This insights post is a summary of the blog post published by McDougall Public Relations. View the full insight at: Why Authentic Voice Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage by Laura DiCaprio.
Laura DiCaprio recently wrote a story for PRSA that reflects on Dr. Seuss book, “The Sneetches,” from her childhood. The Plain-Belly Sneetches become jealous of the stars decorating the bellies of the Star-Belly Sneetches. So, they pay to go through a bizarre Seuss-style machine so they can have stars on their stomachs. But once everyone has stars, the Star-Belly Sneetches no longer feel special.
What follows is a cycle of Sneetches repeatedly marching through the machine, changing themselves again and again to reflect whichever trait happens to be socially desirable at the moment.
Sameness in Corporate Writing
Just like the bizarre Seuss-style machine, the wave of sameness can be seen in corporate writing. Polished and optimized by AI, LinkedIn has become a sea of status that sound like they were written by one corporate persona represented by different profile pictures.
The concerning part is the telltale signs of AI copy replace a brand’s unique voice. As communications professionals, it is important to write in a way that reflects a brand or company’s unique personality, tone and perspective.
Running content through AI, it can remove all the quirks and character for a brand. That leaves the audience asking, “what’s really separating one brand from another?”
Ways to keep AI-aided prose in check
None of this is an argument against AI, but it needs to be done more deliberately to note lose the personality of a brand0. A few things you can do it keep it in check:
- Use AI for structure, not substance
- Edit aggressively and read it out loud
- Remove the filler phrases with a personal watchlist
- Train the tools on your own work
The strongest communicators are those whose writing is unmistakably their own, and in a world where AI can generate competent text for anyone, that kind of authentic voice becomes a real competitive advantage.
To get more insights, story telling and advice, read the full article at: Why Authentic Voice Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage.
