We recently attended a Diageo-sponsored Women of the Vine & Spirits get together in NYC that was about (what else?) all things AI. As PR people and bev alc marketers, where creativity and regulation can be opposing forces, AI’s potential and perils have us equally excited, confused and skeptical, and searching for practical, responsible ways to harness its power.
Hosted by media-expert law firm Frankfurt Kurnit Klein + Seltz, the conversation was chock full of cautionary tales, examples of how brands are using generative AI tools (for better and worse) and practical legal guidance couched in “early days” context.
Our three big takeaways:
A great tool, but no substitute for the human experience. The PR professional side of our brains is alive with (cautious) optimism about the likes of ChatGPT’s immediate potential to bolster efficiency, especially when it comes to written output. All those hours freed up to focus on data deep dives, strategy, creative development, media schmoozing and everything else. But we came away reminded that seriously sharp thinking and writing requires the human experience for context and insight. It’s a big reason why clients partner with us, and it will endure no matter where this tech goes.
Immediate and real impact on innovation. Diageo’s own generative AI tool geared to optimizing package design has been making a splash. Respond to prompts such as occasion, creativity level, mood and form…and voila, see a can or bottle design come to life.
We have a front row seat to this flavor of AI. Our client DRINKS has spent years developing something similar. Its AI suite, called PAIR (Predictive AI Retailing), helps wine brands develop labels tailored to target consumers. That is vital in a segment where 80% of purchases are influenced by the look of a label alone. PAIR goes even deeper, recommending products optimized for online purchasers based on their stated shopping occasion and other relevant, algorithmically crunchable inputs. Early tests point to huge potential for merchants, with sales growing for a major online wine retailer by over 200% compared to a control group. The win-win potential for product development and refinement, and consumer satisfaction, is energizing.
Beware the information you put in. We are hyper protective of our clients’ IP and have been taking extraordinary care to avoid inputting brand- or project specific-queries into these tools, as tempting as that may be. While AI’s legislative landscape will take years to develop, this kind of vigilance is fully within grasp today and is vital to safeguarding proprietary information and behind the scenes thinking. It is why our team is trained to restrict inputs to well-crafted general terms and questions. Beware the information you put in. We are hyper protective of our clients’ IP and have been taking extraordinary care to avoid inputting brand- or project specific-queries into these tools, as tempting as that may be. While AI’s legislative landscape will take years to develop, this kind of vigilance is fully within grasp today and is vital to safeguarding proprietary information and behind the scenes thinking. It is why our team is trained to restrict inputs to well-crafted general terms and questions.