AI Is Transforming Marketing
There is no denying that AI is transforming the marketing industry. From streamlining repetitive tasks and interpreting analytics to delivering personalised campaigns and generating images, AI is changing the way marketing teams work. With the majority of businesses already implementing AI, not taking advantage of it would put your business at a colossal disadvantage. However, when some people see everything that AI can do, they start to wonder, do I even need a marketing team or agency anymore?
The Problem with AI-Generated Marketing
Using AI for your marketing may seem like a smart way to save money, but the cheapest option isn’t always the most effective (and trust us, we’re not just saying this because it’s what we do!). These days we are seeing so much AI slop, even from reputable brands. Coca Cola’s Christmas ad created with AI was slated for being devoid of personality and lacking any kind of human touch. Gucci also faced backlash after using AI to generate images to promote its show at Milan Fashion Week.
Another example is the AI-generated image that Colgate used on their socials to promote their new tropical toothpaste. At a quick glance you may not have noticed, but on closer inspection the sign was glaringly obvious, the text in the image was absolute nonsense. The comment section was soon filled with numerous negative comments. How much this AI slop damages these brands’ reputation remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, using AI as a quick thoughtless fix and pushing out whatever it gives you can ruin the image your business has spent years creating, and you will likely spend more time repairing your image than the time it would have taken not to use AI thoughtlessly in the first place.
Why Human Copywriting Still Matters
AI images are most often easier to spot than AI generated copy. Of course, there are some tell-tale signs such as em dashes (a long dash used to create emphasis or replace commas, parenthesis and colons) and the rule of three (the tendency of AI to structure sentences, lists and arguments in groups of three). However, other AI copy slop can be harder to identify. Content is often grammatically correct; it hits the ideal word count and includes the relevant keywords. However, there is no emotion and no point of view. In other words, there is no human touch. This creates text that seems to cover all the facts but is also completely forgettable. If you’re using AI for copy, chances are others are doing the exact same thing and likely providing it with similar prompts. This results in content that sounds the same as everyone else’s. Your brand is then blending into the masses and getting lost in a sea of AI copy. No one wants to read something that sounds like something they have read a million times before. Original ideas are something only a human can do, AI cannot come up with a brand-new concept or marketing campaign.
Finding the Right Balance Between AI and Human Expertise in Marketing
Of course, there is no denying that AI is a great tool in marketing, and that’s exactly what it should be. You could reduce your costs for your marketing activity with AI, but do you want to do that at the expense of your brand? AI isn’t a replacement for marketing professionals, and it cannot do your business marketing for you, however, a marketer who knows how and when to use AI is exactly what you need. Here at Crunchy Carrots, that is exactly what we are good at. We’re an agency with a team of experts who know when to strategically use AI and when to use our own skills. In a world of AI, many people are craving the human element even more. So, if you want marketing that works and stands out in today’s world, you need human experts.