“We’ve gotten an insane amount of PR coverage,” said Aron North, Mint Mobile’s CMO, discussing the ChatGPT-written ad the company released in January. “[It’s] been quite a surprise to see how interested the broader market is in this kind of technology being used in communications.”
Nuts and bolts: “We don't work in the classic agency-client relationship where there’s a calendar and a brief,” said North. “We have a really dynamic relationship.” North said Mint Mobile leveraged that relationship to use ChatGPT to strike at the technology’s peak buzz.
ChatGPT wrote the script, which was read by Mint Mobile owner and actor Ryan Reynolds. The ad was shot in one day. Mint Mobile also secured the rights to use ChatGPT’s name and image (as those are trademarks).
Understand your brand DNA before using generative AI, says North.
He recommended approaching ChatGPT in the same ways successful marketers approach social media. “You have to understand your archetype, tonality, [and] all the components of your brand.”
Consistency, creativity, and authenticity are priorities.
Know when to step back. “You have to engage in conversations when it’s appropriate,” said North. “We’ve seen all those classic examples of brands that try to insert themselves [into] conversations in an unnatural way, or a conversation they don’t belong in, and [then] the brands get punished by the people who are watching that brand engage.”
North advised marketers to embrace and learn about the technology. “I don’t know if it’s going to replace your tactics or your techniques. But don’t be afraid—be cautious. This is a thing that is not going to go away. And if you give it the old Heisman [meaning you stiff arm it], you’re going to have a problem. It’s like not embracing TV when TV came out. You’d still be advertising on radio.”
Looking ahead: North said the ad employed an “interesting tactic,” but “we won’t be making a shift away from creative and classic human architecture of a creative idea.”
When it comes to disclosure, North said Mint Mobile erred on the side of transparency. “Does a brand have a duty to let the consumer know when AI has written its Super Bowl commercial? I don’t know. It’s still advertising. It is the company selling you something. I don’t know if it matters who is the author,” he said.
As for messaging for upcoming marketing, value will be front and center, which is likely a smart move with recent macroeconomic trends and consumers seeking deals.
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