[The image above is by Craiyon, “two robots filming in a studio. one is holding a camera”, licensed under Craiyon’s Free Commercial License]
You’ve heard the news: AI tools are getting much better, much faster than any of us non-AI people expected. Programs like DALL-E and ChatGPT are getting a lot of attention at the moment, and with good reason: they’re much more convincing than anything that has come before. We’ve driven straight into the Uncanny Valley – and not just for a day trip.
There are even AI video makers and editors you can use now too, such as Synthesia, Lumen5, and Raw Shorts, and you might be thinking about trying some out in your own marketing.
And we get it: if you ask virtually anyone working in videography, they’ll tell you that making and editing videos can be super labour-intensive.
Even without the broader marketing elements, such as the strategy, monitoring and evaluation, there are so many steps to making a video advert: you have to come up with the idea, storyboard it, write the script, actually film it, and then edit it into an engaging, persuasive, impactful narrative that meets your strategic goals.
So it might seem tempting to save time and money by using an AI tool – but is it worth it? Can automated tools really replace human judgement, craft, expertise and emotion?
As a videography & photography company, we’re a little bit biased – and it’s probably pretty obvious in which direction. We love the buzz of a shoot, the deep satisfaction of nailing a perfect edit, and drawing out stories that tap into your customers’ fundamental desires to create lasting results for your business.
So, as we’re biased, we decided to ask an AI (ChatGPT) for its impartial view – algorithmic biases aside.
Read on for its take, then ours.
What the robots think
“Write a blog called ‘Can AI really do better video marketing than humans?’ detailing the pros and cons of using humans, and the pros and cons of using AI tools, to make and edit marketing videos.
…
Video marketing has become an increasingly important part of businesses’ marketing strategies in recent years. With the rise of social media platforms, video content has become one of the most effective ways to reach potential customers and promote products or services.
As a result, many businesses are considering using AI tools to help with the creation and editing of their marketing videos. But can AI really do better video marketing than humans? Here, we’ll explore the pros and cons of using AI tools versus humans for video marketing.
Pros of using AI:
- Speed: AI algorithms can process large amounts of data quickly and efficiently, making it possible to create and edit videos in a fraction of the time it would take a human. This means that businesses can produce more videos in a shorter amount of time, potentially increasing their reach and engagement with their audience.
- Personalization: Another advantage of using AI is its ability to personalize marketing messages based on individual customers’ preferences. This can help you create more engaging and relevant marketing videos that are tailored to your audience’s specific needs and interests. Additionally, AI algorithms can help businesses optimize their videos for different platforms and audiences, potentially increasing their effectiveness.
- Cost-effective: In addition to being efficient and personalized, using AI for video marketing can also be more cost-effective than hiring a team of humans to create and edit videos. AI tools can automate many of the tedious and time-consuming tasks associated with video marketing, freeing up your human marketers to focus on more strategic and creative tasks.
- 24/7 availability: AI can work around the clock without needing breaks, vacations, or sick days. This means that you can use AI to manage and respond to customer inquiries and engage with your audience even when your human marketers are not available.
- Scalability: As your business grows and your marketing needs change, it can be difficult to scale your human marketing team to meet these new demands. AI, on the other hand, can be easily scaled up or down to meet your changing needs, making it a more flexible and adaptable option for video marketing.
Cons of using AI:
- Limited creativity: While AI can be great at analyzing data and personalizing marketing messages, it can struggle with the more creative aspects of video marketing. Humans, on the other hand, are able to come up with unique and creative ideas for marketing videos, which can be a huge advantage when it comes to standing out from the competition.
- Lack of emotional connection: Another disadvantage of using AI for video marketing is that it can be difficult for AI to create emotional connections with customers. Humans, on the other hand, are able to connect with their audience on an emotional level, which can be crucial for building long-term customer relationships. This can be especially important when it comes to video marketing, as videos have the potential to be more emotionally impactful than other forms of marketing.
- Limited flexibility: AI algorithms are designed to perform specific tasks, and they may not be able to adapt to changing circumstances or new data. This can be a disadvantage compared to human marketers, who are able to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions when faced with unexpected challenges.
- Inaccuracy: AI algorithms are only as good as the data they are trained on. This means that if the data used to train the algorithms is not diverse or representative of the target audience, the resulting videos may not be as effective as they could be.
- Dependency: Additionally, relying too heavily on AI for video marketing can create a dependency on the technology. If something goes wrong with the AI tool, or if it fails to produce the desired results, your marketing efforts could be severely impacted. This can be especially problematic for small businesses or startups that may not have the resources to quickly recover from such a setback.
Overall, while AI can be a powerful tool for video marketing, it’s important to consider both the pros and cons before deciding whether or not to use it. In many cases, a combination of AI and human expertise may be the best approach, with AI handling the more technical and data-driven tasks and humans bringing their creativity and emotional intelligence to the table. Ultimately, the decision will depend on the specific needs and goals of your business.
[Note: we ran the prompt through ChatGPT multiple times, then picked out the best paragraphs.]
What we think
Sure, it ticks the boxes, but it’s not the most exciting blog you’ve ever read, right?
Save your videos from the same fate!
We know the edit can make or break a video, and have a huge impact on your ROI. That’s why we work tirelessly to understand your business and your customers – to make sure, when they’re done watching your video, they’ll feel what you feel.
So here’s why we think you’re better off with us than with an AI:
- Speed: AI tools might be useful for testing lots of ideas very quickly, and coming up with new ideas if you’re feeling stuck, but remember – more isn’t necessarily better. If everyone’s using the same tools, how will you make your videos stand out? You’re better off boosting your reach and engagement (and ultimately, your ROI) with careful targeting, emotional storytelling, and considered, attention-grabbing edits – that’s why we dedicate so much energy to each edit, especially the first 3 seconds, and work closely with you to bring your vision to life.
- Personalization: AI may be able to help with some technical parts of optimising for platforms, such as quickly converting videos into all the right formats – but we think it’s got a while to go before it’ll be able to personalise messages in a way that’s actually effective. Over the past five years, we’ve built a detailed understanding of audiences and their buying motivations in specific niches (dental, hair and beauty, construction, corporate), and this knowledge guides every creative decision we make.
- Cost-effective: It’s important to remember that every part of the film-making process requires creativity, even the tedious parts, and your strategy should inform all those creative decisions. AI tools can’t do that yet. That’s why we believe we offer a better return on investment, especially over the long term – we help you reach out to your customers, then we iterate and optimise to deepen those connections and build a loyal client base and great lifetime value for your brand.
- 24/7 availability: Our team works around the world, predominantly in Australia and the United Kingdom, so we’re already working around the clock. (Also, how many high-quality leads will you really be getting at 3am?)
- Scalability: We can be scaled up or down too – that’s one of the advantages of working with an agency. We make tailored packages to suit your budget, and we’re available for ongoing work or one-off projects, whatever works best for your business.
As ChatGPT said, we’re full of unique and creative ideas: check out this personal branding video we made for Dr Jack Yang – from 3D animations to drone shoots, the sky’s literally the limit.
And we can bring unexpected emotional depth to your footage, like in this housebuilding video we made for Ferrari Constructions.
We can quickly pivot our strategy in response to new data from your social media team, we understand your target audience’s fundamental human truths – and we definitely won’t crash on you.
So can AI really do better video marketing than humans?
That depends which humans are doing your marketing.
To find out more about how we can bring your vision to life, let’s grab a virtual coffee. Get in touch below.