Is Claude 3 a ChatGPT Killer: Which AI is better for marketing?

As a marketer, I've been using various generative AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and Bard (now Gemini) for some time. With paid subscriptions for all three (I'm still on the introductory three-month trial for Gemini), I wanted to compare their premium versions to see if I could downgrade one to the basic (free) service, especially with the release of Claude 3 by Anthropic.

As of now, Gemini is not producing the results I would expect, and I have stopped using it until improvements are made. That leaves ChatGPT 4 and Claude 3.

What is Claude 3?

Claude is a generative AI similar to ChatGPT, but it's made by Anthropic, while ChatGPT is from OpenAI. From a user's perspective, they feel quite similar and can perform many of the same tasks.

Anthropic recently released Claude 3, an updated version of their AI language model, which offers improved performance and capabilities compared to previous versions, with different levels available, including the most advanced option called Opus.

The Tests

I ran some tests comparing the premium paid versions of Claude 3 (Opus) and ChatGPT (4.0) for three of my most common marketing use cases: writing blog posts, generating emails, and creating image descriptions. The results were quite surprising.

Blog Posts: Claude 3 vs. ChatGPT

When it comes to writing blog posts, Claude 3 is much better than ChatGPT right out of the box. It excels at zero-shot prompting, which means it can generate high-quality content without the need for examples or extensive prompting. This makes it easier and faster to create blog posts with Claude 3.

ChatGPT, however, has a better understanding of marketing principles and can create stronger marketing copy. But it requires more effort to fine-tune the style and tone of the generated content. ChatGPT tends to use hyperbolic language, which may not always be appropriate for your target audience or brand voice.

Email Crafting: Claude 3 vs. ChatGPT

Claude 3 is slightly better than ChatGPT when it comes to creating emails with a conversational tone. Its ability to generate natural-sounding language makes it a smart choice for both sales and marketing emails. With simple instructions, Claude 3 can produce emails that feel like they were written by a human, increasing the likelihood of engagement.

In contrast, ChatGPT's emails often sound less human-like and more "marketing-like." This means that you may need to spend more time adjusting the generated content to match your preferred style and tone. However, one advantage of ChatGPT is that it often includes a PS line in the emails it generates, which is known to be the second most read line after the subject line.

Image Description: Claude 3 vs. ChatGPT

When tasked with generating descriptions for uploaded images (say for product descriptions or alt text), Claude 3 is consistently better than ChatGPT. It produces more concise descriptions that effectively convey the key features and benefits of the product or the alt text without going overboard. Though you will notice it got the text color description a bit wrong, calling it bold yellow instead of bold black with yellow highlight.

ChatGPT, on the other hand, tends to generate descriptions that are too long and overly promotional. Its strong understanding of marketing principles works against it in this case, leading to descriptions that may be less effective in engaging potential customers. The lengthy and excessively promotional nature of ChatGPT's image descriptions may be off-putting to some readers. You can see in the image below it used "creating a sense of explosion," which I would not use for an alt text description. It also got the font slightly wrong, bold vs. highlight color.

The most impressive thing is that both understood the image was a comparison, though Claude stated it is fact, while ChatGPT hedged.

The Verdict: Claude 3 vs. ChatGPT

For the three use cases I tested, Claude 3 is the clear winner when working out of the box. If you're not strong in prompt engineering, don't want to use custom GPTs, or prefer zero-shot prompting, Claude 3 is the better choice at this time.

Keep in mind, this article was written the day after the Claude 3 update was released.? Let’s see how ChatGPT responds. The good news is, we have some real competition in the generative AI space.

My Situation

I have custom GPTs that I've created and refined over a couple of months to help with my content creation. These custom GPTs, tailored to my needs and trained with data from my own writing and feedback, are hard to beat. For now, I will continue to pay for the premium models for each AI tool.

Have you been using ChatGPT or Claude for your marketing efforts? I'd love to hear about your experiences! Share your insights, successes, and challenges in the comments below.

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A note from John: My written content is created with originality and authenticity. While I employ AI tools to aid in brainstorming, refining, and offering general guidance, the essence, creativity, beliefs, opinions, and stories of each piece stem from my unique experiences and perspective.