Marketing & AI
In order to better understand the possibilities of AI in marketing, I’m making an effort to experiment with tools like ChatGPT within my own day-to-day workflows (the writing of this email notwithstanding ;-) I’m keen on discovering smart, small ways that AI is being used that can help me and my clients. Scott Galloway’s company recently tried touse ChatGPT to develop a positioning strategywith interesting results. Here’s asmart hackfor creating web and promotional copy. Just browse theuse cases from Jasperand you’ll get an idea of the ways that AI can potentially help with time-consuming writing / documentation tasks. The quality of thinking and copy aren’t better, but production is cheaper and quicker. For more insight into the role that AI will play in marketing technology, check out Neil Perkin’s recentconversation with Chief Martech himself: Scott Brinker.
Cool Beans
Stealth QR Codes: The Migrant Workers Alliance for Change worked with Sid Lee to place QR codes disguised as menus in restaurants to highlight issues impacting seasonal agriculture workers. Clever.
Playable Beer Coasters: Once you’re done scanning your hijacked QR code, may I suggest that you play the vinyl beer coaster that your frosty Budweiser arrived on!
Tiffany & Co & AR: Very cool AR execution for a luxury product launch that combines interactive outdoor with a virtual try-on Snapchat filter.
Social Platforms
The ‘Tiktok-ification’ of attentionhas been a dominant theme in marketing and media for the last year or so. Now that other platforms are copying TikTok’s short, vertical, algorithm-driven video feed “every app now feels like TikTok but worse”. It’s interesting to see a few new social apps launching and / or evolving: Bytedance launched anInstagram-rival called Lemon8and Substack launched Notes –a product that is similar to Twitter. I’m pulling for Notes to be a fresh start for people sharing and reacting to news – particularly as organizations (includingNPRandCBC) pull away from Musk’s Twitter dumpster fire. Speaking of CBC,Kara Swisher recently spoke to Matt Gallowayabout the promise and risks associated with social media “it is a weapon and a tool” – here’s hoping for more tooling.
Fresh Research
Gen Z Survey (Piper Sandler): A semi-annual check-in on Gen Z consumer spending and preferences (U.S), to see if the kids are alright. Crocs are climbing up the popularity ladder (#6) which this Gen X does not even begin to understand.
State of Retail & Consumer 2023 (NRF): Interesting look back at online spending over the past few years highlighting the difference between Forced Behaviours (i.e., due to COVID), and Funded Behaviour (i.e., due to savings).
Crypto Report 2023 (a16z): This report is worth a skim even if you’re not into crypto (I’m no expert). They do a helpful job up of explaining crypto in in the context of the broader shift from Web 2.0-3.0 in a non-bullshitty way.
