Last week I was traveling through the San Jose, California airport and, being in the business that I am, my attention went to the digital display ads that were running on various screens.
There were five or six main ones that were on a loop.
And looking at each one individually, you wouldn't really notice anything out of place.
But looking at them on a loop, one after the next, they essentially all went something like this…
Something something something AI
Something something AI
Something something AI
I don't recall what the message was for each one. I only recall that it said “AI” and looking at them, especially on a loop one after the next it just felt like these companies randomly squawking about AI, no real substance. Just the word AI. (but I did take some photos here 👇🏻)
But the question, as the viewer and prospective audience is, what does that mean? What problem are they solving, and how is it relevant to me?
In other words, what's the what?
If I'm the audience for the product, the communication should play to my needs or frustrations (what)
There's this line from the movie A Star is Born that always stuck with me: Bradley Cooper's character, Jackson Maine, says, "Look, talent comes everywhere, but having something to say and a way to say it so that people listen to it, that's a whole other bag".
For example, it might be that I'm trying to figure out how to speed up time to market, or I'm trying to figure out how to cut 30% in very real cost or I'm trying to multiply our team's ability so each person is like having three.
The buyer (read: audience) has challenges, frustrations, and problems at all times. Speak to those.
Just saying “AI” becomes white noise, especially when you see it on a loop.
“People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole.”— Theodore Levitt, Harvard Business School Professor
Nothing about any of those ads had an impact on me and I don't honestly know what problem they solve. I only know that it said the word AI.
Every business book in the world talks about differentiation — be sure to do that.
-Robert
