“Logic Will Get You from A To B. Imagination Will Take You Everywhere.”
The quote above is by legendary physicist Albert Einstein. While we have no idea what he would have thought of artificial intelligence, we can only guess by his words that when it comes to creativity, there’s nothing better than the human brain. In this blog, “Why Human Created Content Should Always Be King,” we’ll talk about the unrivaled value real minds bring to writing, visualizing and crafting marketing messages.
From the time we’re born, we’re collecting data. Or in AI terms, being provided with inputs. What we choose to do with these “prompts” is up to us. It’s also up to us how many things we wish to see or experience to create those inputs. Some people choose a life of routine. Going to the same places, eating the same things and watching the same kinds of shows. There’s nothing wrong with that kind of life, but if you want to be a content creator that gets readers interested, you yourself have to be interesting.
Famous jazz saxophonist, Charlie Parker once said, “If you don’t live it, it’s not going to come out of your horn.” Which we take to mean, the more things you see, do or experience, good and bad, the better storyteller you’ll become. And that goes for your brand’s marketing messages as well.
AI is a Large Language Model (LLM), training itself on massive text datasets from across the internet, “learning” how people speak and the kinds of responses people are looking for. It’s impressive. Not only are these LLMs gathering information like search engines, but they are also learning how to speak and present information in a conversational way that most people will understand.
Sounds like the human experience, right? Not exactly. While AI can learn a lot about us, it can never replace the human connection to the places, products, or services that characterize your brand. It’s not just generative AI, it’s derivative, and therefore cannot have something new or unique to say.
One experience everyone shares is that A.I. has completely changed how we interact with content. From speeding up workflows to flipping the script on how web content appears in search results, generative A.I. adds a whole new layer of complexity to what it means for your brand to stand out.
The clearest way this has played out is in how often people use LLM tools such as ChatGPT to gather information. The rise of Zero-Click searching means fewer and fewer people are going to websites to find the information they need. Much like traditional search engines, these LLMs have their own bots that crawl web content and assess what is most helpful to use in their response to users. The new goal for online brand visibility is to be a part of the answer, instead of having your website served to people.
But how do these bots decide what content to use? Ironically, AI tools and even Google and other search engines have made it very clear that they will not prioritize AI-generated content in their search results. This means that while AI can make creating content fast and easy, having AI content on your website isn’t going to help your brand in the long run.
We get it. When you are part of a small marketing team with hundreds of items to execute every day, it’s tempting to see AI as the cure for all those late-night Canva sessions. Content creation and prioritization can sometimes feel like they take away from the work you care about. That is why, if you are using AI to help develop content, having a “human-in-the-loop” is essential. Never copy/paste what artificial intelligence generates; it is likely full of errors and obvious to the average person engaging with your content. People are also getting very good at identifying what is fake and what isn't, and, as mentioned above, AI-generated web content won’t be used by chatbots or search engines. Always review your content before putting it out into the world.
At McDaniels Marketing, we recognize AI can be a very helpful tool to support your brand. We’ve even developed our own AI chatbot to improve the user experience on websites. AI can help improve workflows, kickstart ideas, and provide helpful tips for executing a task, but it cannot replace the unique perspective and expertise of the human experience. No one knows your brand more than you do, and no one else will be able to recognize and articulate what your brand offers to people. That’s up to you. We believe in empowering you and your brand to stand out and show the world how remarkably uncommon you can be.
How many sci-fi movies have been made where we see a robot or humanoid contemplate what it’s really like to live, breathe and experience emotion? A lot, right? Well, the funny thing is that the concept of a non-living thing wondering what it’s like to truly be alive came from a living person. A deep and interesting thought that could only come from someone who is deep and interesting.
At McDaniels Marketing, we look to hire people who not only have led intriguing lives but are also curious and questioning. We then give them access to data, statistics and stakeholder survey results. For destination marketing clients, we send them out to the actual destination. All these things are then processed by our team’s imaginative minds and crafted to fit the mediums most appropriate for a campaign’s chosen target audience. Look, AI is an amazing tool, but it’s just that, a tool. To create remarkably uncommon marketing materials to help your brand stand out, you need remarkably uncommon people.
Interested in borrowing some real brains to help your brand? Let’s talk.
