Master it before it masters you!

It's the “Krokusvakantie”, but not for me. My weekends mostly consist of picking up and dropping off teenagers during the night hours. Now that I think about it, it’s also about picking up and dropping off teenagers during daytime hours. 🙃 That doesn't mean that interesting things don't happen! I have learned a tremendous amount from AI the last couple of weeks, or rather, I learned to work better with it. Creativity isn't dead, we are not all losing our jobs, I've just gained a new colleague! How is your week going?

➡️ Master AI before it masters you

I told you a few weeks ago that I subscribed to the paid version of ChatGPT. Since then, I've been experimenting with it, and I must say: interesting! Some is good, some is you know … still mèh.

Funny because last week I received this message from my 15 year old son: "Look mom, I made this with AI." He has been experimenting - without any influence of me. He created with Gamma a whole PowerPoint slide deck in just a few minutes! (We'll have the discussion about how education should deal with this another time)
The message is, I believe, crystal clear: Master AI before it masters you.

I don’t now if you also noticed, but recently, my LinkedIn feed has been filled with discussions about AI and what the future holds. The initial excitement of early adopters is beginning to fade. You can also sense that while people were worried, they're now realizing they won’t be losing their jobs just yet (though it might be wise to master it anyway :-))

For instance, a common discussion topic is the recognizable tone of voice of ChatGPT. All the posts, blogs, messages—they all share recognizable sentence structures and word choices, right? This has begun to annoy some. However, on the plus side, it shows that ChatGPT isn't a threat to skilled copywriters or writers, reinforcing the idea that authenticity will always triumph. Creativity isn’t dead, it just needs the right prompts!

How do I work? I take care of the strategic work and fine-tuning, while AI handles the execution and final edits. In my experience, learning to provide the right prompts is mostly trial and error. For my texts and creative concepts, I've found a great partner in ChatGPT. Finally, I'm not brainstorming alone anymore! Because it responds, it’s like having a sparring partner.

Where AI is mèh for me

On the other hand, visuals are a different story for me. I've tried Dall-E and Canva's GPT, but they're not delivering what I want. I think it's because I'm not as strong visually, so my prompts might not be as effective in achieving the impact I need. And plus, I don’t know how to adapt them. The GPT’s are giving ‘inspiriation’ and ‘examples’ but you still have to rebuild them in Canva or other programs.

Ok, I admit that the current logo of Branding Donkey, which I puzzled together in Canva, is also crap. But it was a choice between not doing it perfectly or waiting. I chose to act. Maybe Dall.E could help me with a better visual? The answer is clearly no. So, I'm going to pay someone soon to set up a proper brand book.

Where AI works for me

On the other hand, when it comes to texts, I'm the master 😅, and so I can easily provide some good prompts. To be clear, I will always refine these into a better story. It's the teamwork aspect that is most valuable to me.

All over the internet, you'll find people who will teach you the right prompts. But as I said, it's about learning by doing. But, it’s nice to give you some inspiration: I found some great prompts for email marketing on Abhishek's X account, who is described as "an AI expert" (I guess there will be many more ‘experts’ to follow). I think this is worth sharing!

1. "I'm seeking a [type of email] that will engage my [ideal customer persona] by introducing the transformative aspects of my [product/service], and prompt them to [desired action] backed by a time-sensitive offer."

2. "I need a [type of email] that will paint a vivid picture for my [ideal customer persona] of the positive changes they'll experience with my [product/service], and move them to [desired action] with clear, compelling benefits."

3. "I'm searching for a [type of email] that will demonstrate the uniqueness of my [product/service] to [ideal customer persona] using relatable case studies, thereby encouraging them to [desired action]."

Or go and browse through the cheat sheets from JP Marketing, also nice ones to pick up!

Next time I will show you a video I made in 3 seconds. But I feel we talked enough about AI today.

➡️ AI : How to say I love you in flower

Just kidding. You can never speak enough about AI haha! With Valentine's Day around the corner, I wanted to share something special with you.

Do you know the concept of floriography? In the Victorian era, humans turned to the language of flowers to show their affections. Each individual flower represents a specific emotion. This led to carefully curated bouquets filled with secret messages. Very romantic.

Fast forward to 2024, and of course there’s an AI for that. Tell Them With Flowers is a ChatGPT add-on that offers to continue these romantic gestures by translating your sentiments into visually stunning flower images. 

Of course, I tried it out, but it operates with Dall.E, which isn't exactly on my side, and I ran into a bug. No surprises there. However, go and explore it for yourself!

➡️ Brandlove: Think before sharing

I just told you I'm the mother of a 15y old son. That's why this ad struck me. Love this campaign of KPN about whether or not to share nude images. This campaign shifts the focus from 'don't share photos' (which we know happens anyway) to the focus of 'if you receive it, just don't share the images - they are for you and no one else.'

➡️ Communication: copywriter vs designer

Lifted straight from life: I'm not a pure copywriter, but because I often engage with a brand's narrative and I humanize brands, I find myself at the writing table quite regularly.

But what about when you need to create designs? Should you start with a design filled with Lorem Ipsum, or should the copy come first for the design to adapt to? I was caught in this very loop recently. When I saw a meme about it, I realized that it's actually a widespread dilemma.

I personally believe that copy should help get a project moving, but design should take a turn to show how the copy needs to continue evolving... as opposed to a "give me 100% approved copy or I can't start" mentality. Which camp are you in?

➡️ Books to read : anything!

This week I didn't read any books (too busy playing with that AI, you know) so I have nothing to recommend. But I did want to say that book readers are like motorcycle bikers. We look at each other and we understand each other. When I was reading my book on a flight, surrounded by all sorts of screens, I received a warm smile from the flight attendant. As we were landing and she asked everyone to turn off their devices, she deliberately came over to turn on my reading light. A quiet protest, but I got it. Read more books, lovely people!

See you next week!
x Ingrid