The enshitification of online content
Tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Canva's AI features let anyone generate logos, headlines, and campaigns in seconds. But this instant creativity has one flaw: Easy input equals generic output. When every brand uses AI to flood the channels, the entire platform begins to suffer. It’s been termed the "enshitification" of the internet.
The internet has become overloaded with regurgitated content that audiences are yawning at. As visibility becomes infinite, attention becomes critically scarce. If your brand is struggling to cut through this content fog, it’s not because you lack tools; it’s because you lack the specialist strategy required to direct those tools effectively. The future isn't about the fastest button-pusher, it’s about the brand with the clearest, most expertly defined plan.
Going Deeper Than The Brief
Technology can quickly put things out there in the market that looks good enough, but lacks that punch. It still can’t replace judgment. Not that specialists don’t use ai as well, but what matters is the quality of the prompt, backed by years of industry knowledge.
1. Expertise-guided Automation
AI models are basically experts in what’s already been done; they’re great at iteration, but they are still novices at original strategic insight. Give a brand specialist the same tool, and they use it to brainstorm, research and rapidly iterate on a design system.
The goal is to show clear "human intent" behind every message. This means digging into your core purpose, values, and narrative (your brand story) to define the boundaries the AI must operate within.
2. Keeping Audience Trust
Digital natives are incredibly discerning. While they are open to interacting with AI, their trust is fragile. If they sense the brand voice is generic or, worse, biased due to careless AI deployment, they will disengage.
Brand builders need to oversee and govern the AI workflow:
Set the Guardrails: AI tools must be deployed and actively monitored to avoid generic content that could damage your reputation.
Maintain Brand Voice: A well-oiled machine of AI guidelines can be built into a tool like Gemini to draft 10 variations of an email newsletter, where the output remains consistent with your defined personality and tone, but to avoid the "robotic" feel that consumers distrust, you need to still go through and add your own touch.
Strategy: The Core Creative Act
If AI handles the execution of content, strategy is the core creative act that YOU need to bring. Why? Because without strategic clarity provided by an expert, generative tools just spew out garbage.
A strong brand strategy is your blueprint for success. It will help you:
Define Purpose and Values: It clarifies your core purpose, helping you stand out and be unique in what you offer.
Ensure Consistency: Your brand should speak with "one clear voice across all channels". This invisible power of consistency is vital, especially when building a clear conversational identity that people relate to.
Facilitate Connection: Identify which emotional bonds to foster with consumers and provide a clear brand personality needed for effective personification.
Forward-thinking brand managers are already getting this. They invest more in brand strategy than content production, because they realize the strategy is the roadmap for all marketing.
Guided Automation
The successful brand of tomorrow won't reject AI; it will use it thoughtfully, treating it as an execution engine directed by human insight. It is one tool in a bigger toolbox, not a singular solution. An expert might define the strategic content pillars and the specific visual tone (mood board, color palette) before asking Adobe Firefly to generate images. The specialist provided the strategy and soul; the machines provided the content at scale and speed.
The ultimate aim is to create work that feels both intelligent and alive. As the content ocean deepens, it is the duty of all to help fight the scourge of bland content. Otherwise we would get stuck in the cycle of repetition with zero forward movement as a society.
