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Is artificial intelligence the future of branding? AI is limited — even stunted at times. Branding requires a deft touch — an understanding of who people are, what makes them tick and what they want. It’s about building the human connection, following through on promises made, and reaping the benefits: customer satisfaction, engagement and loyalty.
AI tools in any business realm require a delicate balance in order to get the best outcome, but generative AI tools are already making an impact in the world of branding. There are tons of AI tools out there that offer unique features that may not have previously been in our branding skill sets — but now they are.
Here are some ways in which entrepreneurs are even now using generative AI to enhance their branding efforts.
- Enhancing and streamlining the brand design process.
- Creating a wide variety of unique branded designs.
- Increasing appeal with personalization.
Related: What is AI, Anyway?
Using generative AI to streamline the brand design process
Iteration is one of the most common pitfalls that startup owners fall into — and one of the biggest black holes into which your time falls, never to be regained. For instance, getting a logo just right takes time, feedback and more time.
This is why generative AI for visual design in branding is one of the most valuable applications. The creative touch of a human designer is vital, but there’s no doubt that using AI can streamline the process of design.
A quick example is the use of logo design software. For example, at my company, LogoDesign.net, we use AI to help users get suggestions on iterations — and to generate hundreds of variations of a single design all at once. For an entrepreneur wondering whether their logo would look better in black and white, in red and black, enclosed in a circle, with a different style, and a dozen other possibilities, generative AI is the tool to use.
Using generative AI to create content that is uniquely on-brand
One of the main selling points of generative AI is the ability to create different types of content. Branding requires a host of visual content — logos, advertisements, web design and more. Color choice, font choice and all the other elements need to be set and recognizable.
But within the set-in-stone elements of branding, there’s still a lot of room for branching out. Generative AI tools can be excellent jumping-off points for crafting a variety of branded content that stays within the realm of the brand while bringing in the appeal of the truly unique.
An excellent example of this is a 2017 campaign by the eat-it-by-the-spoonful brand Nutella. This campaign, titled Nutella Unica, used generative AI to create a whopping seven million custom, unique product labels for its jars. Using AI algorithms to create the designs allowed the minds behind the campaign to set on-brand parameters for the designs. It generated a seemingly endless parade of wholly unique designs. Without AI behind it, such a design task would have taken up far more time — and a lot more of the budget.
This example is evidence that AI branding and design tools can be used to expand brand designs while still maintaining the aesthetic and spirit behind the brand.
Related: Six Reasons Branding is More Important Than Ever Before
Using generative AI to increase appeal with personalization
Along with branching out to new potential demographics for a brand, there’s also the focus on pinpointing established or intended audiences and giving them what they want. The type of content, what the content includes, and other content that they’re likely to be interested in are all factors that can be fed into generative AI and utilized to refine branding and advertising.
Ads like these can also be fed by other data about demographics to create a branded ad design with a heightened appeal to the individual. There’s data behind every aspect of design, from how people react to certain fonts to which colors appeal more to women than men and vice versa. Generative AI can be utilized to tweak and fine-tune targeted ads to create the optimal experience for each individual. Ultra-personalization of branding and marketing content is a step forward for creating that connection between client and company.
Custom products and on-demand production can cut down on overhead costs for the company and be a good thing on all fronts. Print-on-demand sites indicate how these AI tools can be more widely utilized; they give the customer the opportunity to influence the design, and they’re automatically more invested, engaged, and likely to buy from the brand.
Ensure that they have a unique, educational and entertaining experience as they interact with your website and product catalog, and you’re building investment and loyalty.
Related: Six Ways to Build Customer Loyalty
AI design tools — changing our branding now and forever
AI is everywhere, and the process of branding can only benefit by incorporating these new tools, expanding our ability to interact with our audience. It’s not perfect by any means, but AI has been progressing by leaps and bounds and will continue to do so.
You don’t even need a crystal ball to tell you that.
