Since AI is all the rage and that, I’m gonna take it easy and let ChatGPT have a bash at writing the intro for this month's newsletter. 

Take it away my robot friend:

There’s a lot to unpack here, it seems like our HAL 9000 got a bit carried away with my request and decided to write a full email for me instead. And I could have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t written like a pesky robot! 

Imagine If the subject of this email was actually ‘Engage, Connect and Convert: Unleashing the Power of Human-Centric Brand Communication’! 🤢 How many of you would’ve even bothered opening?

Also, starting an email with ‘Dear [Recipient’s Name]’ is far too serious, unless you work for the council and you’d like to inform me that my council tax is overdue, maybe just go with a ‘Hi’’ or a ‘Hey’?

And has an email ever really found anyone well? (If you add this to your emails, it’s not too late to stop, reach out if you’d like a place on my robot to human recovery program). 

I thought I’d ask ChatGPT for a few alternative greetings, but the suggestions were even worse:

🤖 ‘We hope the sun is shining brightly on your path today.’

🤖 ‘We hope you're enjoying a harmonious balance between work and leisure.’

🤖 ‘We send this email with utmost enthusiasm, hoping it adds an extra spark to your day.’ 

So it’s pretty clear that robots won’t be writing our copy anytime soon, but as a research tool, it ain’t too bad. 

I scrolled down our AI generated email, and ChatGPT had shared 5 reasons why brands should write like humans, and tbf our robot sidekick makes a solid case:

My biggest ick is when brands speak with a boring, corporate tongue. It’s an immediate put off, I immediately tune out and stop reading, scroll onto another post or click through to another website. It’s cliche, but the good ol’ saying ‘people buy from people’ ain’t wrong, and even through your brand’s channels you need to serve up a healthy double scoop of proper personality.

If you’re reading this as a marketer in a serious industry like finance or law, yes you’ll need to have somewhat of a serious tone of voice, but there’s still room for a bit of fun, get a little loosey goosey with your copy and you’ll attract more attention - I guarantee it! [please note this is not a legally binding guarantee - yours sincerely, Dom’s lawyer]. 

Now it's time to see some examples of the gooood stuff!

One brand that’s been all over the place recently is Surreal. Their humour is witty, irreverent and stops me in my tracks. I never scroll past a post. You can tell the marketing team are having a lot of fun, especially with their recent social takeovers. 

Their Social Media Manager took a holiday, so the rest of the team chipped in on posting duties (whether or not they actually took a holiday, or this is just clever marketing, I don’t care - I’m here for it anyway). 

Here’s an example from their Intern (love the satire in this post, reminds me of sites like The Daily Mash and The Onion):

I can’t really speak about Surreal without mentioning their out-of-home campaigns can I? They went viral for all the right reasons, these billboards were unmissable on the socials.

This ‘influencer’ campaign was so good, I wish I’d thought of it first:

And so did the team behind scouse lad, Paddy Pimblett’s BodyFuel collab, here’s a cheap imitation:

They carry their relaxed, light-hearted tone of voice through in all of the little details too:

Like this LinkedIn bio:

But if you’re in a serious industry and need a professional tone of voice, just check out Monzo.

Whilst their website, out-of-home, and majority of marketing materials need to keep a professional TOV to ensure customers get a sense of security and build trust in their service, they’ve found the perfect home to have a bit of fun through their Twitter.

With relatable money-related posts like this one:

And this one:

They do a great job of fitting in their product features too, here’s one for the takeaway addicts:

I could go on all day, sharing more of my favourites, but when I get carried away with the file size, the email gets clipped. 

So here’s one a piece from three of my favourite brands:

Some self-awareness from the product description gods - Palace:

A post-lockdown beaut from the G.O.A.T - Greggs:

And no brand copywriting email is complete without the best-in-class, Oatly:

So have a look at your brand’s copy and be really honest with yourself. Is it stuffy, boring, and robotic? If you’re nodding your head and tutting your lips, maybe it’s time you had some more fun too!

A few more things to read 📚:

Avoid a lawsuit - Hannah Skulnick - How to Use AI Without Breaking The Law 📚

SEOs, AI can be your friend - Abbie Johnson - A Guide to AI for Content Marketers 📚  

Here's an AI tool built for SEO - Hannah Skulnick - Frase AI Tools That Mean Business📚  

Pass it on... ⚽

If you think this email could help your friends or people in your business then please recommend us, forward on this email or share this link: https://wearenorth.uk/friends-in-the-north/

I love chatting to passionate people about marketing and creativity, find me on LinkedIn

Thanks for reading, this issue was written by Dominic Apes (NORTH - Senior Marketing Manager). If you fancy a chat, then please reach out!