“Don’t Fall for the ChatGPT Trap: Why Authentic, Human-Led Copy is Key”

So let’s start this here. My name is Danny and I am actually a human being. A real one. I’m 41, I’ve got 2 children, a dog, and a cat and I’m really getting back into listening to music on vinyl. My back is knackered, I drink too much tea.

I head up all things Brand & Marketing here at Sleeping Giant Media and I have done for the past 5 years. And unless you have been living under some kind of rock over the festive break you will no doubt know all about ChatGPT, and if you don’t, just go check out your Linkedin feed and you soon will.

But hang on a minute, This isn’t another blog telling you how great it can be for your marketing. Oh no no no. If that is what you are looking for then feel free to add to our *bounce rate and continue your quest (*not actually a metric in GA4 now).

This is a warning, on why Artificial Intelligence is coming for you, in a Cybernet, Terminator kinda way.

Generating large amounts of content quickly and easily using ChatGPT may seem like a tempting idea. Imagine the time and money you would save. Put your feet up. Let the robots do your work, but relying on AI to generate your copy will lead to a lack of genuine industry-specific thought leadership and human-led insight. And that’s what keeps us humans interested.

AI tools are not capable of understanding the nuances and subtleties of language in the same way that (some) humans are. This can result in copy that lacks the personality, authenticity, and humour that is so important in building trust and connection with your audience.

Think of your brand’s tone of voice as the personality of your business. 

Just like a person, it should be unique, authentic, and consistent. It should feel warm and inviting. It should look to speak to your audience how they speak themselves.

Using ChatGPT or any other AI tool to generate your copy is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. It may work in the short term, but in the long run it will not effectively represent your brand and may even damage your reputation and who knows what consequences Google will bring in for this Microsoft product’s work.

Here are some other reasons you may want to re-think your gap year as you let ChatGPT take over the reins:

1. Lack of personalisation: ChatGPT is not able to tailor its language or messaging to specific audiences or individuals. This can lead to a lack of relevance and connection with your audience. Think about the way your colleagues and peers talk. What cultural reference points do they refer to?

2. Inability to understand context: ChatGPT does not have the ability to understand the context in which it is being used. It is a chat/dialog tool. This can result in inappropriate or confusing language being generated, so it is always best to keep a human in charge of the technology. Which brings us on to…

3. Risk of errors and inaccuracies: As ChatGPT is not a human, it is not able to fact-check or ensure the accuracy of the information it generates. It is also not using live search data so is unable to use trend or up to data information to validate itself.

4. Lack of creativity: AI tools are not capable of coming up with creative ideas or thinking outside the box. They can look like they are, but originality is the key to creativity. This can lead to a lack of fresh, innovative marketing approaches. As more and more businesses go for quantity over quality, those brands with unique creativities will win.

5. Inability to understand emotions: ChatGPT does not have the ability to understand or convey emotions in the same way that humans do. This can lead to a lack of emotional connection with your audience. With so much going on in the world, understanding and resonating your tone with your audience is crucial. Just think back to Covid and how messaging was so important and that almost evolved weekly.

To truly connect with your audience and establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry, and to be honest, someone worth listening to. It’s important to put in the time and effort to create authentic and compelling copy that accurately reflects your brand’s personality and values.  ChatGPT has some awesome uses for us marketeers that are only just being discovered. More to come on those things soon.

With the introduction of a cookieless world, the ability to generate authentic engagement and conversion through interaction will be key.

So 2023 is definitely going to be the year AI becomes more accessible to us all, how we decide to use it, may just define what brands look and sound like in the future.

Now, go have a tea break.