AI is the buzzword of the moment. This is particularly true in marketing and communications. From generating blog content, to ad copy and social media posts – AI is being used to increase output and save time. But is it helpful? Or are we quietly diluting content as channels become flooded with identical copy, with no real voice of authority?
I’m not completely anti-AI. So in this blog, I look into the pros and cons of using tools like ChatGPT to assist with your marketing – where it works, and where it doesn’t.
Good for: organising a ‘brainstorm’
Tools like ChatGPT can be a great way to summarise, clarify or bullet list your ideas and thoughts. You can keep a chat open and pour in all your ideas on a specific topic or project you’re working on, and then get it to turn your ‘brainstorm into a clearer to-do list or simple summary.
It’s also great for filling in blanks, using your own ideas as its prompt.
Not for: writing thought pieces
We’re passionate about great writing, and there’s more that goes into it than just putting words together on a page. There’s understanding the brand and its products, the people that work within the company, the tone of voice required, the target audience (importantly) and other nuances.
It’s also important to interview specialists who are experts in specific in areas for the most up-to-date information.
This is a human-process that AI simply can’t replace, like-for-like. Trying to get something close to this would require expert briefing and consume a lot of time doing so – all to produce something un-original.
Good for: prompting
Sometimes you need help finding an angle on something or coming up with ideas on how to creatively promote something in different ways. The pool of creativity can especially run dry if you’re trying to re-work a topic that you’ve already covered a lot.
AI tools are great for producing a bullet list of ideas or suggesting angles (a bit like a sounding board). From there you can select what you like and go and create something unique.
Not for: building credibility on social media
People can spot AI. It lacks personality, feels generic and starts to mimic all the other AI-generated posts in people’s newsfeed. This makes it difficult to connect with your audience and doesn’t lend itself to building trust and credibility.
Good for: SEO planning
ChatGPT can help enhance keyword and SEO planning. It is an unbiased tool that is not dissimilar to search engines like Google. There still needs to be a person on the other end making strategic judgment, but it can quickly pull together hundreds of relevant structured keywords (and titles) and group them together.
Not for: sustainability
A lot of brands are shouting out about sustainability (read Kerrie’s blog on this here) but still heavily using AI for marketing, which comes at a cost to the environment. Some estimates suggest that ChatGPT uses around 500ml of water per 20–50 prompts, mostly to cool data centres. When repeated over and over again, by many different users, this takes a huge toll on the environment.
AI tools can be brilliant assistants, but not replacements. You still need real people to shape strategy, inject personality, and produce content that actually resonates with your audience.
What are your thoughts on using AI for marketing?
