The Concept: AI. Issue #0000010
Q: Can I rely on AI to manage my marketing?
A: Um...not yet. Here are some ideas on how to leverage AI without giving in completely to the robot uprising.
IMPORTANT: Before you read further, you can rest assured that the creative work that you receive from Trampoline is crafted at the hands of real-life human beings, and with that comes brainstorms, conversations, relationships, happy hours. Pick your fighter.
We often talk about the use of AI with clients, as well as among ourselves—how can it be used in a way that maintains a high level of respect for the creative work that we do while also possibly saving time both for us and for clients? But ask a writer, a designer, an account manager, a client, and all may have a differing opinion on how and where to draw the line.
After all, not only are people's livelihoods at stake, the craft that we have honed and staked our reputations on becomes questioned and compared to the skill of emotionless robots. Not who we want to be stuck in a ring with.
At the end of the day, the difference is that not only do we offer clients our experience—we also offer an experience.
As an exercise, we asked AI to generate a logo for Paradox Brewery in the Adirondack Mountains...
Some thoughts on AI, through the lens of our Managing Partners:
1. AI is Correct.
On the writing side, in theory, it is "correct" if it references sourced materials. And it should also be mistake-free... (see example above). But that doesn't mean it's good writing, or persuasive, or grounded in emotion and psychology—as so many of our positioning statements are.
2. AI is Efficient.
It doesn’t take long to produce something. It doesn’t take long with versioning; it can revise itself given the proper input. What efficiencies can we adopt?
3. AI is Learning.
This is kind of a non sequitur as we all are learning. The longer you spend in your career, the smarter you get, and the faster you get. How can we sharpen our proverbial (and sometimes literal) pencils?
4. AI is Popular.
It is changing the way tasks are accomplished. What is created, in design and advertising, is no different than what is made the old-fashioned way it is still subjective: “I like this, it’s great” versus “That’s not for me, terrible”. The question: How do we make more noise?
5. AI is Cheap.
It’s cost-effective. And that will bring down pricing industry-wide, no matter how we use or don’t use the technology. The reality is: small design shops, freelancers, and in-house art departments all create a perception that a larger agency is too expensive. It can always be done for less. Maybe not as successfully or with results as collaborative. It also does not offer the intangibles of chemistry, talking through ideas, or having the benefit of ongoing communication
6. AI Knows Best?
As we've seen with recent AI-driven media placement software, robots altering the design of media ads under the guise of "better performance" is not always the best judge of what is "right" and "wrong." This is where having a human "quality control" touch point is crucial for all AI capabilities. It's the only way to ensure what you create is reaching your consumer exactly as you intended it to. At the end of the day, only YOU can truly know what that looks like!
In this month's Design Sprint Challenge, our team was prompted to create a Warning Label for an AI Bartender 👆 .
Maybe you develop a product to sell, create a brand with AI, robo-code your site, have AI pick your colors and populate your online presence. You don't have to hire anyone to do that and it's all complete—ready to go to market.
If you're not a writer, Chat GPT probably seems like a solid alternative to hiring a copywriter to draft paragraphs on a particular subject. But in the zero-sum game of advertising, where attention spans are just seconds long, are you willing to leave your hook to an automaton?
Meanwhile, your closest competitor has hired an agency to design, create, develop, write, and art direct their go-to-market process—including an accessible team of experts that you can go to at any point. In the end, are you willing to bet on AI for just good, not great?
Love it or hate it, AI is here to stay. Over time, its uses have become more focused, more regulated (see the WGA strike), and perhaps more reasonable. And while that won't always be the case as the technology becomes better and smarter, it is up to the creatives to dictate its use (and its abuse)—at least where we can.
Remember human, the choice is yours.
– TRAMPOLINE DESIGN • 4/15/2024
