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DTC 286 - Static to video content, AI, and zeroing your inbox [DTC]( Banter Monday, January 23, 2023 Somedays we need this reminder more than others. 😂 Am. Not. Robot. In this newsletter, you’ll find: 👇 📦 Creating the highest view rate in account history 📦 How to lock in your C-Suite spot today 📦 Is AI fair-use property? 📦 Ad costs are dropping. Do you have the right partner to scale? 📦 Zeroing your Gmail inbox Read till the end to access exclusive DTC swag. 😎 👉 If a pal forwarded this to you, [subscribe,]( so you never miss out. Creative Combine Your Static and Dynamic Creatives To Launch Ad Account Winners There’s no secrets here. 🙅‍♀️ When the Pilothouse team finds a winner, you bet we’re gonna share it and help you emulate our success! This month, the team created a piece of content for client Journee that became a top performer in the ad account. First, here’s what the team saw: 👇 - 92.6% increase in view rate compared to account average in retargeting - Converting at a 25% lower cost-per-acquisition than account average - Contributed to the cheapest brand awareness while converting consistently at top-of-funnel - Highest view rate in account history (32.98%) and strong engagement metrics — 29% of total viewers watched the video in it’s entirety! Want to achieve the same? Here’s what you need to know: Maximizing the value of your creative production assets is a great way to reduce costs! If you’ve got images and videos out the wazoo, it’s time to take those high-performing static and dynamic shots and compile them into an upbeat video. 📹 1️⃣ Start the video with a bang! Add an attention-grabbing discount offer in bold text positioned above a short and enticing line of copy describing what shoppers can expect from the sale. 2️⃣ Use both polished static shots and videos of the product in use (from multiple angles if possible) to help your audience build trust with your product. 3️⃣ Play around with quick cuts, dynamic transitions, stylish design, and upbeat music to keep viewers’ attention and boost those watch times and conversion rates. 4️⃣ End your video with that same bolded discount offer, your logo, and a call-to-action button with ‘Shop Now’ to encourage action. If your brand doesn’t have [studio shot video content]( of your product yet, test making videos using static creatives until you’re ready to invest! Iterate on your ad using: - Different combinations and placements of your images/videos - Varied ad copy, headlines, and call-to-actions Sponsor C-Suite is almost HALF sold out! Lock in your seat today You can still save $1000 on your ticket to C-Suite Las Vegas, but you have to act quick. We’re almost sold out of early bird tickets to what’s sure to be the best goddamned marketing event in 2023. How do we know this? Because our attendees in 2022 told us that the people we brought together, and the magic that we created with our event was a highlight of any event they attended that year. Put yourself in a room with 100 of your most like-minded peers. Put yourself in a room with our mentors, who are ready to lay it on the line, to help you solve ANY problem with your business you might be facing. Put yourself in a room with your business idols, who will likely become your peers and friends after a few Vegas days and nights together. Your trip to Las Vegas will be a small investment, but the ripple effect that your C-Suite attendance creates could be MASSIVE. [Put yourself at C-Suite, and set yourself up for your best year ever.]( AI 👩‍⚖️ So, a lawyer, a robot, and a marketer walk into a bar… Copyright laws are complex. Who wants to worry about that when Artificial Intelligence (AI) can [craft a meal plan]( or [make you seem more interesting]( on Tinder? When it comes to content creation, AI has definitely thrown a wrench into the legal definitions of Intellectual Property (IP), ownership, and [fair use.]( With such an innovative and accessible technology at our disposal, why do we see some hesitation from prominent CEOs, legal professionals, and academics about its implementation? As with any new technology, ChatGPT still carries many unknowns about the legality of its use in both creative and professional capacities. Let’s shed some light on the current state of AI-generated content in the eyes of the legal system and provide some next steps for how you can safely start integrating AI into your workflow. 🔍 🤓 What do the techies say? Some time ago, we heard of Microsoft’s [planned integration]( of AI into its Bing search engine, which was a massive step towards its acceptance as a support tool for businesses. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, recently [voiced his opinion]( on the growth and accessibility of AI technologies in support of business operations stating that he's “never seen a demo where an advance that happens in the west coast of the US shows up in very real terms for someone in rural India within months,” referencing rural communities who can now maximize their yields by [using AI]( to inform their production and distribution methods. Even with this positive outlook, Nadella admits that the learning curve with AI will be “unforgiving,” but looking at “productivity data, we need something to help us. We need something that truly changes the productivity curve so we can have real economic growth." Ultimately, we “[shouldn’t] bet against the technology.” Coursera’s CEO, Jeff Manggioncalda, [says]( that ChatGPT is “blowing [his] mind” using the AI as a writing assistant and blogger. With plans to develop courses on AI, Maggioncalda reiterates that “you have to put a critical thought on it, but it’s stunning.” We agree, Jeff. 🧐 Inspector’s gadget So, why are detection tools like [GPTZero]( and outright [bans on AI]( assistance for academic work significant obstacles in front of this innovative technology? It all comes down to ownership. For example, take any response generated by ChatGPT and determine who owns that response: - The requester? - The bot? - The original author/source? It might not be as straightforward as you think… 🚔 Laying down the law [Forbes]( breaks down a lot of the legal jargon around ownership with responses from accredited professionals… but in short, the correct answer changes from case to case. Currently, protected work under US copyright laws “must be the result of original and creative authorship by a human author,” says [Margaret Esquenet](. This means any music or profile image you request from AI can be distributed freely. Esquenet clarifies that AI content is either: - “a public domain work immediately upon creation and without a copyright owner capable of asserting rights.” - “a derivative work of the materials the AI tool was exposed to during training. With this being the current legal standard and Google’s [scathing position]( on AI content, is your business’ AI workflow a risk worth taking? 👇 ✅ In short, yes! Brainstorming, ideation, and drafting are time-consuming processes that can be exponentially shorter if AI is used to supplement these creative sessions. No one’s said you can’t generate AI music or images, either. If you need something drafted, on time and on budget, AI can certainly help. Just don’t expect to legally own that material in any way until more laws have been put in place. Take notes from Coursera’s CEO on using AI as a supplementary writing tool. For example, outlining an awesome blog post with grammar suggestions from AI can break that writer’s block faster than any all-nighter we’ve pulled. AI can also generate SEO keywords for your website! Generating these keywords to include in a meta description can make the process a lot faster and easier. 🤖 No rage against the machine AI isn’t something to be feared by marketing professionals (we’re looking at you SkyNet!). We know that all of this legal talk can sound like a deterrent, but in the end, it’s because this technology is new and growing fast. Its implementation will likely spark a new wave of productivity, efficiency, and creativity in many global industries. With AI being so accessible, people from all walks of life can find ways that AI can benefit them, so the one question we haven’t asked yet remains. What are you waiting for? Sponsor The Right Partner Can Make or Break Your Brand in 2023… 📉 Ad costs have dropped ~50% over the past few weeks. Are you confident that you have the absolute best team around you and your brand? Is your team taking advantage of the competitive CPMs to maximize profits? If you feel that: - Your current agency isn’t completely focused on what actually moves the needle - They aren’t truly aligned to your ROI goals - They’re leaving your money on the table - Or maybe you’re just looking for a second option We should chat… 👇 [Pilothouse]( (DTC’s sister company) has a few remaining spots open for Q1 and we’re looking for 3 more brands we can sink our teeth into . We're a team of ravenous problem solvers, ROAS wizards, and growth partners that will make your bottom line look like a stock chart! 🤔 Sound interesting? [Chat with someone on our team now]( - no obligation. Oh yeah, did we mention we only make money when you do. Email It’s Time to Zero Your Inbox There are few better feelings than ending your day with your inbox at zero. If you’re one of those people with 10,000 unopened emails, we see you, we hear you, and we were you. In the essence of the new year, it’s time to reduce the clutter and clean up your inbox. If you’re a Gmail user, login on desktop and follow these steps for inbox bliss: - In the Gmail search bar, type: label:inbox is:unread and click enter. - You’ll now see all un-open emails in your inbox. Click the dropdown arrow in the top left of your messages and select ‘All’. - After selecting ‘All’, click the three vertical dots and select ‘Mark as read.’ Voila! Bookmark this one, save it, and use it. The mental clarity you’ll gain from an empty inbox is worth it. 👌 Quick Hits 📝 [New rules]( for hiring with AI tools. 🪟 [Microsoft]( to cut 10,000 jobs. 🙁 [AmazonSmile]( ends making way for a greater impact. ☎️ [Flip phones]( are cool again? 🐥 [Twitter Blue]( offers an annual subscription option. 🎨 [3 artists]( vs. AI. SHARE DTC NEWSLETTER 🔥 NEW REFERRAL PROGRAM HAS OFFICIALLY DROPPED 🔥 Want to level up the marketing skills of your teammates and employees? Just grab your referral link below and you'll earn points toward cool gear for every new subscriber you bring to the DTC fam. Here's your unique referral link: [( [Share via facebook]( [Share via twitter]( [Share via whatsapp]( [Share via email](mailto:?subject=Check%20this%20out&body=%F0%9F%94%A5%20Signed%20up%20to%20this%20newsletter%20a%20couple%20of%20weeks%20ago%20and%20it's%20amazing%20for%20DTC%20marketers%20like%20you!+https%3A%2F%2Fsparklp.co%2F47c676d0%2F%3Futm_source%3Demail) [See how many referrals you have!]( Referal program is subject to [DTC Terms & Conditions.]( 🔊 Have you heard our latest podcasts? 💸 [Andrew Wilkinson]( at C-Suite in Victoria: Bootstrapping vs VC vs PE vs Angel. 😎 [Pretty Boy]( - Ben Feys and Kevin Niehoff: Nailing your Brand Identity and Balling on a Budget. 🥤 [Sansorium]( - Fiona Hepher: Sipping Sober with a 30% Return Customer Rate. ❤️ [Rootd]( - Ania Wysocka: Helping a Million Users in the Age of Anxiety. 💰 [Mike Fata](: CPG Lessons From Scaling Hemp Hearts + A Trifecta of 9 Figure Exits! 💡 Listen to the [Biggest Marketing News]( Stories Today. Don’t forget to [rate the DTC Podcast]( on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) DTC Newsletter is written by [Rebecca Knight]( and Michael Venditti. Edited by [Claire Beveridge]( and Eric Dyck. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up [here.]( NEED MORE DTC? 🚀 [Advertise]( in DTC Newsletter. 💰Check out our course on [Facebook and Instagram]( ads! 📥 Work for The DTC Newsletter: Send an email to Rebecca, rebecca@directtoconsumer.co, if you’re interested in writing for us! Rate Us [Fueled by Pilothouse] [Share]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [LinkedIn]( [Advertise with DTC]( | [Work With Pilothouse]( At Direct to Consumer, we are strongly committed to protecting your privacy and providing a safe & high-quality online experience for all visitors. We understand that you care about how the information you provide to us is used and shared. We have developed a Privacy Policy to inform you of our policies regarding collecting, using, and disclosing information we receive from our Website users. 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