through strategic communication, captivating creative, and thoughtful engagement. We are a collection of strategists - creatives dedicated to adding value to both our client’s brands and their consumers’ lives.
Content Writer
1 个月yes interested