Two social media powerhouses are flexing new AI muscles and playing to their (very different) strengths. While X’s Grok leans on its users' love of irreverent humor, LinkedIn’s latest features help users engage more easily with the growing amount of content on the platform.
LinkedIn's new AI tools will generate quick takeaways from articles and videos on users’ feeds, so they can spend less time reading and watching and more time engaging. But this could also mean followers aren’t getting the full impact of your content. Marketers may need to adjust their long-form content on LinkedIn to ensure AI can quickly pick out key takeaways — like adding headings or bullets to make content easy to scan.
Imagine ChatGPT with a sense of humor, and you’ll get Grok, X’s new chatbot accessible to paid users. Grok stands out because it has unlimited access to all of X’s posts, a platform that’s known for being a real-time news source. This could make Grok a useful tool for marketers to research trending topics. But bear in mind, this bot comes coded with a big personality. Expect snarky responses, strong opinions, and a rebellious streak.
TL;DR: LinkedIn and X are the latest social media sites to debut personalized AI tools that play to their platforms' strengths.
AI of the Tiger
A rookie upstart, filled with optimistic confidence and backed by a grizzled veteran coach. The undefeated champion, shocked by the newcomer’s unexpected prowess. No, this isn’t the plot of Rocky 10 — it’s the fight between OpenAI and Google over dominance in the AI boxing ring. While OpenAI’s ChatGPT has held a steady lead since its introduction last fall, Google is finally hitting back with Gemini, the most powerful AI model on the market … for now.
Unlike ChatGPT, and all the other AI tools currently flooding your news feeds, Gemini was purpose-built to be multimodal. In marketer-friendly terms, that means Gemini was designed to understand and interact with more than just text — think images, audio, and video. For marketers used to relying on one tool for image generation, another for text output, and another for data analysis, Google’s tool is a one-stop shop. Currently, Gemini is accessible through Google Bard, Google’s chatbot, with plans to integrate it throughout Google’s suite of tools. An even more powerful version of the model, Gemini Ultra, will be accessible to enterprise customers next year.
While Gemini currently has control over the ring, marketers can look forward to what OpenAI strikes back with next.
TL;DR: Google released Gemini, the most powerful AI model currently available. Marketers can take advantage of the tool’s ability to understand multiple forms of media, including audio and video.
WHAT LIT US UP
Not a Bad Idea in Heinz-Sight
What's black and white and red all over?
The 100 limited edition tattoo-labeled bottles Heinz is giving out as part of the ongoing It Has to Be Heinz campaign (you might have seen its ketchup-colored tattoo ink).
The products will don a peel-off stencil in place of the usual label, which winners can use for permanent or temporary tattoos. When the brand realized customers were getting inked with its iconic label design, Heinz did its best to ketchup with its audience. It turns out Heinz tattoos are pretty common — even Ed Sheeran has an ode to the condiment. By keeping an eye on what fans are up to, Heinz was able to make the most of this extreme version of user-generated content.
The campaign included a number of out-of-home ads featuring fans’ tattoos around New York and Chicago (a famously pro-mustard town), in addition to a social push. And Heinz can continue to capitalize on its existing UGC campaign as winners post their new ink.
Though your brand might not get the chance to work with this level of organic brand engagement, it’s a reminder to always be on the lookout for unexpected opportunities to collaborate with your audience. Inspiration could come from anywhere — including, shall we say, unique tattoo art.
TL;DR: Heinz’s social media-driven tattoo bottle giveaway shows how strategic listening and knowing your audience can lead to creative marketing opportunities.