Top tech providers are in a mad dash to prove their AI tools are worthy of the crown (and your martech budgets). Last week, it was Alphabetâs turn with the spotlight as it announced a slew of new tools at Google Cloud Next 2024.
For marketers, two tools stood out to us from the bunch:
Google Vids: an AI-powered video creation tool that promises more creative control over your videos â you can base the prompt off of your relevant Google Drive files, and edit the storyboard before it generates anything. Not just a video generator like OpenAIâs Sora, Vids leans into the real-time collaborative nature we love in tools like Google Docs. Why marketers should care: you can save time in the initial planning and ideation phase even if you donât end up using the final product.
Vertex AI Agent Builder: a tool that lets you build your own chatbots or AI assistants that continuously improve because they are tied to a reliable source â in this case, Google Search results. (We might quibble a bit with that reliable label, though.) Why this is useful to marketers: it can help facilitate tasks like workflow automation or brainstorming content ideas.
TL;DR: Google announced new AI tools marketers can customize to fit their marketing needs.
Not-So-AI-Powered
AI-powered tax filing. AI-powered data analysis, marketing, travel planning. AI-powered do-your-laundry-and-your-dishes. It seems like every new technology has a flashy âAIâ label on it now. But while AI might help move products off of shelves, getting a little too creative with your messaging could instead land you in serious legal trouble.
The SEC is starting to crack down on false AI claims. Last month, the agency fined two tech firms a total of $400,000 for making misleading claims about how their products use AI on their website, on social media, and in press releases. A court order from last year also led to a complete shutdown of an âAI-poweredâ ecommerce business due to false advertising.
For marketers, be careful writing checks your tech canât cash. With customers and investors clamoring for the latest and greatest AI tools, itâs tempting to sprinkle in a little AI messaging. But tread carefully, stay honest, and avoid âAI washingâ â otherwise, the SEC might come knocking.
TL;DR: The SEC is beginning to enact penalties on companies stretching the truth when it comes to AI. Be careful how you use the term in your marketing messaging.
Charmed, I'm Sure
With a ban hovering on the horizon, TikTok has enrolled in charm school. The social media heavyweight is throwing everything itâs got at scrollers, brands, and legislators to convince them the app is worth keeping around, from making bold claims about its economic impactand paying users for video watching, to finally confirming its long-rumored photos-only app.
We think this photos app is worth taking note of. While TikTok pioneered the short form video, social media marketers know that photo carousels tend to do even betteron the platform than videos, and the app maker seems to be leaning into that success with its latest innovation. Rumors have been swirling that TikTok is working on a photos-only app to compete with Instagram, and we finally have (some) clarity on the subject. No official release date has been announced, but TikTok confirmed the app is in the works and began informing users that their photo posts will soon be shared on the new platform â officially dubbed TikTok Notes.
As TikTok continues to fight for its right to party (stay in the U.S. app store), marketers can take advantage of the uptick in innovation and experiment with ways to incorporate Notes and other potential new releases into existing social strategies.
TL;DR: Marketers can look forward to TikTokâs photos-only app, part of an effort from the platform to prevent a ban in the U.S.
WHAT LIT US UP
Those Are Surreal Stats
As marketers, being data-driven helps us make creative marketing choices. But sometimes what the data tells us is people love seeing cute pets.
Surreal Cereal, a brand you might recognize from its last viral campaign, made a refreshingly transparent LinkedIn postthat got more than 40,000 interactions last week about their self-described âhorribly embarrassingâ social media metrics. What we learned: Sometimes, itâs not about the metrics themselves, but what you do with them.
After analyzing the data, the brand learned its posts about a cat and a dog performed better than any of its actual marketing material. The takeaway? The brand will embrace using fluffy friends to advertise its cereal. This tongue-in-cheek announcement shows that social media metrics alone arenât the end-all-be-all of measurement. Looking at the bigger picture â and not taking yourself too seriously â is key to forming data-driven social strategies.
Marketers shouldnât be discouraged if their social media campaigns struggle to take off the way we all dream they would. (If they donât include puppy or kitten pics, they might not!) Instead, make sure you know how to interpret your analytics and which metrics are worth measuring to keep working toward building your brand on social media.
TL;DR: Cereal brand Surrealâs transparency about its social media stats reminds marketers social metrics should inform marketing strategy â but not tell the whole story.