The world is changing at break neck speed and the game has truly changed with the arrival of generative AI.
Are you ready for the rise of the machines?
No, we're not talking about a Terminator-style robot uprising (at least, not yet), but rather the growing prevalence of generative AI in the world of branding.
You thought you were already tired of brands churning out content that sounds like it was written by a robot? Well, get ready to be even more confused, because generative AI is here to stay and it can produce content that's virtually indistinguishable from human-generated material. So how can brands stay authentic in a world where it's difficult to know what's even real any more?
Heres some brand strategy tips for organisations who want make use of powerful generative AI tools without losing the human touch or damaging trust with their audiences. At the end we have shared some of our own experiments with AI artworks.
1. Know your brand voice and values
One of the best ways to ensure authenticity in your brand messaging is to have a clear understanding of your brand's voice and values. What makes your brand unique? What are your core beliefs and values? If you plan to use an AI tool within your process you must still ensure it's staying on brand and in line with what you stand for. Being clear on your voice and values before hand will help you stay on track and ensure that your messaging stays true to your identity.
2. AI is a tool, not a replacement.
Generative AI can be a powerful tool for creating content, but it shouldn't be seen as a replacement for human creativity and intuition. Use AI to supplement your creative process, not replace it. This will ensure that your brand voice remains consistent and authentic.
3. Embrace imperfection
One of the advantages of human-created content is that it's not perfect. There are quirks, imperfections, and idiosyncrasies that make it unique. Embracing imperfection can help your brand stand out and remain authentic. This is particularly effective on social platforms (I'm looking at you TikTok) where your users want to see the real you even if it means seeing your mistakes too. Rather than striving for perfection, embrace the quirks and imperfections that make your brand personality unique.
4. Use AI to spark creativity
AI can be a powerful tool for sparking creativity. By analysing data and identifying patterns, AI can help identify new and innovative ideas for content creation. Particularly if you suffer from creative block, AI can give you the initial push to get off the starting blocks and moving on your next creative piece.
5. Collaborate with AI
Rather than seeing AI as a threat, see it as a collaborator. By working together with AI, you can create content that's both authentic and innovative. For example, you could use an AI to generate you a series of starting points for your article/ social content / design and then go through the ideas and select the ones you think work best for your audience. You can work on them yourself and then pass them back to the AI to look for improvements or refine, then add the final touches yourself before release. This tag team approach is something we have been experimenting with recently at StartsWithA and it produces some very good results in a very short time. We have some art examples of this at the end of the article.
6. Use AI to personalise experiences
One of the most exciting aspects of AI is its ability to personalise content for individual users. AI can analyse a lot of data and user behaviour at once which can be used to create highly targeted and relevant content experiences that resonate with your audience. This can help build confidence with your customers as they see that your brand responds quickly and specifically to their individual needs and preferences.
7. Be transparent about your use of AI
Be transparent about your use of AI and how it's being used to create content. This helps build trust with your audience and show that your brand is committed to authenticity and transparency. We actually worked with a generative AI to brainstorm initial ideas for this article and we were impressed with how well formed the ideas were that came back. AI is not your enemy, it's a creative riffing partner with endless energy to brainstorm that wont be offended when you criticise it's ideas.
A look into Alex's AI Art Process
Our Head of Creative & Strategy, Alex Marshall, has been experimenting with his personal art using AI for a while and is excited about the possibilities. Here's his process.
"I have been using a diffusion AI called Disco Diffusion on Google Colab to generate multiple abstract images based on a prompt. I give the AI a prompt like "mystical hyperreal fantasy forests made from marshmallows" and then set it to generate hundreds of images over night. In the morning, I go through the images that the AI has generated and select parts that I think look particularly interesting or aligned with the vision. I then edit them together in a composition and work the image manually, adding new elements and making adjustments like colour correction, levels, contrast to make the image how I want it. The final stage is to upscale the image using a second AI called Gigapixel. I can't praise Gigapixel enough for the results it produces, its incredible.
While I worked with multiple tools through the process (Disco Diffusion, Google Colab, Photoshop, Gigapixel) which all have their own AI powered functionalities, I still feel like the artwork is 'mine' as it is directed by my creative thinking and shaped by my final vision. However, I do not feel the need to pretend that I created each brush stroke from scratch myself." - Alex
Here are the final pieces
In Conclusion
Generative AI is not going anywhere and it is not the killer of brand authenticity. Rather, it's a new tool that can help brands to be better, creating better content, better services and better support for the specific needs of their audiences. By using generative AI in conjunction with human creativity and intuition, brands can deliver services that far exceed the levels they have previously and still maintain the right balance between authenticity and automation.
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