ChatGPT Might Change Advertising — But It Wont Revolutionize It

Since its debut last November, OpenAI's ChatGPT has taken the advertising industry by storm, and not just with its ability to create meaningful coherent text in a way never before seen in chatbot technology. Microsoft quickly invested $10 billion in the company, BuzzFeed said it would use its offerings to create content, and the technology is at the heart of campaigns for brands Mint Mobile and Mexican Avocados.

Development has made artificial intelligence the tool of choice for marketers who want ad campaigns to run faster and at a lower cost, especially in conservative economic times that can lead to tighter ad budgets. Advanced language models such as ChatGPT, which use natural language processing and GPT-3 technology, can create large volumes of high-quality content at a lower cost and time than people require, explains Lani Schalek, director of marketing at Jobi Capital. .

“This could lead to a shift in the advertising and marketing industry as companies are likely to start relying more on AI-generated content in their marketing efforts to create content for email marketing and copywriting, SMS and social media. as an influencer to raise awareness,” Schalek said in an emailed comment.

While experts say that AI tools like ChatGPT have the potential to change various aspects of the advertising business, most of them have simply put up so many warning signs and flagged other processes that must be done at the same time when integrating AI into marketing. So far, the rise of ChatGPT is more likely to improve marketing, rather than reverse the entire Apple bandwagon.

“We haven’t yet seen AI produce anything that is prime time ready,” said Gary Stibel, founder and CEO of New England Consulting Group. "It's just not there yet, I don't think it ever will be."

Content Creation

Most experts agree that ChatGPT's biggest impact on marketing comes from creating content that exceeds the speed and resolution typical of the brainstorming process for creatives, which tends to be grouped by style (i.e. all ideas are fun or all ideas are serious). But what AI delivers cheaply and at high speed, it cannot fully convey to humanity. The Uncanny Valley is felt by everyone who has read the AI-generated text.

“I can tell when the text is AI generated because its quality doesn’t quite fit, it just doesn’t make sense,” says Ajay Goel, founder of email marketing platform GMass.

ChatGPT also has restrictions on creating content from scratch; while it can collect and process existing information, it cannot generate new ideas, which are the lifeblood of powerful marketing campaigns. So while he can apparently pass the LSAT, it's unclear if he'll ever be able to buy the world a Coke.

“This is not about hiding something revolutionary. It takes what exists and reconstructs it in a way that makes sense by combining information from different sources,” Goel said. "I don't think there will ever be a definitive example in its current form that will actually be used and be successful in a marketing campaign."

However, the use of ChatGPT could create new jobs, or at least require new skills for marketers. From now on, users should know how best to use ChatGPT to create useful content.

"Whether you're doing market research, asking someone out on a date, or asking a question on ChatGPT, you're going to have people who know how to ask a question to get the most responses," Steibel said. She said:

Marketers should also be able to sort AI-generated text and refine it for the best result. Both the front-end and back-end will require investment in training or recruitment, but are likely to generate more content in-house.

red flags

ChatGPT and AI text generation requires human contact to not only avoid the uncanny valley, but also bypass the advertising headache. German brand KFC faced controversy last year when its app sent out an alert asking them to celebrate the anniversary of Kristallnacht with its food. The network attributed the error to "a semi-automated content creation process tied to calendars that include national holidays."

“Brand safety issues are of great importance. The AI-generated copy is likely to be a great canvas for brainstorming and pitching ideas, but even under the best of circumstances, brands and marketers will want a human to do the final edits,” said Mark Sturino, vice president of data and analytics at independent media. - Agency Good Apple, said in the email comments.

The ethical use of AI in marketing has also been cited as a priority for CMOs, according to a recent Gartner survey, and similar to the talk of using deep spoofing that can lead to more distrust of advertising and the media.

“Companies also need to consider the ethical implications of using AI-generated content, such as ensuring transparency and taking steps to prevent the spread of misinformation,” says Schalek of Jobi Capital.

Even with these limitations and challenges, marketers should at least keep an eye on developments like ChatGPT and decide if this technology will impact their business, for better or worse, in the short or long term, if they haven't already. done. like this.

"Whether it's an agency, a company, or a consulting firm, I can't believe there are good marketing organizations out there that don't already have a lot of experience with AI," says Stiebel of the New England Consulting group.

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