Is this brand sabotage?

Why getting attention at any cost isn’t worth it anymore. [View Message in Browser]( / [Add Us to Safe Sender List]( WEEKLY NEWS 5.31.24 WEEKLY NEWS 5.31.24  FEATURED [Harness AI To Harmonize Your Brand Voice: A Step-by-Step Guide]( By Erika Heald Solve your consistent brand voice challenges with the help of AI. Learn how it can help you document, audit, and maintain your enterprise’s unique identity at every audience touchpoint. [Read more](  READ OR LISTEN TO MORE STORIES FROM THIS WEEK: [Google Papers: Leaked Documents Reveal Search Algorithm Secrets]( by Content Marketing Institute Team Has Google been lying for years about how to optimize for search? The explosive release of internal documents contains interesting revelations. But what should marketers do about it? [How To Create Headlines That Are Good for Readers and Business]( by Ann Gynn Headlines have enormous power. They must attract and convince visitors to consume your content. And they have only a few words to accomplish that. To help with this great responsibility, follow this seven-step process and bonus tips. [Why Holding Attention Isn’t a Worthwhile Content Strategy Anymore]( by Robert Rose OpenAI’s many recent missteps devalue the currency brands should prize over anything else — trust. Here’s how to seize the opportunity OpenAI appears willing to squander. [ICYMI: How To Adapt Your SEO and Content Strategies for SGE and AI Experiences]( by Jim Yu Google’s rolling out its Search Generative Experience (now AI Overviews) to the public. And that’s not the only AI-influenced impact on search results pages. It’s time to update your content strategy to better reflect these new search experiences.  A NOTE FROM ROBERT ROSE Trusted voices You’d think that a new company with the resources of OpenAI would have a straightforward path to building trust. They had no legacy brand problems to unwind, no historical scandals to overcome, and no CEO constantly planting foot into mouth. Until recently. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, seems determined to avoid the straightforward path to trust. Sheesh — it’s almost as if they’re trying to sabotage the brand. Here’s the latest example: When the company recently launched new voice models with GPT-4o, many people noted how much the one called Sky sounded like Scarlett Johansson. Before the launch event, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman published a post on X that said simply, “her.” That one word also happens to be the name of a 2013 movie featuring an AI assistant voiced by, yes, Scarlett Johansson. The actor revealed that OpenAI had asked to license her voice. She declined the offer twice — once when originally asked a year ago and again a few days before the product’s release. The company says it hired someone else to provide the voice. Yet the result eerily echoes Johansson’s original performance. Cue the potential lawsuits and bad press for OpenAI’s brand. The OpenAI vs. Scarlett Johansson beef is only the latest example of how the attention economy has reached peak valuation. For years, marketers have tried various things to attract audience and buyer attention. On one end of the spectrum, you have the art and science of manipulating algorithms for search and social media visibility. On the other end, you have “[rage-baiting]( — a tactic that involves stoking outrage to increase content engagement. Some liken attention to a currency. Now, its value is waning compared with a much more powerful rival — trust. Trust, as the old saying goes, is the hardest thing to find and the easiest thing to lose. And it’s in a deep crisis worldwide. The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer intro highlights the challenge OpenAI and other tech companies face. [The authors wrote]( “Rapid innovation offers the promise of a new era of prosperity, but instead risks exacerbating trust issues, leading to further societal instability and political polarization.” Put simply: Trust in companies, media, and government erodes as leaders value attention over trust. Ignore this decline of trust at your peril. Developing and demonstrating a trustworthy relationship with consumers is now one of the most important things marketers must do. And that’s not new. But it’s clear that people no longer start out trusting and then become disappointed. The Edelman study points out that “most institutions are not trusted to introduce innovations to society.” The media is actively distrusted. Governments and NGOs barely break 50% in terms of the number of people who trust them to integrate innovation into society (50% and 54%, respectively). But there is some good news. Edelman found that businesses have the highest level of trust (64%) among all institutions. So, could your brand become not only the most trusted on a topic among your competitors but the most trusted brand, period? And, if that were the goal, would you trade some attention (say traffic or engagement) for fewer but more meaningful content interactions? [In Rose-Colored Glasses]( this week, I explain why you can — and you must. How are you balancing attention and trust? [I’d love to hear.](mailto:robert@contentadvisory.net?subject=CMI%20content%20feedback%20%E2%80%94%20Trusted%20voices&elqTrackId=D821A77B1912C36B70878B8AB7E97898) Remember, it’s your story. Tell it well. Robert Rose Chief Strategy Advisor Content Marketing Institute Robert Rose Chief Strategy Advisor Content Marketing Institute Would any of your colleagues or friends benefit from Robert's weekly updates? Please invite them to [subscribe]( here.  MORE FROM CMI Last Call! Content Marketing Awards Close Tonight This is it — the final countdown for 2024 Content Marketing Awards submissions. The deadline is tonight, but it’s not too late to submit an entry in one of [60+ categories]( and get the acknowledgment you deserve for your hard work, epic content, and standout results from the past year! Don’t miss your chance — submit by 11:59 pm ET. [Enter now »](  Welcome Emails: Rethinking Your Campaign In the marketing economy, new subscribers are worth their weight in gold. So why does your welcome series feel like recycled plastic? In this clip from Content Marketing World 2023, speakers Dennis Shiao and Ashley Guttuso explain how to get more out of your welcome emails by building trust. Watch the video for tips, then join us October 21-23 in San Diego for CMWorld 2024 to spark your content marketing skills with inspiring keynotes, practical sessions, and insight on the latest trends in the industry. [Watch the video »]( [Attend Content Marketing World »](  Was this email forwarded to you? 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