We’ve noticed an interesting shift this year in how our clients are approaching the adoption of generative AI (GenAI) tools in the content creation process. While 2024 brought a definite drop in business and the loss of a number of steady clients, this year the tide is turning.We’ve not only had more new clients come on board this year, but we’ve seen about half of those who left come back.
And we think we know why.
Promise of GenAI is Not Without Peril
There’s a lot of great things that GenAI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, CoPilot, Claude, and others can do and they can create a lot of efficiencies. We use these tools ourselves for a lot of our processes.
What we don’t do is use them to actually create our content.
Why? Because they’re not 100% reliable. They hallucinate. They provide false information sometimes literally making things up. That represents a real risk for brands that don’t want their brand value tarnished by inaccuracies, false claims, or biased content.
So we’re seeing new clauses added to our contracts, especially those from the Fortune 100/500 clients we serve, asking us to agree to not use GenAI tools for content creation. Not a problem. We don’t. And we’re glad that others are also recognizing the limitations of these tools and when it’s not wise to use them.
Collaboration, not Abdication
The most effective use of GenAI tools is as part of an interative process or interaction between the user and the tools. That process should be designed to make continuous improvements to the content being generated in alignment with business needs and the brand.
It’s a collaboration not an abdication of responsibility.
That said, we can’t deny that GenAI tools can also play a positive role in brand development and positioning. We’ve had recent conversations with clients about this. Here are some of the questions they’ve had, that you might also have—or, even if you don’t, that might be worth considering.
How can ChatGPT assist in brand positioning or persona development?
One of the best uses for ChatGPT and other GenAI tools is for idea generation. ChatGPT can both evaluate your current brand and offer suggestions on how the brand might be adjusted or strengthened, and can also do this in conjunction with competitive evaluation and positioning.
Can you suggest some effective prompts for generating brand taglines or mission statements?
My starting point in any brand positioning effort is to get a good sense of current state. With ChatGPT that might involve providing it with customer research; market data; company mission, vision, values, etc. A prompt to get started here might be:
“You are a senior marketing professional with responsibility for brand management. You are evaluating your brand relative to competitive brands to make a proposal to senior leadership about ways your brand might be strengthened. As a starting point I’m prvoviding you with (list documents and information being provided). Please review and provide me with 1) how you would currently define and explain our brand positioning, 2) an assessment of the current brand positioning of our competitors (provide alist of competitors), 3) an assessment of whether our current brand positioning is aligned with your mission, vision, and values, 4) a list of areas where our brand is sstrong, 5) a list of areas of opportunity for improvement, Do you have any questions for me before you begin?”
Based on this initial response you will have the opportunity for some back and forth and further questioning to help refine the output and ensure it’s relevant to your needs. Again, you’re not asking these tools to create your mission statements or brand taglines, just to help you in the ideation process.
How do you balance AI-generated branding ideas with human emotional intelligence?
As mentioned previously, this is a collaboration not an abdication. You don’t just step back and let ChatGPT churn out content without oversight, critical review, and iterative questioning.
Can ChatGPT be a viable tool for brand storytelling or tone-of-voice development?
Absolutely! Again, just be specific in terms of the output you’re looking for, provide detailed and clear direction, and then incorporate the outputs into your own idea generation and content creation as you interact with the tool.
Are there specific industries where ChatGPT branding insights shine more than others?
I would say no. While it might seem like marketing is the “best” industry for the use of GenAI tools, these tools are being used successfully in HR, by R&D teams, by administrative professionals, lawyers, doctors, etc., etc., etc.
Yes, these tools can be helpful. Keep in mind, though, that the ability to generate quality insights doesn’t depend on the tool—it depends on the people using the tool.
About Us
Strategic Communications, LLC, works with B2B clients to help them achieve their goals through effective content marketing and management with both internal and external audiences. We work with clients to plan, create, and publish high-quality, unique content. Whether on- or offline, or both, we’ll help you achieve desired results at reasonable rates.
In addition to content creation, we specialize in helping B2B clients raise awareness and drive website traffic through a strong LinkedIn and X presence.
(Strategic Communications is certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise through the Wisconsin Department of Administration.)
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