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Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO, Stagwell

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In a move that will accelerate our product development capabilities in the Stagwell Marketing Cloud, we have entered a unique partnership with Google Cloud to develop generative AI marketing solutions for our clients. This collaboration will accelerate our ability to identify, build and scale AI products, getting market-shifting technology in the hands of our partners faster than ever. We are united with Google in our aim to democratize access to the value large language models and gen AI tools can bring to enterprise. We will begin development immediately on solutions spanning brand campaigns, data analytics and insights, and a proprietary Stagwell LLM purpose-built for our clients. Read more in this Digiday exclusive.

Bringing Research-as-a-Service and AI-Powered Influencer Management to Clients with SMC

We launched significant enhancements to SMC’s AI-driven marketing tools in Q3, beginning with the debut of Harris Quest, a suite of integrated AI-based marketing research products including self-service polling and other “instant information” SaaS solutions. AI is an enabler for more performative business intelligence, and through HarrisQuest, we’re arming modern leaders with on-demand “research-as-a-service,” helping them keep ahead of the breakneck pace of consumer opinion. Elsewhere in the Cloud, we bolstered PRophet, our AI tool for communicators, with new influencer discovery and campaign management capabilities, as well as machine-learning based news monitoring. With PRophet, we’re quickly building a viable competitor to the integrated comms tech suites in the market today.

Adding to AI Capabilities with Left Field Labs Acquisition

Stagwell’s network grew in Q3 with the acquisition of Left Field Labs, a digital agency with expertise in AI and cutting-edge consumer experiences. Left Field Labs has built a 15-year track record of developing digital experiences never imagined before for blue-chip clients across tech, telecoms and business services, including Google, Meta, Amazon, Uber and Cisco. The agency’s major projects include helping Verizon to define and commercialize its 5G services and game engine Unity to reimagine remote entertainment with EDM music. Left Field Labs will join the Constellation Network to develop a bench of solutions integrating AI, immersive experiences and enterprise transformation. Read more about the acquisition in Ad Age.

Leading on Out-of-Home with Goodstuff and Assembly’s OVO Energy Campaign 

Outside the realm of AI, our agencies are working with clients on unique technology integrations to major brand efforts. In the digital out of home space, our media firms Goodstuff and Assembly collaborated to help OVO Energy in the U.K. launch a series of digital billboards that only appear when the National Grid is running on renewable energy. So that the billboards update data in real time, Goodstuff and Assembly established a programmatic buying technology that auto-bids when the grid is greener. The project builds on OVO’s “Power Move” platform, which rewards customers for shifting energy use to off-peak times when the grid is powered by renewables. The high-tech campaign appeared across more than 2600 screens and garnered big attention across the U.K. marketing industry. Read more in Campaign UK. 

Winning Awards for Digital Transformation

Finally, our digital transformation network Code and Theory, which includes Kettle and Mediacurrent, is picking up recognition after recognition for its remarkable digital experiences. In the past quarter, Code and Theory won six coveted W3 awards, recognizing the best in digital experiences, content and creativity. The awards – 3 Gold and 3 Silver – reflect client work for YETI, Tipico, Departures and the Georgia Department of Agriculture. We’re especially proud of Code’s work for YETI, “Year in Preview,” which was a first-of-its-kind interactive experience that allowed users to personalize a calendar of over 135 events spanning hunting, surfing, rodeo and other active communities. In addition to its W3 wins, the work received recognition in Fast Company’s Innovation by Design awards this year.

By

Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO, Stagwell

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Our PRophet product delivering generative and predictive AI for PR professionals has now signed on Alpha IR, Jive PR + Digital, Radical Company and Impact Partners in the enterprise client category and has won another PR industry contest as the best new martech product out there. We expect, by the end of the year, to be fully competitive with larger systems from Cision and serve as a full replacement. We have already deployed generative AI in the product to produce new content, briefing books and pitches, and recently released a multi-pitch tool and executive bio generator, helping communications professionals save a tremendous number of hours.    

AI in Action: Assembly Drives Big Results for Ace Hardware

While generative AI has taken the limelight in recent years, our media agencies have long leveraged AI to drive better client results. And even Alphabet is taking notice. Long-time Assembly client Ace Hardware’s omnichannel strategy and results were highlighted on Alphabet’s Q2 earnings call this cycle. To quote Alphabet’s Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler about Assembly’s work: “Take Ace Hardware, who tapped into AI-powered search and omnibidding to capture increased seasonal demand leading up to Memorial Day. This drove increases across online sales, store visits, and in-store sales – resulting in 87% YoY growth in omni revenue from Google Ads and led to one of the largest revenue weeks ever for Ace store owners.” 

Helping Brands Get Smarter with SmartAssets

Our latest startup in the Stagwell Marketing Cloud is hitting the market fast and furiously. SmartAssets essentially uses AI to categorize content, bring it up to brand standards and point it to where it can be most effective. Or as we like to say at Stagwell: it’s a tool for getting the right message to the right person at precisely the right time. With AI-powered asset categorization, performance analytics and instant creative adjustments, SmartAssets helps brands better optimize production and overall media performance. And big brands are itching to put it to use; SmartAssets has already attracted the attention of a large European CPG client. Learn more about the product here.  

AI in Action: Code and Theory Taps ChatGPT for Challenger Betting Site 

AI transformation is a tangible opportunity to improve efficiency, harvest data insights for monetization and expand our offerings with new capabilities. For example, Tipico, a European sportsbook, came to Stagwell’s Code and Theory network to create and launch a campaign that would help them break into the mainstream U.S. sports betting industry. Right away, Code tapped into ChatGPT for persona development, a process that used to often take weeks but now took the team less than 48 hours. Code created a living persona using first-party app data, its own tools, desk research and audience interviews and trained ChatGPT on four personas that we can now have conversations with. The speed and accuracy of this AI strategy paid massive dividends, with the campaign’s Ohio-focused launch reaching 57% of its 2023 acquisition target and soaring to claim 32% share of voice in the Ohio market. Through the work, Tipico instantly became a top-five betting site in the state. 

How Will AI Transform Marketing?

AI will transform marketing yet again, but humans will continue to reign supreme as advertising becomes smarter and more effective. Read my thoughts on the 10 mini-revolutions in marketing that AI will bring on Forbes.com.

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Beyond the Stage

Stagwell talked to C-suite marketers, sports luminaries, and other innovators at SPORT BEACH and the Palais. You’ll find fresh, insightful videos on our YouTube page from every day of Cannes LIONS. 

On the sand at SPORT BEACH, Anton Vincent, President, Mars Wrigley, North America, talked to the NFL’s Mack Hollins and Damaune Journey, Global Chief Growth Officer, 72andSunny, about treating business like sports, sustainable growth, and the importance of the Black Executive CMO Alliance (BECA).

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1. THE AI REVOLUTION IS REAL OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap said AI tools like ChatGPT and DALL·E would lead to an “explosion of creativity” in the marketing industry. His key points: Creatives will use it to generate and enhance ideas more quickly, e.g. easy-to-create storyboards that let agencies explore lots of possibilities. Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the Carlton, Code and Theory’s co-founder and executive chairman Dan Gardner stressed that companies need to embed AI across their entire ecosystems – not just in one-off use cases. DIVE DEEPER: Mark Penn sees AR and AI as the industry’s biggest disruptors
2. YOU HAVE THE POW(AR) What’s holding back brands on AR? The perception that it’s difficult to create and activate at meaningful scale, said CPB president, North America, Maggie Malek at Hôtel Martinez. But Snap’s AR tools and companies like Stagwell’s ARound are making it easier to target passionate new customers in unique ways.
   Speaking of Snap, it teamed up with Disney to build an immersive AR exhibit at Cannes LIONS. And AR developer Niantic announced Rewarded AR, an ad platform that will allow for branded content in mixed-reality games like Pokémon GO. THE APPLE EFFECT: What Apple’s new $3,499 Vision Pro headset means for brands
3. DON’T SLEEP ON THE METAVERSE With all the attention on AI, brands may have neglected opportunities in the metaverse. At the Palais, Roblox’s Christina Wootton said that’s a huge mistake: brands (especially fashion labels) have a great opportunity to connect with Gen Z in the metaverse. Plus, she doesn’t see AI and the metaverse as in conflict, noting that brands could use generative AI to populate the metaverse with a ton of enticing content. NEW RESEARCH: NRG’s Fandex says innovation creates fans, and fans are 3.5x more likely to advocate for brands.

Beyond the Stage

Stagwell talked to C-suite marketers, sports luminaries, and other innovators at SPORT BEACH and the Palais. You’ll find fresh, insightful videos on our YouTube page from every day of Cannes LIONS. 

At SPORT BEACH, Olympian Allyson Felix talked to Evin Shutt, Global Chief Executive Officer and Partner, 72andSunny, about founding her footwear company Saysh and women’s sports.

By

Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO, Stagwell

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ARound is partnering with its first NBA team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, on a shared AR experience called “Cavs ARcade,” which kicked off during the 2023 playoffs in the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. ARound’s customized shared AR experiences for each team allow fans to digitally interact with the court or field, witness real-time effects, and take their fan experience to the next level. This partnership officially brings ARound to three American professional sports leagues: the MLB (via partnerships with Kansas City Royals and the Minnesota Twins), the NFL (via partnership with the Los Angeles Rams), and the NBA. 

The media is taking notice. Read Fast Company’s new profile of ARound, which dives into how the world’s first stadium-scale shared AR platform promises to change how fans engage with sports events and, eventually, all live events.  

Unlocking the Power of AI with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and LexisNexis

Stagwell companies announced several exciting technology partnerships across AI this quarter.

As brands look to embed artificial intelligence across their entire business over the next five years, Code and Theory announced it is building new AI capabilities with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. This collaboration combines OCI’s computing power and secure infrastructure with Code and Theory’s award winning digital-first creative thinking to unlock AI-powered innovation at scale. Ultimately, this will enable Code and Theory to implement custom AI interfaces in four areas – engineering, business intelligence, generative, and cloud services – to help fuel growth and transformation across automotive, hospitality, retail, and financial services. 

And Stagwell Marketing Cloud’s PRophet announced an alliance with LexisNexis to power PRophet’s industry leading AI platform, which collectively boasts access to over 200,000 global news sources from high authority outlets and journalists, including hyperlocal media, newsletters, trade publications, and blogs. The partnership is another step in helping PR pros become more performative, predictive, and productive Communications Engineers and follows the launch of “Taylor”, our generative AI tool. You can access a freemium trial of Taylor by visiting www.prprophet.ai. 

ARound, discussed above, began as a pitch in 2020 during Stagwell Marketing Cloud’s yearly internal “Shark Tank” Innovation Competition. Just over two years later, SMC’s “Shark Tank” continues to generate product innovation from within the network. This quarter, we publicly unveiled the 2022 winner: SmartAssets, an AI-powered SaaS ad platform focused on AI-powered asset management, performance analytics, and instant creative adjustments. The team behind Smart Assets from Locaria will receive up to $1 million in funding to bring the product to market. Read the Digiday story for more details and check out this Q+A with the team behind the pitch.  

Dispatch from Web Summit Rio: Marketers Need to Have Their Heads in the Cloud in 2023

FINTECH.TV: The Transformation of the Marketing Sector 

What does Stagwell look like today and where is it headed? I joined FINTECH.TV on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange after our quarterly earnings report last week to talk about the ways our organization is leading the transformation of the marketing sector. Please view the clip here. 

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Talent in the Metaverse 

What’s next in connection, community, and commerce for avatars, athletes and artists? Hear from Tracy Benson, CEO and Founder of Obsesh, Nova Han of Nova Han Productions, and Helix Wolfson, President of Metaverse Operations at Infinite Reality. Stream the episode.

Creator Economy and the Metaverse

How are creators and platforms envisioning the future of fandom and engagement in the metaverse and other immersive realities? Maggie Malek, CEO, MMI and John Rough, SVP, Enterprise for Untied Masters, discuss. Stream the episode.

Fandom, Music, and Metaverse 

VentureBeat’s Dean Takahashi, Jonathan Vlassopulos, CEO of Napster, and Animal Concerts Executive Producer, Music, Anthony Mazzo discuss how brands can connect with artists, music, platforms and communities in the metaverse. Stream the episode.

Inclusivity in the Metaverse 

AFROPUNK founder Jocelyn Cooper and Shelby Larkin, Director, Global Partnership development at SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park discuss diverse communities can benefit from the Metaverse. Stream the episode. 

By

Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO, Stagwell

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At CES 2023 in January, Stagwell was the only global marketing services network to exhibit on the main convention floor as we focused on showing how we transform marketing through impactful technology. There, we unveiled an exciting new division in the Stagwell Marketing Cloud to build Specialty Media formats that offer brands novel ways to reach, engage, and monetize key consumer segments across sports, travel, retail, news, and dining. The unit currently includes ARound, our shared AR product in use by the Los Angeles Rams; a new QR code powered marketplace for restaurants and bars; and a new travel marketplace from Ink.    

Through this tech-focused approach, we are bringing new experiences to consumers, whether at the stadium, in a restaurant, or on an airplane. Along with these experiences comes a wealth of creative marketing opportunities, adding, as Digiday reports, yet another “bow in the quiver” of the Cloud that keeps us at the forefront of new forms of richly targeted media

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By: Rafe Needleman, SVP, Technology Content, Allison+Partners

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Artificial Intelligence will change your job — not in five years, not next year, but now. If you’re not 100% convinced, spend some time experimenting with ChatGPT, the conversational chatbot released into open beta by OpenAI in November 2022. ChatGPT is the first free and easy–to–use chat product based on the groundbreaking GPT 3 Large Language Model (LLM). 

The product is a web-based chat system you can have a real conversation with. It is uncanny how well it constructs text output based on almost any input. It can answer questions, generate what appear to be original ideas and hold a decent conversation on any topic. It can also create plausible technical documentation, such as computer code and macros, and food recipes.  

If you haven’t already tried it, you should. This technology will have a huge impact on communications, marketing and advertising. It will change your job, as much as the introduction of the internet did.   

For many people, ChatGPT provides the first glimpse into what this type of AI will do for us in the future. It is both amazing and terrifying. And the revolution starts today.  

Here’s what to know to get started: 

1. You can use ChatGPT today to improve your productivity.

ChatGPT a great collaborator for generating ideas and outlines. Experiencing writer’s block? Ask ChatGPT to help get you going. Try “Outline an article about…” for starters.  

ChatGPT is also good at getting you up to speed on new topics (Try, “Explain Kubernetes”) and summarizing meetings and complex stories: Type, “Give me the bullet points for this:” and then paste in text from a transcript or story. It can even write Excel macros and more advanced computer code. As part of your existing workflow, ChatGPT can be a great starting point. But keep in mind it can’t (yet) replace all your human skills. Keep reading for why.  

2. ChatGPT lies.

ChatGPT is designed to create text that fits a linguistic model. While it is often useful and accurate, it does frequently make stuff up out of nowhere. In some instances, it gets facts completely wrong (ChatGPT seems to be convinced Russia has sent several bears into space, for example; it hasn’t!). Even if it has the correct information in its enormous corpus of knowledge, that doesn’t mean it understands it, and its output can sound completely plausible while being far off target. It’s also critical to remember ChatGPT was trained in 2021. It knows nothing about the world after that.  

Simply put, you can’t trust ChatGPT for accuracy. Always verify what it gives you. 

3. The field is evolving fast, and you need policies.

If you’re going to use this technology, it’s important to lay out clear guidelines as to how. For example, if you use ChatGPT to write an article for a client, does that need to be disclosed? How about if you use it to prepare social media copy? Let’s say you ask it to write a blog post optimized for a particular audience or SEO. Or maybe you just use it to get an article outline started. Is that something you need to tell stakeholders? 

Communications companies have already caught flack for using generative AI to create content. Publications like CNET have used ChatGPT to write articles for months, The Associated Press has incorporated some kind of AI since 2015, and even The Washington Post employed it to help write for the 2020 Presidential Election. They are all still working out how to use it and how they should publicly disclose its use for written articles.  

You must work out how you incorporate the technology into your day-to-day work in a responsible way.  Make it clear how your teams should and shouldn’t use the tool, knowing its limitations and pitfalls. And make sure you communicate this to partners and customers.  

4. Meet the “AI Native”

The capability of AI to generate original and useful creative work at scale will prove to be one of the foundational technologies of the 21st century. It will change how we live, work, learn and even think. The children born into this world will be “AI natives” and will understand the world of ideas in a different way from their parents. We can hope this technology will mostly be used to advance the way we learn and think, just as calculators changed our relationship with math. But we simply do not know yet how the developing brain will react to this type of machine intelligence. 

One thing we do need to look out for, though, is a growing digital divide exacerbated by this technology. AI is not cheap to create or run, and some populations may just not have access to it, potentially putting them at an economic disadvantage. It will be a global challenge to create a responsible framework for the distribution of this tech. 

5. Generative AI will impact your job, but it won’t kill it.

The software’s ability to create useful customized content is staggering and fundamental. It will certainly change how you work, as well as the nature of creative work at all levels and in every industry, worldwide.   

However, no matter how useful (or damaging) this technology becomes, AI will always lack imagination, vision and compassion. Adapting to this new technology will not be easy, it is still only a tool, and we can use it to reinforce our best, most human qualities. It will still need you – your humanity, your personality, your perspective and your soul.   

Be ready to change, adapt and embrace this new technology as another tool in your box of tricks. 

Those who ignore the power of AI in communications will fall behind a skills curve. It’s something we’ve already embraced at A+P as one of the many tools we use. And we help clients navigate how to make the most out of this amazing technology. Keep following this blog and our social media feeds on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook as we continue our series on the power of AI.

Disclosure: This story was written by a human.

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As we look to the future of marketing, one thing is certain: Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) will play a major role in shaping the industry. From generative A.I. revolutionizing the way we approach creativity to predictive A.I. providing unprecedented insights and analytics, the potential of A.I. in marketing is vast and exciting.  

But what exactly does the next decade hold for this rapidly evolving field? We asked some of the top minds across Stagwell, including leaders from the Stagwell Marketing Cloud, PRophet, Code and Theory, Colle McVoy, Yamamoto, Concentric Health Experience, and Vitro, to share their predictions and insights on the future of A.I. in marketing.  

A.I. Won’t Eat the World – But it Will Give Consumers Time and Brands Opportunity

Mansoor Basha, Chief Technology Officer, Stagwell Marketing Cloud

“AI and ML are at the forefront of driving digital transformation across industries and will undoubtedly continue to do so. In a 2011 op-ed, Marc Andreessen observed an environment in which software was increasingly becoming king, famously stating that ‘software is eating the world.’ His observation came about a decade after the peak of the 1990s dot-com bubble as companies like Facebook and Skype were booming. Looking to the next decade, I believe that AI and ML will be eating the world, changing the way we work, live, and interact with brands. 

I predict that as AI technology changes everything around us—with things like driverless cars and more efficient, sustainable systems—consumers will have more time on their hands. This will give brands the opportunity to leverage more pointed channels to reach audiences that have more free time to participate. AI will find brands’ ideal audiences and reach consumers in the right place at the right time, especially as AR and VR go mainstream. 

And as the hype around ChatGPT and generative AI simmers down, marketing teams will become more comfortable adopting a wide range of AI tools that help them build powerful workflows that drive innovation, aid in decision making, and create new business models. ChatGPT will be an entry point for many marketing teams as they look for relevant ways to use new technologies in their day-to-day work.”
 

Enhance, Not Replace

Aaron Kwittken, Founder and CEO, PRophet

“Generative AI, while not perfect, is the needle that pierced the veil of doubt and fear amongst marketers when it comes to adopting AI technology. The current limitations are only encumbered by the lack of data needed to make it more performative. 

When paired with the right inputs, this technology will make marketers more efficient by enabling them to create base content faster and better, freeing them up for higher value tasks like editing and strategy deployment. In addition to content creation for press releases, social posts, pitches, marketing collateral, blogs, and more, I see this technology as a huge aid when it comes to legal and compliance issues, especially when working with third parties like influencers and celebrity spokespeople.

Make no mistake, though, the downsides will need to be managed. 

Generative AI may reduce the need for junior staff; could be used as an accelerant to create and spread mis and disinformation; and could make professionals more complacent, less creative, and more transactional. This is where it will be on marketers to get creative about how they use this tool to enhance their current activities, not replace them.” 

The Key Word with A.I.? Enablement

Dan Gardner, Code and Theory Co-Founder and Executive Chairman

“At the moment, where we will see AI transformation is in how we conduct business. While traditional creative shops may be focused on stunts and activations, I believe the key word here is ‘enablement,’ and how the technology allows businesses to do what they haven’t been able to do before.

Where the technology is built into systems that yield long-term results. What this looks like exactly, we still do not know for certain, but I do know that technology at its best is when it has the power to drive meaningful change in people’s lives.” 

Watch Out for A.I.’s “WordPress” Era

Yamamoto Digital Team

In the end it’s not the technology that sells, it’s the story it tells.”  

Welcome to AI as shiny new toy, with machine learning, natural language processing and open access combining to create a sandbox for early adopters. Expect showy, public activations (e.g. Ryan Reynolds reading an AI-generated script for Mint Mobile) as well as backstage experimentation. We marketers will find it hard to pass on an instant first draft of everything we do.  

Then AI enters its WordPress phase. Smaller players will benefit from “good enough” templates that auto-generate content. Meanwhile experts will game AI’s limitations to circumvent the inevitable commoditization.  

There are also threats. To brand safety. To copyright laws. To beliefs about creativity. We’ll have hard conversations about everything from unconscious bias to criminal misuse. Then, in ten years, full impact. We imagine a golden age of hyper-targeted, account-based marketing. We also predict AI depreciating the value of individual assets a la Napster killing the compact disc. Expect real people to respond with bespoke, humanistic, artisan campaigns.   

Finally, a confession. That tasty quote at the top? ChatGPT wrote it. The prompt: Crystalize the future of AI in the haunted, optimistic voice of Don Draper. How’d we do?  

“Make it More Human” 

Ben Majoy, Creative Director, Observatory

We’re in the industry of threading the needle of perfection, constantly trying to find new ways to get as close as possible to what sometimes feels like an impossible vision. Artificial Intelligence is now creating a superficial answer to that question, but we’ll soon see that creating something narratively resonant means a lot more than a “vision” coming to life.

In the same way that a perfect cheeseburger just doesn’t taste as good as a sloppy one (or any other curated vs. bespoke experience example you want to use), we’re going to see that no matter how accurate the A.I. responds to our prompt, it will never FEEL as good as the human-made. There’s humanity in what we do.

Until Artificial Intelligence can replicate nostalgia, trauma, and emotions like seeing someone you haven’t seen in ten years and picking up right where you left off, we will also feel like something is missing. We’re about to enter the era of “make it more human,” taking the place of the “I’ll know it when I see it” feedback loop.

Sturgeon’s Law

Tom Sullivan, CEO, Vitro

RESPONSE TO YOUR PROMPT, FROM CHAT GPT (195 words) 

AI is already revolutionizing marketing…and this continue over the next decade. A big step will be through the use of machine learning algorithms to analyze consumer data and make more targeted, personalized recommendations. This will likely include personalized email campaigns, targeted social media ads, and customized product recommendations on e-commerce sites.

Or course…there are chatbots and virtual assistants. These tools allow companies to interact with customers in real-time, providing immediate support and assistance. They will also be able to handle routine tasks, freeing up human customer service reps to handle more complex inquiries. As time marches on these will continue to get better (and seem even more human). 

AI will also have a major impact on content marketing, as machine learning algorithms will be able to analyze consumer data and create more effective content. This could include personalized blog posts, videos, and other types of content that are more likely to engage and convert consumers. 

Overall, the use of AI in marketing is likely to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve the customer experience. Whilst there may be some initial disruptions as companies adopt these new technologies, the long-term benefits are likely to be significant. 

RESPONSE TO YOUR PROMPT, FROM TOM (195 words) 

See above. It’s so generative. It’s Sturgeon’s Law (90% of everything is crap). My guess is…AI will generate at least 50% of marketing assets/thinking. It’ll probably all be pretty smart…pretty good. But when it gets to emotional storytelling, powerful creative…it’ll be just like people, generating a lot of “crap”. AI is digital. Digital is binary. Zeroes and Ones. Blacks and whites. Much of creativity comes from the muted tones, the instincts and intuitions…the random brain synapses that live in the grays. I’ve spent a lot of time playing with AI in several arts (music, writing, imagery). Some of it really interesting, and maybe even gives bits of inspiration…but so much of it is just a mashup of elements we’ve seen before. Usually…you can tell AI was the ghost in the machine, right away.  

These are relatively early days, and they are super exciting…but here are three watchouts that come to mind:  racial biases and presenting incorrect information as true fact. And…look at the “open” in Open AI. It seems to be claiming that everything is open source. So I wonder; will I will end up being a windfall for intellectual property attorneys? Time will tell.   

The InkWell is Half Full for Copywriters

John Neerland, VP, Group Creative Director, Colle McVoy

Over the past month, ChatGPT has hit the world, the industry and advertising copywriters in particular, like a ton of virtual bricks.  

The reaction from writers I’ve talked to has ranged from cautious pessimism to downright dread. Gallows humor abounds. One writer quipped that it might finally be time to get HVAC certified.  

But I’m choosing, for now, to see the inkwell as half full. Just like Photoshop didn’t eliminate art directors and designers, ChatGPT won’t make copywriters obsolete.   

Out of the gate, ChatGPT is only as good as the inputs it receives. And even then, ask it to write headlines for a specific product or brand and you get a list that feels more like 50s newspaper retail ads than the One Show.   

So, if it isn’t pumping out pencil-worthy lines just yet, how can copywriters harness ChatGPT (and not be trampled by it)? Some initial ways include using it to get over blank page syndrome, getting unstuck from one idea or approach, exploring new tones and styles, making copy more search friendly and speeding up the more mundane writing tasks to free up time for more interesting ones.   

Over the next decade, my hope is that copywriters find ways to leverage AI not only as a technological aid to make their work easier and more efficient, but a tool to help make their ideas bigger and their writing better than they’ve ever imagined. Or maybe that’s just what the bots want us to believe. 

A Foundational 21st Century Development

Allison+Partners Digital team

Generative AI is about to change our world.  The capability of AI to generate original and useful creative work at scale is both amazing and terrifying, yet it will be one of the foundational technologies of the 21st century.  There’s no question it will change how we – as communicators and consumers – live, work, learn and even think.   

Tools like ChatGPT make it easier to quickly create targeted content, both written and visual. What’s more, it will help expedite what was once a very manual (and tedious) process by customizing and personalizing content for journalists, analysts and customers. In turn, there’s every chance that many of these pitches will be received by AIs with subsequent stories likely written by them as well. (In fact, some already are – controversially.)

Yes, AI may help everyone create content, just like calculators and spreadsheets help us generate numbers. But AI cannot imagine. It cannot bring years of client experience and strategy to the table. And it cannot replace passion, empathy or excitement for our clients and their offerings. AI is just one tool, plain and simple. We can and should use it to reinforce our best, most human qualities in the many years ahead. However, it will still need you – your humanity, your personality, your perspective and your soul.  

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This piece is part of Stagwell’s Marketing Frontiers content series on Artificial Intelligence. Visit this page to view other perspectives and work from Stagwell’s global teams on A.I.

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LA Rams on Stadium-Sized Augmented Reality Experimentation

Los Angeles Rams Chief Commercial Officer Jennifer Prince

The Rams made history this Christmas with the world’s largest augmented reality snowball fight, presented in SoFi Stadium during the Rams-Raiders game. For the Rams, it’s all about innovation on an off the field – and how brand and technology partners can reinforce their exploration of new consumer experiences. Hear from Rams Chief Commercial Officer Jennifer Prince about how the team fuels its larger-than-life fan experiences. 

Minnesota Twins on Moving Baseball into the 21st Century 

Minnesota Twins Sr. Director, Brand Experience and Innovation, Chris Iles 

A baseball team with an innovation accelerator? Yep. The Minnesota Twins want to bring always-on experimentation to the stadium, to help bring baseball into the 21st century. Hear from Chris Iles on the Twins’ mission to be the most innovative team in sport – and their experiments in AR, embodied audio, and spatial computing. 

Samsung SVP and GM Harry Patz 

The Infinity Screen in SoFi Stadium is a behemoth 70,000 sq. foot digital display powered by Samsung – and just one of an array of dazzling digital out-of-home experiences Samsung helps support across sporting properties. Hear from Samsung’s Harry Patz about how advancements in screens are re-shaping in-stadium entertainment.