Language-based artificial intelligence (AI) like ChatGPT is generating a lot of buzz in marketing circles. There is a widespread fear that AI will replace people responsible for jobs like copywriting and marketing. If so, this could be a boon to contractors, who are notoriously lax in the marketing arena to begin with. Why couldn’t ChatGPT do your marketing?

AI Makes Mistakes

ChatGPT is an amazing piece of software. Yet almost anything you get from it must be fact-checked. Test it for yourself by asking it questions about subjects you are intimately familiar with. I started with myself. When asked to write a bio for me, ChatGPT started strong:

Matt Michel is a highly respected figure in the HVAC industry, renowned for his expertise and contributions as a business leader, author, and speaker. With a wealth of knowledge and a passion for helping contractors succeed, he has made a significant impact on the service trades.

Brilliant! Of course, it sounds an awful lot like my own PR. That’s because ChatGPT appears to grab what it finds on the internet and rephrases it, and who’s written more glowing accounts about me than me? But it does more than that. It fabricates. For example, the software reported this on me:

Matt Michel is also a prolific writer and has authored several books on sales, marketing, customer service, and business strategies for service contractors. Some of his notable books include "The Power of Positive Pricing," which explores pricing strategies for service businesses, and "Leverage: How to Achieve a Lot with a Little," which provides guidance on optimizing resources to maximize business success.

Huh. I never wrote a book entitled “Leverage.” Maybe someone who shares my name did and ChatGPT mistakenly reported on this. Nope. Amazon yields nothing. A straight search engine query yields nothing. The ChatGPT software just made it up.

If a marketer working for me just fabricated things like this, he or she would not last long. I will not employ someone I cannot trust, nor will I rely on an AI program that prevaricates.

It Can Be Literal

I asked ChatGPT about my father, Don Michel. Dad was one of the founders of the field of music therapy. He wrote one of the first textbooks and the profession’s creed some 60 years ago. Surely there would be a lot on Dad. Here’s what I got when I asked about “Don Michel, music therapist”:

I apologize, but I couldn't find any specific information on a music therapist named Don Michel. It's possible that he may not be widely recognized or have a significant public presence in the field of music therapy. If you have any additional context or details about Don Michel or his work as a music therapist, please provide more information so that I can try to assist you further.

When I changed the query to “Donald E. Michel,” ChatGPT spit out the following:

Donald E. Michel is a renowned figure in the field of music therapy, celebrated for his significant contributions as a music therapist, educator, and advocate. With a deep understanding of the power of music as a healing modality, Donald has made a lasting impact on the lives of countless individuals.

Better, but it means you better be more literal in your queries than you are with your search engines. Also, the tone is eerily like the first paragraph of the bio it wrote for me.

It’s Bland

I asked ChatGPT to write different direct mail letters that contractors might use. In a word, they were boring. They were bland. They were word salads. They were all alike. I’ve seen better direct marketing from manufacturers (maybe manufacturer copywriters should worry).

If you use ChatGPT to create your marketing, I suspect your effectiveness will be limited. It appears to deliver “oatmeal marketing.” You know the type — it’s bland, flavorless, and needs to be spiced up. Thus, you’re not likely to stand out. You’ll probably seem the same as anyone else using the software.

It’s Wishy-Washy

So far, when reading ChatGPT output, I’m amazed at how wishy-washy the results are. When I asked it to compare the top air conditioning brands, the results were largely interchangeable. One brand is described as:

[The brand] is a well-established brand known for its innovative HVAC solutions. They offer a wide range of air conditioning systems, including central air conditioners, ductless split systems, and commercial HVAC equipment. [The brand] is recognized for its emphasis on energy efficiency, advanced technologies, and reliable performance.

A second:
[The brand] is another reputable brand that offers high-quality air conditioning equipment for residential, commercial, and industrial applications. [The brand’s] products are known for their durability, efficiency, and innovative features. They provide a range of options, including central air conditioners, heat pumps, and ductless systems.

A third:
[The brand] is a respected brand in the HVAC industry and offers a variety of air conditioning solutions. Their product lineup includes central air conditioners, heat pumps, mini-split systems, and packaged units. [The brand] is known for its commitment to energy efficiency, advanced technologies, and quiet operation.

Sounds largely the same to me. As an industry expert, could you tell which brand aligns with which description? If not, that makes it meaningless pablum.

It’s Not Creative

When I was in grade school, long before the internet, we would be given assignments to write about a particular place, event, or subject. With my classmates, I would head to the library and find two or three encyclopedia references, then combine the separate passages and rewrite them to say the same thing in new sentences so the teacher would not accuse us of plagiarism. ChatGPT seems similar. It references an overwhelmingly large base of information and selects parts to regurgitate. It creates, but it is not particularly creative.

A creative marketer will always outperform AI in the sense that AI is limited by the box of available content written in the past. It may draw from an immensely large box, but it can’t go outside of the box. A creative marketer can and often does think outside of the box.

It Does Not Understand Emotion

AI does not think, per se. It imitates thinking. It can draw from emotional writing, but it cannot fathom emotions. Emotions are the basis of most sales. Emotions underlie most marketing efforts — certainly, most effective marketing efforts. A good marketer is able to arouse emotional responses in words and images. ChatGPT can attempt it, but my experience with it finds it lacking.

It Lacks Design Sense

I’m sure this will be rectified soon, but at present, ChatGPT cannot help you with the visual side of marketing. When I asked it to design a logo for my LLC, it suggested the obvious graphical elements. Then, it added:

It's best to collaborate with a professional graphic designer who can bring this concept to life using their creative expertise and design tools.

It Won’t Be Free Forever

We are using ChatGPT in beta mode, essentially testing it for the software authors. At some point, they will want to monetize it. How much will it cost? Who will own the work it generates? These are all unknown but worth considering.

It Is Biased

Hopefully you make an effort to keep politics out of your business. No matter what your political opinions, expressing them to your customers will annoy half of your customer base. ChatGPT, however, has been widely documented as sharing the political opinions and beliefs of its programmers. Will its inherent biases creep into any content it creates? It is a point of concern.

There is a role for AI like ChatGPT, but marketing is not it. Even asking for something simple and cut-and-dried as a tuneup process ended up with generic instructions that techs would laugh at if presented by a service manager. So could ChatGPT do your marketing? Not yet.