Hey, Bencivenga! Sounds to me like someone's talkin' smack...

"We have never lost to a human," Mr. Vratskides said. "I'm a mathematician , and I can guarantee you, it's like a computer losing to a human on a chess game, even worse than that...It incorporates a lot of randomness to get there, it's like getting a needle in a haystack. We built the haystack. The human brain does not work this way."

In years gone by, as a tournament chess player and software developer, I watched as computer chess grew in strength... to the point where it routinely beats the best chess players in the world.

Will the same thing happen with computer copywriting?

I don't believe so.

Humans possess something computers never will... inspiration.

With new products and new mechanisms for existing products constantly appearing, computers will always be (at best) slightly behind the curve.

Alex

Yep. It can enhance what copywriters do, but it won't be able to replace them.

From the article: "Persado's software is successful because it's solving what is essentially a finite mathematical problem, Mr. Vratskides says, incorporating the components that go into persuading someone--the language, the emotions, the product features--and then picking the right combination of phrases to get them to act... running quickly through all possible combinations and then testing which approaches work best."

I'll bet its main utility will turn out to be for testing and combining various successful elements -- headlines, sales appeals, etc. that have been written (or at minimum edited) by human copywriters.

The article doesn't make it clear whether the program actually writes or not, which is telling. In fact the software website's headline is "What if there were a way to use data to write the perfect message?"

And neither the article nor the website offers up any samples.

Some programs actually write (eg. Narrative Science, which writes article blurbs), but I'd guess that this "copywriting" program just pieces stuff together and tests combinations.

A few copywriters already offer similar "manual" systems for putting together sales appeals... Doesn't Seth Czerepak sell such a system?

One thing the program definitely does is confirm Eugene Schwartz's angle:

"Copy is not written. If anyone tells you 'you write copy', sneer at them. Copy is not written. Copy is assembled. You do not write copy, you assemble it. You are working with a series of building blocks, you are putting the building blocks together, and then you are putting them in certain structures, you are building a little city of desire for your person to come and live in." -- Eugene Schwartz, Author, Breakthrough Advertising

Anyway, machines aren't going to replace human writers for a helluva long time to come. Let alone copywriters. I'd be more concerned about "off-shoring"...

Machines are still a ways off - I got a corporate gift recently, a branded electronic thingamabob. Hell if I know what it is, as its "manual" calls it Smatr mobile power (sic) and states step 1 is "power detection, press the button, the lamp is notlit, the low battery needs to be charged, the bright blue light when charging.ca conlinue to use (sic)" and step 2 is "he following method-oriented products charging way"

I've never used the goddamn thing.

Just got one for Christmas, thinking I'd use it on the Sat/Sun nights to catch up on old TV series that I previously missed. I really like it and it is really easy to use too. The problem is the rest of my family is constantly using it so I can never get on the damn thing when I want. LOL

RE: computer. I saw the same article. They didn't mention how many copywriters or their skill level they competed against. Like any other profession, copywriters can range in skill and experience. The way I see it, their $21M program works until it hits a bug or someone hacks their system. Then their marketing suddenly shifts from selling credit cards to selling Viagra or some other spammy stuff.

Thanks for the share Ray but I'm not worried about being rendered obsolete by a computer program anytime soon.

Problem with that is most copywriters are pretty ordinary people (self included).

Still, I doubt the machines will replace even the "good craftsman" any time soon in copywriting...

That's similar to subway using surfboard in their food. When companies get lazy and want to increase profits. They lose control. They let it slip out of their hands. They think things will be fine lol

Short answers: no. Don't worry about it.

Sure. A software program might work if you want to sound like every other bland company out there... if you don't want to clearly and persuasively communicate the difference between you and your competitor... and if you don't know how to speak directly to your audience.

Companies realize they have to turn around their marketing a lot faster than ever before -- and produce more content. So they're looking for workarounds and shortcuts.

This is why I'm a big believer in bring more to the table than copywriting.

Learn about funnels. Autoresponders. Opt-ins. What works, what doesn't. Read. Read. Read.

A good book to complement this topic is Dan Pink's A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.

Here's the deal: we're drowning in information. There is so much content marketing out there and unfortunately, bad content. Automation will only bring more mediocre content that is about as effective as those silly mission statements that doesn't tell you much at all about the company.

What really matters is context.

Why should I care about what a company is telling me? I don't want to know the "what" but the "why."

Why should I care about your product or service?
Why will it make a difference in my life?
Why is your choice better than your competitor's?

The buyer is looking for guidance, someone to explain these things to him or her. Not baked-in content that just blathers on about what everyone else is blathering on about.

Tell me what it means.

That's your buyer asking you to do this. And I don't believe for one second that a computer software program is going to be able to rise to the challenge.

You'd think the content mills would already be proof positive that automation doesn't work well in this field. You'll get dinged by the search engines and ignored by your audience. Not a win in anyone's book.

A bit more research...

Here's a couple of screen shots:





And, a couple of zingers...

It doesn't actually specify the size of the consumer market required to make it viable.

The sales and marketing for the software still remains heavily... human.

He doesn't actually see this replacing copywriters


Apart from this. Everything is becoming automated, there's a hotel in Japan opening up that even has robots cleaning the rooms!

I would think of all ventures in the online business world, copywriting is the safest from pure automation.

And even if it were automated, if you look at web design, SEO etc, these things have had software solutions for a few years now...

and people are still selling $10,000 websites!