Yes, that Persado: the AI-driven wunderkind and wordsmith who creates marketing content using a knowledge base of over 1 million tagged and scored words, phrases and images — and factors emotional, descriptive, formatting, functional, CTA and positioning logic into every headline, paragraph, post and page.
It’s a bit embarrassing, I know. But it’s not like I’m standing outside Persado’s window holding a boom box over my head in a quaint homage to a movie from back before we had Spotify.
No, it’s more like I’m curious about Persado. Where do they believe the art and science of marketing intersect? And what makes their machine learning-powered heart beat faster when they are creating content?
Note: Although Persado’s origins are presumably binary, they identify as non-binary and prefer the pronoun “they” over “he” or “she.” (Sigh…)
So how does Persado actually write marketing content? How fast do they sort through the millions of words and phrases in their knowledge base to choose the perfect combination to engage customers in just the right way at every interaction? Do they ever go old school with a yellow note pad and a number two pencil late at night when the blue glow of their screen makes sleep elusive?
More importantly, what do they think about carbon-based marketers like me who pour our very souls into our work and try to teleport into the customer’s mindset so we can connect with them through every piece of content we create? Are they curious about what makes me tick, too?
More importantly, how do they think we can best work together?
Artificial intelligence that delivers real results
OK, so Persado probably doesn’t even know I’m alive. And they are clearly on the prowl and not shy about strutting their stuff.
And they shouldn’t be because they are awesome. So when they introduce themselves, they can arguably say things like:
“Persado’s revolutionary Message Machine leverages the world’s most comprehensive marketing language knowledge base of over one million words and phrases, powered by AI and data science. Persado unlocks the power of words to engage consumers like never before, one by one, moment by moment, across every marketing channel, driving improvements in brand engagement and revenue performance.”
Goosebumps, right? And they can back it up.
Just last month, they announced they had outperformed some other carbon-based marketers in a well-publicized pilot program. JP Morgan Chase used Persado to refine marketing messages across landing pages, direct mail, and display/social ads for its Chase Card and Mortgage businesses. The result? They experienced lifts in click-through rates as high as a 450% compared to traditional (read: human) generated content, which performed in the 50 to 200% range.
I think we can all imagine how those folks might feel.
But if I was one of the controls in the pilot, I personally would have been all Ken Jennings about things after IBM’s Watson outplayed him on Jeopardy. “I had a great time and I would do it again in a heartbeat,” he said. “It’s not about the results; this is about being part of the future.”
And I want to be part of the brave new future Persado imagines, one where machines and humans work together to make marketing content magic. Oh, and also make it predictable, accountable and, most importantly, effective.
You had me at “words matter,” Persado
Because I believe they do more than you could ever know. Words have power. They inspire, provoke, challenge and amuse. They make things happen. They move people to feel emotions and take action.
But you already know that.
What can I say? You’re impressive. I stalked you online looking for chinks in your progressive learning algorithm armor. I found none:
You work all the time. You don’t eat. You don’t sleep. You never need a bio break.
And you surround yourself with people like me…
…which means I have a chance!
Right now – IRL – your team is hiring people just like me to create content, manage marketing campaigns, oversee branding, execute creative and more.
And that makes me wonder: where do you begin and end in the process of creating marketing content and when does the people part of the equation kick in?
Do you write longer form content, thought leadership pieces or crap like this? (See, I’m funny Persado! I can laugh at myself.)
Or do you feel like headlines, landing pages, subject lines and CTAs are more in your wheelhouse?
I recently tuned in to a webinar featuring one of your founders, Assaf Baciu. He mentioned that you need a creative brief drafted by the marketing people to get started. And brand guidelines to help you get the voice right. Oh and you don’t create above the line campaign content or strategies around it.
But I want to know more about how we might form a productive, um, partnership. So I’m going to be bold and…
ASK YOU OUT!
Just for coffee. And a demo. I want to take things slow.
For now…
But I think destiny may have other ideas.
And doesn’t Mrs. Julie Persado just roll off the tongue?
Stay tuned for a full report on my first date, um, I mean my demo with Persado.
