“Good copywriting is plain speaking.” – David Ogilvy
There’s no arguing with one of the greatest Ad men of all time, but if copywriting is just plain speaking, do we even need human copywriters anymore?
Wouldn’t AI, which has succeeded in performing tasks way more complex than plain speaking, suffice to copywrite as well?
In this article, let’s carefully analyze AI copywriting to answer this question.
Note: Since this blog is written by a human copywriter, necessary care has been taken to avoid bias and unnecessary diss on AI (as much as possible.)
What is Copywriting?
At its core, Copywriting is all about composing content to generate revenue and encourage prospects to take action.
Be it increasing sales of a product through print advertising, or boosting website traffic, copywriting is a potent selling tool.
Even though you’ll mostly hear about copywriting in marketing and advertising departments, copywriting is much older than these fields.
‘To Let’ is one of the best examples of copywriting, the most efficient portrayal of information with minimum use of letters, and asks any landlord for its effectiveness.
AI in Copywriting
AI has been transforming industries for decades, but its impact on creative fields like copywriting is fairly recent.
In the 1980s and 1990s, rudimentary text generation models existed, but they were largely confined to specific tasks like grammar correction.
Since these AI systems were rule-based, relying on pre-programmed responses rather than learning from data they couldn’t generate nuanced content.
The major leap came in the late 2000s, as machine learning (ML) gained momentum. Unlike rule-based systems, these algorithms analyzed vast amounts of data to identify patterns and generate text based on insights.
NLP evolved significantly during this period, leading to a better understanding of syntax, grammar, and the context behind language.
Why AI in Copywriting Now?
In the past few years, advanced deep learning models like Google’s BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) in 2018 and OpenAI’s GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) series changed how AI generated content.
These models learned from vast amounts of internet data, enabling them to produce text that reads naturally, is contextually appropriate, and mimics human creativity to a significant degree.
Explosion of Content Demand
The rise of digital marketing and social media has created a huge demand for content. From blogs and social media posts, businesses need a lot of content to compete and stay relevant.
Whatever your opinion of human creativity, they do have limitations in speed and scalability. AI offered a solution by enabling businesses to generate high volumes of content quickly and cost-effectively.
Economic Pressures and Automation
As companies sought to reduce costs while maintaining high output, AI emerged as a compelling option. Copywriting, traditionally considered a human-driven, creative field, became a target for automation.
AI copywriting tools like Jarvis (now Jasper), Copy.ai, and Writesonic began to flourish, offering businesses quick, affordable options for generating content.
Data Availability and Cloud Computing
The proliferation of big data has been instrumental in AI’s growth. Modern AI systems rely on massive datasets to train their algorithms, and the rise of cloud computing made these datasets more accessible.
Combined with advances in computational power, AI models can now process and analyze enormous quantities of text, learning the subtleties of language faster than ever before.
Naturally, the vitality of AI made it an essential tool for marketers and businesses. AI-powered copywriting platforms can generate anything from catchy headlines and product descriptions to full-length articles.
For many businesses, AI offers an attractive mix of speed, cost-efficiency, and scalability. So the billion-dollar question, so naturally a question arises- Is human creativity necessary?
Is it Over for Human Copywriters?
There are a lot of self-assuring consolations for human copywriters across social media platforms, stating AI can’t steal their jobs. It’s usually done by pointing out these AI shortcomings,
Emotional Intelligence
AI stinks at understanding deep human emotions, humor, cultural nuances, and subtle subtext.
Creativity and Originality
Doesn’t invent or imagine as it entirely depends on existing ideas.
Storytelling
Cannot weave narratives that engage, entertain, and inspire.
Ethical Considerations
Plagiarism, misinformation, and of course accountability.
The Showdown
So far we have explored the pros and cons of AI copywriting, but to truly understand its effectiveness in advertisements and marketing, we have to rely on a scientific approach.
A study by Search Engine Journal compared one responsive search ad (RSA) created by a human copywriter to one created by AI. This allowed for a clear comparison across different headlines and descriptions.
The human-written ads achieved 45.41% more impressions and 60% more clicks, resulting in a significantly higher CTR of 1.33%.
In all significant metrics human-written ads performed better than the AI ads.
Is Balance Possible?
When David Ogilvy said that good copywriting is plain speaking, many believed he was downplaying the “creativity” aspect of copywriting.
It is understandable considering how much Ogilvy was opposed to people treating copywriting as a platform for creative self-fulfillment rather than a tool for selling.
And selling relies more on understanding human psychology and emotions than on creativity for its own sake.
This is precisely why AI failed in the test we discussed above. AI can generate content quickly and efficiently, but it lacks emotional intelligence and nuanced understanding of human behavior.
AI can enhance the speed and efficiency of the writing process, but it cannot replicate the emotional depth and intuitive insight that only human writers possess.
The balance is possible: use AI for its strengths and allow human copywriters to bring the unique perspective that resonates with audiences.
Hence, you should hire copywriters.
Talk to Us
If you’re tired of all copies sounding the same and are looking for writing that speaks to your audience like a human, giving your brand the much-needed personality, talk to us.
We are Pichkaari, a seasoned integrated communication agency that lives and breathes your brand. We build it to be relevant in the moment, crafting content and copy that is essentially and consistently you.
