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Tag: AI

  • AI: The new Van Gogh… or not

    AI: The new Van Gogh… or not

    I would like to apologise for contributing yet another AI article to a world saturated with AI articles, but everyone’s talking about it and I don’t want to be left out. My Linkedin feed is full of it. Maybe I just follow those sorts of people, but generally speaking it’s a popular topic.

    A little obvious. I like it, I think it’s good, I think these tools are incredibly helpful. What I want to address is this idea that these AI tools are going to replace people.

    I follow some creative folks on various platforms. They shift their focus a lot (as do many of us), so sometimes they’re posting photographs, sometimes they’re posting sketches, it varies. It’s not earth-shattering stuff, but I think that any kind of creative expression, whatever form it takes, is healthy.

    However, as of late, these same people have become incredibly proficient in technique. What used to be scribbles have become exceptionally wrought pieces. I was suspicious, so after chatting to one of these ‘artists’ I got an admission of guilt, they’d used AI.

    Shock and horror.

    There are so many implications here.

    1. Firstly, art is an expression of the human condition. The things that have hurt us, brought joy, forced personal growth, all expressed on canvas or in words. To ask an AI to do that on your behalf removes all of the human element. It takes something out of each brush stroke. Painting shifts from this organic piece of work into the world of the almost clinical. When last did ChatGPT lose a loved one?
    2. Secondly, knowing that the execution has been taken care of by something other than you, there’s a tendency to scrutinise the subject matter. That’s where AI truly shines. By removing the veneer, we focus on the grain. Elves, orcs, comic book characters, it’s all there, and it’s all stale and done to death. Digital art is horrid, and AI will make it better. Not from a technical point-of-view, but hopefully an improvement in subject matter. After we’ve seen our one-millionth dragon spewing flames at a hapless princess, there will be a revolt against the revolting.
    3. Thirdly, and most concerning, the death of expression. I wanted a piece of this art action, so I found a nice AI tool that generates images. I played around for a little bit and sure enough, it made some nice pictures based on my inputs. Then it gave me a prompt that led to an epiphany. “Add the phrase ‘like Vermeer’ to get a specific style.” AI will never have its own style, it’ll always rely on the human masters that came before.

    Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that this is a bit of an evolution in search I suppose, but this is not the milestone that will revolutionise civilisation as we know it. I know that nobody has really made that claim, but just in case you were thinking it, stop that immediately. You’re being silly.

    Finally, if you are using AI tools to generate art (whether it be image or writing), please credit the tool you’re using. You’re not Van Gogh, you’re just someone with an internet connection and a dream. Go down to PNA, get yourself some paint and a few brushes, and do it for real. The world desperately needs more meaningful contributions to culture, so go for it.

  • The ‘rules’ of great creative execution

    The ‘rules’ of great creative execution

    I’ve spent the last few months working on several NGO marketing strategies. It’s been absolutely fascinating, mostly because media budgets in that space are incredibly small so compelling creative becomes exceedingly essential. We all know that creative plays a pivotal role in any marketing effort. Still, the insights that I’ve come across in the NGO space illustrate that our creative concepts and structures in other areas are still in their infancy. In this ‘new normal’ world, it is even more important to put resonant creative in front of the consumer.

    There is a fascinating whitepaper that you can read here, but if 52 pages of research is too much, I’ve summarised the findings and adapted them for the retail space, specifically focusing on digital channels.

    Creative matters more than you know

    Correctly framing your marketing messages can lead to a 300% increase in conversion rates. I found this insight to be gobsmacking. Setting up audiences are critical, and human insights should drive big ideas, but what this insight alludes to is the fact that creative structure (how creative actually leads the eye and plays in the space of colour theory), can make or break your conversion rate.

    People need to see themselves

    The research shows that if the consumer sees ads featuring relatable models, conversion rates can increase by 50%. Firstly, this means that you need to understand your target audience in the most fundamental way. You may be selling toothpaste, but if your ad models are dressed in the latest designer fashions, you’re going to lose your audience. It also casts doubt on the effectiveness of ads featuring overly attractive individuals. Secondly, and more technically speaking, we need to make sure that we’re actually targeting the right individuals. In other words, our marketing personas and our digital media audiences need to overlap.

    Don’t overwhelm

    Let’s say you’re running a promotion across a category of items. The temptation is to try and do a mass burst of various products or worse still, cram as many of the products as possible onto a single banner. Despite all its cleverness, the human brain tends towards single subject processing. It means that you’re really only able to focus on (and comprehend properly), one thing at a time. Advertise with your flagship product only, and you’re bound to see improvements in conversion.

    A picture is worth a thousand words

    It’s a throwaway saying that we use to describe the immediate impact of a visual over the comparatively more laborious task of reading a bunch of copy. I think there’s a powerful insight in that saying though. How is the audience’s eye being led through the imagery? Top-to-bottom? Left-to-right? How are you positioning your elements, your copy? Are you unpacking your message in the form of a narrative, or are you simply bombarding the consumer’s eye, giving them the equivalent of a creative smack?

    I was sitting with our creative director the other day looking at how we construct a key visual to deliver maximum impact. We decided that our image would convey a story, albeit with no context, and the final piece of copy on the page would create the context. It would be a eureka moment, a surprise to the viewer, and make a far stronger emotional connection.

    There you have it. Creating good marketing collateral is more than just slapping some pretty copy on to brand CI; it is a strategic endeavour which has far-reaching consequences if not done properly. Good creative teams have a feel for it, but for the rest of us, these are the guidelines we can follow.

  • CX moments of truth

    CX moments of truth

    How many businesses actually go through the exercise of determining where their customer’s pain points are? I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work on a very interesting pitch for a popular automotive brand. Part of the task was to map out the entire customer experience. The point of the process was to determine where the brand should focus their efforts (and their budget) in the coming months.

    We conducted some interviews, including those in the market for new cars, and salespeople on the dealer floor, and built personas. We then broke down the journey into five key milestones, mapping out what each persona would be thinking, doing, and feeling. We determined the tools and experiences that would address any pain points, and then looked at whether those tools and experiences already existed. If they didn’t, these became the recommendations. The results it yielded were clear and gave the potential client some deep insights into where they could improve. Like many brands today, some areas of the customer experience were second to none, and some were almost non-existent.

    Content and marketing are not everything

    Many brands are obsessed with content. Visit any brand site or social page, and you’ll find content galore. Videos, infographics, long-form and short-form. Yet, time and time again, the consumer has made it abundantly clear that they’re not particularly interested in hearing from brands. In fact, recent research shows that on a scale of impact, reviews and recommendations from friends and family far outweigh brand messaging.

    Back to our CX audit. As I mentioned, there were gaps and drops in the customer experience, but none of those gaps were content issues. They were all to do with dropped balls and poor experiences at a multitude of real world and digital touchpoints. Boots CMO, Pete Markey, was recently quoted as saying: “Your customer experience is your brand, so focus on getting it right consistently.”

    Marketing moments of truth that matter

    Therein lies the real challenge – being consistent across the board. How much effort are you putting into your marketing vs. your customer’s experience? In a recent CX report published by Rogerwilco, we took a look at the moments that mattered, ranking them by importance to the customer. These moments of ‘truth’, when done well, act as marketing channels all on their own, earning positive reviews that count more than a brand’s self-praise. Surprisingly, moments like unboxing and delivery (in the ecommerce space), were far more important than the search and purchase phases. Many ecommerce brands tend to focus on the search and purchase phase, while neglecting these final phases.

    Ask the right questions

    The questions you need to ask yourself are, which phases in my customer’s  journey am I ignoring? Have I mapped my customer’s moments of truth? Have I taken time to strategise and understand my customer, or am I simply ploughing ahead with creating content and marketing that has no value? I would also implore you to stop using the term ‘audience’. You don’t have one. You have a customer. Start focusing on the things that matter to your customer.

  • Planned AI Parenthood

    Planned AI Parenthood

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    I’m about to take you through a scenario. While the person I’m describing here might not be exactly who you are, I want you to bear with me.

    It’s 7.30 AM, and your phone wakes you up by playing one of your favourite songs. You roll over and turn it off.

    “Good morning, the temperature today is a balmy 30 degrees Celsius. You have three meetings today, the first begins at 9 AM. Judging from past traffic trends, you will need to leave home by 8.30 AM to make it to your first meeting.”

    Your phone is very cheerful today.

    You ponder your schedule for a moment, realising that if you get out of bed right now, you’ll have time for a jog. Being the kind of person that enjoys a good run, you’re up and on the road in no time flat.

    Your phone, detecting that you are now jogging by using its accelerometer and GPS, asks you, “Hey, enjoying your jog? I’ve created a running playlist based on your taste in music. Would you like me to play it?”

    You agree, some music would be a great accompaniment to the exercise. Your phone kicks-off a fairly good exercise playlist. Twenty minutes later, your phone pipes up again.

    “At your current pace, you will not make it home in time to prepare for your meeting.”

    Your phone is right. You are not jogging at a fast enough pace and turning around might be a really good idea. You turn back and pick up your pace a little. You get home, shower, and make it to your meeting in the nick of time.

    Knowing that you’re in a meeting, your phone immediately silences itself. It will only allow calls from certain numbers through. You wait patiently while your colleagues fiddle with switches and phone UI to silence their devices.

    Later that day, on your way home, your phone asks you, “what are you doing tonight?”

    “I have no plans.”

    “Well, while I was connected to Wi-Fi, I downloaded some more episodes of that series you like. I also took the liberty of downloading the first episode of a series I highly recommend.”

    “Sounds good.”

    “What are you having for dinner? There is a new restaurant near your home that matches your dietary requirements. Would you like me to book a table for you?”

    “Hmm, good idea.”

    The above scenario (admittedly, a bit briskly written), would not be out of place in some kind of fantasy, near-future, sci-fi novel. In reality, this tech is mere months away (a little longer if you’re an Apple fan). AI will be fully integrated into the Huawei P11. Granted, it may not be as slick as the experience I’ve described above, but as with most consumer-driven products, it won’t take long to iron the bugs out.

    Artificial Intelligence has arrived. It’s more artificial than intelligent at the moment, but we’re getting there. How does it work? How does it get better?

    There is a new app, currently in beta, which explains it all quite well. Replika.ai allows you to download an AI bot to your phone, and through a WhatsApp-style interface, you get to talk to an AI entity. The idea is that as you talk to it, it learns from you. It learns about who you are, it learns about the kind of language you like to use. It learns about what your experiences are like and how it can relate to you. Your first few conversations will be weird and stilted. But as the bot learns, it becomes more ‘human’.

    That’s right, artificial intelligence is less programmed and more trained. It is nurtured, it is schooled.

    What does that mean for people in marketing? In the future, your brand will be more than just a name on a box, some postits on a whiteboard, a building, or a group of people. Your brand will be an AI entity, a virtual person that a consumer will be able to interact with. It will be a virtual person that will have learned all it knows from you and your team. This makes you a digital parent. As with human children, being a good parent means commitment. It means learning about your AI baby’s needs, what makes it grow, what will make it a better person.

    My suggestion is that you start learning about your future child right now. Unless you really want to be a bad parent.