How is generative AI disrupting marketing, and how can you respond? - N°31

Hi everyone,

I must confess: as a marketer (and content creator) generative AI* technologies like ChatGPT have impressed me immensely in the last few days! For this edition of TheMarketingOrchestrator (.com), I initially had another topic prepared… but shifted it all because I felt an emergency to understand, test, and reflect. The result is this newsletter N°31 on:

How is generative AI disrupting marketing and how can you respond?

Happy to read your comments!

Please don’t hesitate to share other pieces of content about the same subject: I may use them for a further edition; merci!

#marketing #ai #artificialinteligence #tech #chatgpt

{Trends}

Introduction to generative AI in 5 trends

As a reminder for those who may have taken extended breaks and missed the emergence of ChatGTP and other generative AI technologies, Gil Perry, CEO and co-founder of D-ID, a company specializing in future-facing generative AI, offers in his article for FastCompany the following five trends to keep an eye on:

1. Generative AI will become mainstream (indeed, more than one million people have tried ChatGPT in the first five days of its release… Wow!).
2. The quality of content generated by AI will continue to improve.
3. More businesses will adopt generative AI in their operations.
4. New professions related to generative AI will emerge.
5. Regulations governing the use of generative AI will increase, particularly in regard to copyright. As a former professional with experience in licensing and publishing, copyright in the marketing industry is particularly interesting. If anyone has recommendations for specialists or publications on the subject, please share them!

{Marketing}

The role of AI in modern marketing: a closer look

I've been a fan of Ross Simmonds' work for a while, and I'm excited to share one of his recent pieces with you all. In it, Ross, founder of Foundation Inc., explores the ways in which artificial intelligence is transforming marketing communications. He provides specific examples and detailed explanations of the processes and results of AI's impact on the industry. His discussion of the Burger King ad from 2020 is fascinating, as it demonstrates both the potential and limitations of generative AI, particularly when compared to the expertise of a seasoned advertising professional.

Ross compares the change with what has happened with the Google and Facebook ads; this resonates totally with me as I worked on display ads 12 years ago, and yes, I can confirm it was pretty manual. But today, the change is much more significant:

“These tools will arm you with the ability to do things that the early professionals of our industry couldn’t even imagine as a possibility. Technologies like this come only a few times in a century.” - Ross Simmonds.

One of the main benefits of AI in marketing that Ross highlights is its ability to generate content quickly and reduce repetitive tasks. However, he is the most convincing when focusing on ad creation's benefits. Indeed, the generative AI tool detects the ad structure and can suggest numerous qualitative variations (that you can improve on your own manually). This is a promising path toward real scalability, even though I wonder what it means about the consistency of the tone of voice or look&feel; the future will tell. Even more impressive is that the AI tool calculates a conversion rate for each creative. According to Ross, these opportunities will affect the content marketer's job in the creation area like the following:

Ready to try the 2.0 version?

{Tech}

The Human-Technology dynamic

In this article published on the 16th of December for the Content Marketing Institute, Robert Rose, a leading content strategist, discusses the importance of mindset when dealing with technology. He writes in a personal tone about the “not yet (but almost there)” nature of new technologies, the fears that come along with them, and wisdom. He argues that:

“We create technology, but its existence also changes us. It then follows that the meaning of any new technology we invent comes from how it changes us.” - Robert Rose.

He also insists on how AI in particular has the ability to enhance our creative skills as humans. He also highlights the need for control and responsibility in the development and use of AI. Overall, I recommend the article as a provoking but necessary reflection on our relationship with technology.

{Tool}

Effective prompts, the key to optimising your ChatGPT results

According to Ruben Hassid, if you want to get specific and helpful answers from ChatGTP, it's essential to focus on creating clear and compelling “prompts” when briefing the chatbot. In a recent LinkedIn post, Hassid provides concrete examples of 30 good and bad prompts to help users learn how to ask for the information they need. This post is an excellent resource for anyone looking to get the most out of ChatGTP.

{Career}

What generative AI means for your marketing career

As Mark Schaefer, the keynote marketing speaker and author of “Marketing Rebellion” (among others), says:

“Content-generating AI is here to stay … and it’s going to become exponentially better. It’s incredibly useful. It’s already being integrated into everything. You have no choice but to embrace it and use it to your advantage.” - Mark Schaefer.

Here are four recommendations of Mark to navigate this shift from a career perspective:

1. Focus on insights rather than just information in a world where it's easy for anyone to create content.
2. Invest in building a personal brand that people can identify with and trust. Knowing that a specific person created the content can significantly impact its reception.
3. Identify where you can add the most value and pivot your focus in that direction.
4. Don't wait to start with generative AI tools – take the time to learn and master them now.

Easier said than done, but this is the path, in my opinion.

{VC}

Expect more generative AI innovation as VCs show enthusiasm

Tim Smith for Sifted reported that generative AI generates much excitement among venture capitalists, who believe it can create significant returns. With insights from Nathan Benaich, a general partner at an AI-focused VC firm, Air Street Capital; Antoine Blondeau, the managing partner at an AI-focused fund, Alpha Intelligence Capital; and Tariq Rauf, who is the founder of an AI-powered company called Qatalog.

{Ethics}

Exploring the ethical risks of AI-generated Content

Taking the example of pictures created by Lensa AI, Webb Wright shows in The Drum on the 14th of December some aspects where we can all be concerned ethically by the results of generative AI and the consequences on creation:

“The time has come, therefore, for marketers to begin thinking about how this emergent technology may soon begin to impact their creative strategies.” - Webb Wright.

Not surprisingly, the beauty is conventional, sometimes even sexualized. It is easy to generate soft-porn images with real people. In addition, there is plagiarism in the style of artists. As a hobbyist painter, this aspect fascinates me: what is a style? How to define it in such a specific one that there is only one? Is it even possible? Can you protect a style from a legal and copyrighting perspective?

Overall, my learning is that we all need a marketing strategy for generative AI. The soonest, the better.

PS: Here are the generative AI tools mentioned in the curated articles:

For texts

• ChatGPT
• Jasper
• AI Google Sheets tool
• Grammarly

For visuals

• DALL.E
• MidJourney
• Lensa AI

PS bis: all the pieces of content were published in the last two weeks unless otherwise stated.

If you reach these lines, it means you read my newsletter: thank you!

I hope you enjoyed it.

Happy to read your comments!

Lucie.