An executive creative director went through the trial-and-error process to find prompts that work in the advertising context.
As everyone and their aunty knows, the secret to unlocking AI’s full potential is not just the technology, but how we communicate with it. Mastering the art of prompt crafting can turn these AI interactions into a goldmine of creative ideas, strategic insights, and engaging content.
The more precise and creative your prompts, the more valuable and innovative the responses will be.
Here is a brief guide on how to elevate your AI collaborations.
1. Develop creative briefs in table format
To efficiently organise campaign ideas or competitor analyses, ask ChatGPT to present information in a table format. This approach is invaluable for side-by-side comparisons or summarising complex data across various metrics.
Example prompt: “Generate a table comparing the latest digital marketing tools. Include columns for Name, Type, Key Feature, and Target Audience. Focus on the following tools: [List of Tools]”
2. Engaging with an industry expert persona
ChatGPT can mimic the expertise of professionals from any corner of the marketing world. By specifying the expert’s background, you can gain insights as if you were brainstorming with a top strategist or creative.
Example prompt: “Assuming the role of a Chief Marketing Officer with 20 years in the luxury goods sector, advise on an innovative approach to rebranding for digital platforms, focusing on storytelling techniques.”
3. Unearth innovative marketing strategies
Push the boundaries of conventional thinking by prompting ChatGPT to suggest fresh strategies. This can be a springboard for brainstorming sessions or inspiration for your next big idea.
Example prompt: “Propose unconventional marketing strategies for a sustainable fashion brand aiming to reach Gen Z consumers. Highlight strategies that leverage digital media in unexpected ways.”
4. Auto-generate creative prompts
If you’re hitting a creative block or need new angles for your content strategy, ChatGPT can help generate prompts that align with your brand’s voice and objectives, streamlining your creative process.
Example prompt: “Suggest creative prompts for developing blog content around the theme ‘The Future of Work’ tailored to a tech-savvy audience.”
5. Tune the creativity dial
While you can’t directly adjust the AI’s ‘temperature’, you can influence the creativity of its outputs through how you frame your requests. For more grounded, data-driven content, opt for straightforward prompts. For innovative and imaginative ideas, encourage scenarios or ask for narratives.
Example prompt: “Generate a series of social media ad concepts for our new (product launch). For the first set, focus on data-driven content highlighting key features and benefits. Then, for the second set, explore more imaginative and creative approaches, incorporating storytelling elements to engage our audience on an emotional level.”
Additional techniques for elevated insights
- Adopt a specific persona: Beyond expert simulation, crafting a persona with distinct characteristics can add depth and relatability to your content.
- Persona’s tone and style: Specify the tone or personality you want the AI to embody, ensuring the responses align with your brand’s voice.
- Incorporate critical questioning: Use “who, what, when, where, why” to guide the AI towards more detailed and thorough analyses.
- Customise for your audience: Adjust the complexity of the AI’s language to cater to your target demographic.
- Harness contextual continuity: Utilise ChatGPT’s ability to build on previous interactions in a session for cohesive and comprehensive content planning.
- Request structured guides: For how-tos or campaign planning, ask for step-by-step instructions to ensure clarity and actionability.
- Simplify language: Avoid industry jargon unless your audience is well-versed in it; prioritise accessibility and engagement.
- Specify exclusions: Clearly outline any topics or themes to avoid, ensuring the content remains relevant and sensitive to your audience’s preferences.
Of course, all of these are just guides and the real art will come with testing and refining the first responses with further prompts. A useful way to do this is by organising your prompts into clusters similar to how you would have drafts when writing say, an article about AI.
We all know AI won’t do the work for you, but it can help you streamline your content creation and strategy as well as ensure the outputs are tailored, insightful, and aligned with your objectives.
Matthew van der Valk is executive creative director at VML South Africa.
