Generative AI has made skeptics of us all. We question everything we see online. Too funny? Too amazing? Too anything…? Must be AI.
At times we feel like Holden Caulfield, “surrounded by phonies.”
But like Holden, it’s impossible to run away from it all.
And if you are a marketing person, it’s actually a beast you’ll have to embrace.
Here at Picturelab, we’re learning to find the right balance. On one hand, we still favor live action shoots with real actors and sets. As noted in my other post, there are still so many limitations to AI that it often makes sense to shoot live.
But on the other hand, this beast, as wild and crazy as it is, is definitely powerful and cost-effective. AI streamlines many tasks that would have been much more arduous without it.
So, how exactly can we leverage the power of AI without causing your audience to run for the hills?
Here are a few tips.
Avoid Tricky Stuff
In other words, don’t try to convince your audience that something fake is real. If people have to check the comments to see whether something is AI or not, then it’s not a good use of AI.
We’ve all seen these types of videos: a wild wolf pup innocently sleeping next to a man inside a tent, a baby in a bath tub with a bubble forming as he passes gas, etc, etc.
These videos attract views, but the audience feel cheated, and in a way, a bit stupid if they initially believed it was real. It ultimately leaves a bad feeling, and for a marketing video, it will affect how they feel about your brand.
Instead, do one of two things when producing AI videos.
- Don’t do something that’s too-amazing-to-be-true. In this video we produced for a donut store, we used AI to feature people saying a simple line. Something like this gets the message across and people won’t care that it was done with AI. They don’t feel cheated.
- Make it very obviously AI. Do the extreme – make it so obvious that they don’t have to check the comments to see if it was AI or not. We’ve seen dancing babies or animals doing crazy mind-boggling tricks. Something that is obviously impossible so that everyone can tell it’s AI right away. This will garner views and produce the right response from your audience, and not leave them feeling cheated.
Be Meaningful and Sincere
Like all art (and marketing), know the story you want to tell. Understand the emotion you’re trying to convey and evoke. Avoid going for cheap thrills and eye candy — which is very easy to chase when working with AI. At the end of the day, AI is just a medium. It needs to convey and reach the human heart.
Use Human Voice Actors for AI Videos
Again, the technology is improving at light speed, but as of now, there’s still something about a real human voice that can’t be replaced.
We’ve all heard the generic AI voices (I immediately scroll past those). But even the more uncommon ones are lacking that unique human element. There will eventually come a time when even an entire animated feature could be AI, but for now, keep the voices human to better connect with your audience.
Platforms like Voice123 provide access to thousands of amazing voice actors at affordable rates.
AI will replace a lot of what humans do, including marketing and video production. But ultimately, the audience and the buyer will remain human, so there are elements that need to be human in order for a marketing video to be effective.
It’s an art form in itself — a balance that we will always need to remember.
To learn more about what we do here at Picturelab, especially with AI marketing, contact us at info@picturelab.com.