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Hi!
I really like testing the boundaries of what Gen AI can do, and one of the most interesting spaces for this is ad copy writing… the results are nearly always awful.
So I couldn’t help but be drawn in by a post on LinkedIn by Josh Lieber (seen via repost by Matt Perry). In it Josh tests Chat GPT to see if it can replicate the creation of the copy for this Nike ad featuring record-breaking points scorer Caitlin Clark.
The results are predictably awful.
But his experiments fall into the trap of prompting the creative objective. That's not how the human creative process works and it's not the best way to get Gen AI to emulate that process. I’m going to show you what happens if you approach it another way, prompting on the creative process, not outcome.
First though, Josh’s post in full…
Below is a strong headline, clearly written by a talented writer who understands the Nike ethos. Can AI match the quality of thinking? Let’s find out...
<You Break it, you own it>
…
Write a headline for an ad featuring Iowa basketball player, Caitlin Clark. She broke the record for the most points ever scored by an NCAA woman in basketball. Be clever.
ChatGPT
"Caitlin Clark: Breaking Records and Making Hoops History!"
No need to say her name in the headline, as a photo of her image will be featured — let the reader put it all together in his/her mind.
ChatGPT
"Shattering Records: NCAA's Newest Basketball Phenom Makes History!"
Make it less of a news headline and more of a creative advertising headline.
ChatGPT
"Dribbling into Legend: Unleash Your Game with Record-Breaking Inspiration!"
Ugh. Write this headline in the voice of an Apple campaign, short, witty and simple.
ChatGPT
"Meet the Record Setter: Elevate Your Game with NCAA's Basketball Star!"
Make it seven words or fewer.
ChatGPT
"Game Changer: Rewrite History with Basketball's Star!"
How would Ernest Hemingway write this headline?
ChatGPT
"Basketball's new record scorer breaks boundaries."
That's Hemingway? Okay, make it about one woman's triumph.
ChatGPT
"Her Triumph: Record-Breaking Performance Redefines Basketball History."
Write it like someone who is drunk.
ChatGPT
"Whoa, she, like, totally crushed those records on the court, man!"
Not high on weed lol, drunk from alcohol.
ChatGPT
"Y'all see that? She smashed 'em records, like hic whoa!"
“Hic whoa,” what does that even mean?! Okay, write it like a five-year-old.
ChatGPT
"She scored soooo many points, like, a gazillion!"
Hmmm, that’s actually kinda’ fun, but not right for this. Okay, Write the headline in the style of a Nike ad.
ChatGPT
"Unstoppable: Witness History Being Made on the Court."
Dang, just make the headline crazy and nonsensical.
ChatGPT
"Slam Dunkin' Sizzlefest: Hoops Hysteria with Record-Smash Galore!"
Today, it’s a human for the win. Tomorrow, it may be AI. Regardless, we as marketers must always remain mindful of our brand/audience. Otherwise, we’ll slow-walk into a "Slam dunkin’ sizzlefest" of non-nutritious content, declining customer engagement, and diminishing sales.
So a win for the humans.
But what of we take our creative process approach…
I've followed a creative process and get to the copy in 2 prompts. The first prompt identifies "you break it, you buy it" as the top well-known phrase related to breaking things. The second one identifies "you break it, you own it" as a variation suitable for the ad (3rd in the list)
PROMPT...
What are some well-known sayings about breaking things?
ChatGPT
Here are some well-known sayings about breaking things:
1. "You break it, you buy it."
2. "Break a leg!" (common theater slang used to wish someone good luck)
3. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
4. "Like a bull in a china shop" (describing someone who is clumsy or destructive)
5. "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." (implying that when things break or go wrong, make the best of the situation)
6. "Rules are made to be broken."
7. "Don't cry over spilled milk." (advising not to fret over small accidents)
8. "You can't make an omelet without breaking eggs." (suggesting that some disruption or damage is inevitable when trying to achieve something)
9. "Break the ice." (to initiate conversation or to make a situation less tense)
10. "Break the news gently." (to deliver bad or difficult news in a sensitive manner)
11. These sayings capture various aspects of breaking things, from accidents and mishaps to taking risks and initiating change.
Take the first one "you break it, you buy it." and give me 10 variations of this saying with a replacement word for buy that makes the phrase suitable for use in an ad for Nike featuring record breaking points scorer Caitlin Clark
ChatGPT
Absolutely, here are 10 variations of the saying "You break it, you buy it" with a replacement word for "buy" suitable for an ad featuring record-breaking points scorer Caitlin Clark and Nike:
"You break it, you earn it."
"You break it, you achieve it."
"You break it, you own it."
"You break it, you deserve it."
"You break it, you conquer it."
"You break it, you claim it."
"You break it, you seize it."
"You break it, you win it."
"You break it, you dominate it."
"You break it, you attain it."
Ok - I knew the endpoint. But this proves that getting there is only a couple of steps of creative logic. When the human task becomes choosing the best line from a well crafted automated shortlist based on multiple creative processes you can see that even though human input is needed, the overall creative process will be disrupted.
Interesting side note - ChatGPT 3.5 seemed to do a better job of this than 4.0
