AI is everywhere—writing your emails, generating images, even recommending what you should binge-watch next. But let’s be real… Most brands use AI in the most basic ways possible. Chatbots? Auto-generating captions? Come on, time to up your game.
If you really want to unlock AI’s power, you’ve got to think beyond the obvious. Here are three overlooked ways you should be using AI to outsmart your competition and make your brand unforgettable.
Surveys are great and all but… AI can tell you what your customers will buy next before they even know they need it.
How You Say? AI-powered predictive analytics can analyze search trends, purchase history, and even social media chatter to anticipate demand.
Why it’s genius: You can launch campaigns right before your audience starts looking for a product, making you the first option they see.
Example: A sneaker brand could use AI to predict which color-way is about to trend based on Instagram fashion posts—then release a limited edition in that exact shade.
Most AI-generated content sounds like, well… an AI wrote it. But what if your brand’s voice felt as real as your favorite stand-up comedian or your best friend?How? Train AI on your brand’s tone of voice using past emails, social posts, and customer interactions.
Why it’s genius: Instead of cranking out generic content, AI will write exactly how you or your team would—but faster.
Example: A small coffee shop could feed AI its quirky, fun social media tone, so every post and email feels like it was written by the barista who knows your order by heart.
AI isn’t just a tool—it’s a treasure hunter for lost revenue.How? AI can scan your website, ads, and even customer service chats to find leaks—areas where potential customers drop off instead of buying.
Why it’s genius: Instead of spending more on ads, you fix the gaps and convert more visitors into buyers.
Example: An online store could use AI to see where shoppers abandon carts and find out if a confusing checkout process is costing them thousands per month.
Most brands are using AI in the most boring ways possible. If you want to stand out, you’ve got to get creative.
Start using AI to predict trends, sound more human, and uncover hidden revenue. Your competition won’t know what hit them.
Want to see AI work its magic for your brand? Try one of these tactics today!
Let’s talk about AI in marketing. Or not. I’m not the boss of you.
AI is the shiny new toy everyone’s playing with, promising untold riches and marketing automation nirvana. Do you feel it? Have you seen it!? Me neither.
And while I genuinely believe AI has the potential to revolutionize our industry (and maybe finally let me take a real vacation), we’ve also seen some…let’s call them “learning opportunities.” Or, if we’re being brutally honest, some amazingly epic fails.
Now, I’ve been in this game for many years, seen trends come and go (remember QR codes on billboards? Yeah, me neither), and I’ve learned one thing: hype is often followed by a face-plant.
AI marketing is no different. So, grab your popcorn (or Quest protein chips if you’re in the gym like me), and let’s dive into the top 5 AI marketing fails of 2024 (because I will definitely be adding to this in the months to come).
Oh boy, this one made some serious headlines. Google, a company synonymous with search and information, unleashed its AI image generator, Gemini. The promise? Create any image you can imagine. The reality? Let’s just say things got…complicated.
Gemini started generating images that were not only historically inaccurate but also deeply offensive, particularly in its depictions of different ethnicities and historical figures. It seemed to struggle with representing diverse populations accurately and respectfully, perpetuating harmful stereotypes and historical inaccuracies. This isn’t just a marketing fail; it’s a societal one.
It highlights the critical importance of responsible AI development and the need for rigorous testing and oversight. The lesson here? AI is only as good as the data it’s trained on, and if that data is biased or incomplete, much like Neo and the Matrix, the results can be disastrous. This isn’t just about a marketing campaign gone wrong; it’s about the potential for AI to perpetuate harmful stereotypes and misinformation.
Remember the “Willy Wonka Experience” that turned into a viral sensation for all the wrong reasons? This event, heavily promoted with AI-generated imagery, promised a magical, immersive experience. What attendees got was…well, let’s just say it was closer to a dystopian nightmare similar to A Clockwork Orange, but without all the good times.
The AI-generated promotional materials painted a picture of whimsical wonder, but the reality was a sparsely decorated warehouse with a handful of actors in ill-fitting costumes. The disconnect between the AI-generated hype and the actual event was so vast that it sparked outrage and widespread mockery.
This is a prime example of AI creating expectations that reality simply can’t meet. The lesson here? AI can be a powerful tool for marketing, but it can’t replace actual substance. As my mother always said, “If your product or service doesn’t live up to the AI-generated hype, don’t use it at all.”
Microsoft’s Bing also jumped on the AI image generation bandwagon, but their foray into the world of creative AI hit a snag when users started reporting that the tool was generating disturbingly violent and inappropriate images.
This raised serious concerns about the safety protocols in place and the potential for AI to be used to create harmful content. While Bing quickly addressed the issue, the incident showed the need for responsible AI development and for robust safeguards to prevent the creation of offensive or dangerous content.
Are you seeing a pattern yet with the lessons that need to be learned? AI is a powerful tool. But much like Mjölnir, it needs to be wielded responsibly. Companies need to prioritize safety and ethical considerations when developing AI-powered tools, especially those that generate visual content.
Coca-Cola, a brand known for its iconic holiday campaigns with polar bears, Santa Claus, and warm feelings, decided to embrace AI and generate some of their festive visuals. While the results weren’t necessarily offensive, they were…let’s just say they missed the mark.
The AI-generated imagery was abstract and kind of bizarre, lacking the warmth, nostalgia, and classic Coca-Cola charm that consumers have come to expect. The campaign was met with mixed reactions, with many questioning whether AI was the right tool for capturing the spirit of the holidays.
The takeaway? AI can be useful for generating creative content, but it’s important to consider whether it’s the right fit for your brand and your target audience. Similar to Budweiser and their Clydesdale horses, sticking with what works is the best strategy.
Apple, known for its sleek and innovative marketing, faced criticism for an ad promoting its iPad Pro. The ad, which some speculate utilized AI in its creation, showed a variety of creative tools being crushed, symbolizing the power and versatility of the iPad.
However, the ad was widely criticized for being tone-deaf and insensitive, particularly in the context of ongoing discussions about the impact of technology on creative industries. The backlash highlighted the importance of understanding your audience and considering the potential impact of your marketing messages.
The lesson? Even with the most advanced technology, you still need to connect with your audience on a real level (but not like interactive theater, because, no thank you) and understand the human element within the creative industry. Less can be more, and simplicity can be more effective than flashy visuals.
From one enthusiastic AI user (and often eye-roller of failed marketing campaigns) to others, there you have it. These examples remind us that AI is a tool, not a magic wand (I am literally still waiting for my letter from Hogwarts). It’s important to use AI responsibly, ethically, and with a healthy dose of common sense. And remember, even in the age of AI, human creativity, empathy, and cultural understanding are still essential for successful marketing. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go have a conversation with my AI-powered ice maker (I wish I were joking….) Hopefully, it won’t try to talk to me about my car insurance.
While much of Bachelor Nation considered Matt James’s season to be pretty boring, I think we can at least agree that there has been no shortage of drama behind the camera. ICYMI, obvious frontrunner and winner(ish?) of Matt’s season, Rachael Kirkconnell, came under fire after photos of her attending an “Old South”, plantation-themed party in 2018 resurfaced online. Viewers were quick to point out that these events, also known as “Antebellum parties”, are rooted in slavery and racism.
When the backlash first began, Kirkconnell chose to go the “no comment” route for quite some time, not addressing the situation on any of her socials nor taking any interviews. *SIDE NOTE*: This is actually one of the first big lessons that you learn while attending the Unofficial Juda Engelmayer School of Handling a Public Crisis: “no comment” speaks volumes, so use this tactic sparingly.
For those of you who don’t know, during Kirkconnell’s period of silence, Harrison was interviewed by former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay about the whole situation. This interview was chock-full of controversial comments on Harrison’s part. You can watch the entire 13 minute interview here, but let me save you time. Below are a some of the quotes in question:
According to his critics, Harrison expressed more concern and empathy for Kirkconnell than he did for Black Americans. Moreover, he had the opportunity to condemn Old South parties, but chose to spend more time going after Kirkconnell’s “woke police” internet trolls.
If you ask me how I personally feel about the Harrison/Lindsay interview, I could go on (and on and on and on). But I won’t. Not just because nobody asked, but also because this blog post is about Public Relations. When you’re a publicist, your own emotions should stay at the door. It’s your job to ensure the client’s public image is managed, negative press is mitigated, and reputations remain positive. Full stop. It is not your job to be your client’s moral compass (that sounds like a fun job, though!).
If you ask a publicist, (which I did), Harrison’s interview can only be described as disastrous. Crisis Communications guru Juda Engelmayer said, from a public relations perspective, Harrison made a crucial mistake: he failed to consider his surroundings. In that moment, the beloved host seemed to lose sight of who he was speaking to, who was watching him and, apparently, what year he was living in.
The Bachelor’s key demographic is adults aged 18-49, right where the Millennial generation falls, the most diverse generation in American history. According to Brookings.com, “this generation is set to serve as a social, economic, and political bridge to chronologically successive (and increasingly) racially diverse generations.” Of course, you can’t typecast an entire generation, especially one that is made up of over 75 million people. But it is rather safe to say that a good chunk of this group, and likely members of Bachelor Nation, are better at identifying when someone has fallen short of properly advocating for the BIPOC community. And with platforms like Twitter, there is no stopping them from speaking up.
Harrison might not agree, like, or care about this societal shift, but his publicist definitely should. Whether he intended it or not, the fact is this: the public saw Harrison communicating to a black woman his sympathy for a white woman engaged in what many believe to be racially insensitive actions. “Chris should have been a bit more humble, more appreciative of people’s feelings, and not be so quick to dismiss the people who were offended,” said Juda. “Even if he completely believed they were wrong for being offended.” As a celebrity or public figure, you must be conscious about what is good for your brand. If Harrison wanted to remain an uncontroversial host, he should have simply stated that he will allow Kirkconnell & James to speak for themselves when they are ready.
Harrison has already announced that he will be “stepping away” from the franchise, but did not specify for how long. He also told Michael Strahan on GMA, “those parties are not OK, past, present, future. And I didn’t speak from my heart. And that is to say that I stand against all forms of racism, and I am deeply sorry to Rachel Lindsay and to the Black community.”
Former Bachelorettes Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams will take over his hosting duties, at least for next season. In the meantime, according to Juda, Harrison should continue to remain humble, show his support for the replacement hosts from afar, and stay out of more trouble. GMA is a highly publicized platform but is also home to the same network as The Bachelor. Harrison, therefore, runs the risk of seeming inauthentic. He should also issue a statement of understanding and appreciation on his own personal feed, as a person, not an actor. What will go on behind closed doors? We might not ever know.
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