ChatGPT: The Dawn of a Marketing Revolution?

This week I was retiring a few old books and came across The Personal Computer In Advertising: A Guide to Microcomputers, Peripherals & Software. Made me laugh and think of the changes likely to be brought on by ChatGPT. But before I wasted a ton of time trying to figure out what those changes might be, I went directly to the source and asked ChatGPT how its introduction might impact advertising and marketing in ways similar to the changes brought on by the introduction of personal computers 30 years ago. Here’s what it said, with a few edits from me:

• Increased efficiency. Personal computers enabled marketers to automate many tasks, making it possible to reach a larger audience more quickly. Chatbots have also simplified customer service and facilitated answering customers’ questions faster, making the process more efficient.
• Improved personalization. The advent of personal computers allowed marketers to gather and store data on customer preferences, enabling them to deliver more personalized marketing messages. Similarly, ChatGPT uses AI to personalize responses based on consumers’ interests and past interactions, which improves the customer experience with the brand.
• 24/7 availability. Personal computers greatly expanded how and when businesses could engage with their customers. Chatbots have taken this even further by providing 24/7 customer service, including the ability to respond to customer inquiries, provide recommendations and even process orders.
• Improved cost-effectiveness. Both personal computers and chatbots have significantly lowered the cost of marketing and advertising. Personal computers have greatly reduced the need for traditional (and more expensive) advertising channels such as billboards and print media, while chatbots have improved online conversion rates and decreased the level of customer service staff required.

Good Points Taken, ChatGPT!

So, a pretty solid list of answers to my initial question. I then asked ChatGPT what kinds of things did not change with the introduction of personal computers that also would not change because of ChatGPT. Here’s the response, again with a few edits from me.

• Importance of human touch and emotional connection. Despite the increasing use of technology in marketing, brands still need to appeal to their customers on an emotional level and establish a human connection with them. Customers are more likely to form strong loyalty to a brand when they feel the brand values them as individuals.
• Importance of understanding customer needs, preferences and behaviors. With the introduction of ChatGPT, marketers have access to more data and insights on customer behavior. However, they still need to carefully analyze this data and develop strategies that reflect the customer’s needs and preferences.
• Continued critical importance of developing creative and compelling content. Brands need to create content that is engaging, entertaining and informative to capture the customer’s attention. The introduction of ChatGPT may provide new opportunities to develop creative content, but the principles of good storytelling and creative content development are unlikely to change.

AI Says: Emotional Engagement Is Still Key

Another interesting set of responses. In fact, ChatGPT’s answers to my follow-up question are even more thought-provoking than its answers to the first.

The reality is, moving faster and becoming more efficient does not necessarily mean you are going to be more effective. Before I started writing this piece, I engaged with a chatbot in a customer service portal. It very quickly responded to my inquiry but did so in a way that irritated me royally. So, score one for efficiency, but not for effectiveness or brand loyalty.

ChatGPT, like personal computers, should allow us to spend more time on the things that matter most—understanding the emotional needs of our customers and responding to them in a measured and responsible way through the products and services we brand and deliver. Campaign effectiveness research shows that the best brand campaigns are those that are the most creative and emotionally engaging. And neuroscience suggests 90% of purchase behavior is emotional.

Powerful, compelling brand storytelling and the art of advertising did not change when personal computers were introduced. What did occur was acceleration of the amount of bad advertising and marketing being produced—much like the ever-increasing volume of really bad branded content we are seeing today.

Brand Manager-powered AI

Before you call me an old-school thinker, just know that I was an early adopter of using a personal computer to improve the quality of my work. And I plan to lean into this change as well. The advice I would give brand managers is to remember what’s important and keep priorities in line. Specifically, understand and address the emotional needs of your customer and let ChatGPT eliminate the internal operational costs of routine tasks. Improve your brand’s above-the-line profitability by giving your communications and creative team more inspiration and a bigger budget for producing emotionally engaging and distinctive campaigns. Fund their increased communications budget with the operational savings from using ChatGPT.

Finally, I would like to thank ChatGPT for making this post twice as long as it would have been otherwise.