Spy balloons, UFOs, & pass(word) interference: NL #129

Storytelling is still the best tech

If you have a pulse (and the internet) you know that personalization is par for the digital marketing course. E-mails with your name in the subject line, customized landing pages, location-based product recommendations, personalized search results, you know the drill.

As it turns out, personalization without a relationship doesn’t work in real life or in marketing. At least, not in the long term. Relationships require trust, and trust isn’t achieved by predicting if a dad who likes the Mavs (don’t even get me started on the Kyrie trade) would also be into scoring free guac at Chipotle. (For the record, he is.)

Consumers have come to expect a bit more of their digital experiences. One study even revealed that 66% of consumers want more meaningful interactions with brands. While tech helps customize, curate, and deliver tailored user experiences, it can’t be a substitute for imparting meaning, which we know is the greatest motivator behind human behavior. It can’t recall a relatable family story, talk about fun times with your team, or be (charmingly) self-deprecating. Human-ing is, for now, exclusively reserved for us humans.

So how do we start conveying meaning and building trust with our audience? Here are a few quick tips:

Identify your own story: What makes your brand unique? What values do you stand for? What are the challenges your customers face and how do you help them overcome those challenges?

Use stories to showcase your brand’s personality: People love to connect with brands that have a strong personality and unique voice. If your brand were a person, what would they be like?

Be relatable: People are interested in meaningful experiences that connect with their values and emotions. If they can’t see themselves in the story, they won’t care.

Keep it small: Sometimes referred to as “content atomization” by fancier folks, this strategy is all about creating bite-sized pieces of content that are easily digestible, shareable, and discoverable by the target audience.

At the end of the day, relationships—in life and in work—take time and effort. Brands that prioritize efforts to create meaningful connections with their audiences will reap the rewards. (But a little extra guac never hurts.)

Top Stories

ChatGPT makes history

In just two months the Open AI chatbot has racked up 100 million monthly users, making it the fastest growing app of all time.

The tech darling’s meteoric rise vastly outpaces both TikTok and Instagram’s more gradual uptakes as masses of curious users join the AI party. In a matter of weeks we’ve seen ChatGPT put to work filling out job applications, writing dad jokes, taking tests, and even coding malware. As the old adage goes, if you give a mouse generative AI, he’s going to ask you for world domination.

According to the recent report by UBS, the free (for now) ChatGPT app drew 13 million unique users a day during the month of January, and with the recent release of the paid version of the app, ChatGPT Plus, these numbers have nowhere to go but up. Meanwhile, other tech giants like Google are furiously prepping their ChatGPT counterparts in response.

Unsurprisingly, teachers and educators have lots of mixed feelings about this. Others are concerned about the ramifications on the job market as AI gradually fills in some tasks formerly assigned to humans.

Like any technology, ChatGPT will inevitably be used for good and ill. I’m generally hopeful we can find a balance that works (or works for us) but in the meantime, the AI scene is about to get real interesting. Cookie, anyone?

Is the Netflix password crackdown here?

Yes and no. Maybe. Sorta? It’s all a little murky still.

Here’s what we know: Netflix is hemorrhaging cash. Having lost nearly a million subscribers between April and July of 2022 and facing stiff competition from Disney, the streaming giant is under a ton of pressure to stop the bleeding.

Their solution? Monetizing the 100 million subscribers who currently share their password with extended family, friends, and awkward college roommates from days-gone-by. The company announced they were cracking down on the practice before the end of the first quarter, but haven’t specified an exact date.

How will they do it? Enforcement of the new policy revolves around your home’s WiFi connection. According to Netflix’ Help Center, devices connected to your home network won’t have a problem streaming, but if someone outside of your household tries to log-in, the account owner will get pinged to verify the device and confirm the usage.

Those that travel away from home for an “extended amount of time” will need to check in periodically to keep from temporarily losing access, which will also be a pain. Rumor has it that Netflix will offer the option to password share at an added cost, but, again, hasn’t been clear about the specifics.

Do we really want to get our mom’s permission every time we binge Seinfeld? It’s not ideal. But neither is growing up. Thanks but no thanks for the life lesson, Netflix.

Best of the Week

Follow the trends

Generative AI is certainly the talk of the town but what even is it? For a quick 101, check out this handy little primer, written by (you guessed it) your friendly neighborhood chat bot.

Get the App

The Tegan Slack channels were abuzz this week with news of the upcoming smart travel app, Tripnotes. Think of it as part concierge, part moodboard, part digital bucket list—the best of everything wunder-lusty rolled into one.

Listen Up

Will AI be the death of creativity? Lend your ears to this fascinating conversation on how the latest tech may affect the future of content production.

Weekly playlist

Rumor has it that “stressed” spelled backwards is basically any song by the smooth and masterful Leon Bridges. Go ahead. You don’t have to think about Monday just yet.

More News from the Week

• Balloongate. The U.S. Military took out a Chinese spy balloon over Myrtle Beach and there are some big feelings about it.
• Instagram creators are testing a new app called Artifact, which is being dubbed as Tiktok—but for text. Time to get your read on, folks.
• And the carnage continues. Twitter kills off free API.
• Finally, there’s now an app for reporting UFO sightings. Credibility scores for the submissions will be assigned by AI checking for photo manipulation. Do Chinese spy balloons count?
• What’s going on at the Dallas Zoo? After a string of disturbing incidents, the feds were called in to get to the bottom of the monkey business.

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