BY BILL MURPHY JR., FOUNDER OF UNDERSTANDABLY AND CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, INC
Imagine if you hired a lawyer, or a marketer, or an advertising agency to do some work for your business.
Next, imagine that they came back with a bill for their services.
Finally, imagine that when you looked at their work product, you realized they’d simply asked ChatGPT for an answer, and passed it along to you verbatim.
Would you be disappointed? I think you might. But there are exceptions to every rule, and that’s where McDonald’s comes into this story.
Earlier this month, McDonald’s apparently unveiled an advertisement in Brazil that consists almost entirely of a ChatGPT-style query and an artificial intelligence-style printed answer. As The Drum reported, it translated to:
What is the most iconic burger in the world?
While there are many iconic burgers around the world, the most globally recognized burger is likely the McDonald’s Big Mac. First introduced in 1967, the Big Mac has become synonymous with fast food and McDonald’s itself.
The burger consists of two beef patties, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and the signature “special sauce” served on a three-part sesame seed bun. The Big Mac is so iconic that it even has its own measurement index, the Big Mac Index, which is an informal way of comparing the purchasing power of different currencies.
Answered by ChatGPT.
The McDonald’s ad inspired some responses. First among them, Burger King, which apparently put together its own ChatGPT-prompt-inspired ad, and ran the results adjacent to McDonald’s billboards:
And which one is the biggest?
Burger King’s WHOPPER is the biggest in terms of size and amount of ingredients. The burger is known for its generous size, and consists of a flame-grilled beef patty, sesame seed bun, cheese, tomato, pickles, onion, mayonnaise, and ketchup.
It is considered a robust and satisfying burger, that is an option for those who want a more substantial meal. However, it is important to note that the size and number of ingredients may vary by country or region.
Answered by ChatGPT.
Personally, I think the disclaimer near the end of this answer about how ingredients might vary by country or region is an authentic touch; it seems almost every prompt I use in ChatGPT winds up including a similar sort of CYA caveat.
The story doesn’t end there, however, because Subway was then also inspired to create its own ChatGPT ad, and place it adjacent to the McDonald’s and Burger King offerings:
And how do they compare to a footlong?
In terms of size, both are significantly smaller than a footlong sandwich.
Answered by ChatGPT.
Now, you might be wondering if any of these ads was likely to inspire people to eat a Big Mac, or a Whopper, or a Subway sandwich. Well, the Drum, which is a British publisher focusing on marketing and media, said it ran two of the ads — the McDonald’s and Burger King ones — through its “Test Your Ad” platform, which is supposed to predict the long- and short-term business impact of advertisements.
Both ads scored 2.9, which The Drum says is “not a bad score” and a bit above the average for all ads that it has tested in the UK. So, apparently they might have moved the needle a little bit.
I have a theory about why. In short, ChatGPT is so universally top-of-mind right now (frankly, it was even more so a month ago, when the ads originally ran), that anything brands can do to associate themselves with the trend is worth a try.
In other words, it’s not as if someone is likely to buy McDonald’s because some artificial intelligence engine said it’s the most iconic burger, or a Burger King burger because ChatGPT says it’s bigger. However, if they’ve subconsciously linked ChatGPT with fast food sandwiches in their minds, the next time they think of AI, they might also think of McDonald’s or BK.
That’s also why I suspect the McDonald’s ad inspired the Burger King ad, which in turn inspired the Subway one.
So, where’s the lesson for you as a business owner, if you’re not selling hamburgers and don’t even speak Portuguese? Perhaps it’s the inspiration to copy this strategy, by running some sort of cheeky ChatGPT-insipred marketing of your own. I mean, the original ads ran in Brazil; what are the odds your customers are even aware of them?
Of course, there’s a fine line between innovation and cliche, and the window might be closing for this particular hook. Take heart, though. There’s always another trend coming around the corner.
Latch onto one in time, and you might wind up with something inspiring.
