Which AI Wins in This "Triple Threat" AI Battle?

Let's be honest, the AI landscape feels like a never-ending fighting match between heavyweights ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Grok (and many more) doesn't it? Everyone's declaring a themselves a winner. But what if I told you the real victor isn't an AI model, but YOU? That's right, after spending considerable time putting these heavyweights to the test in my daily digital marketing grind, I've come to a fascinating conclusion: it's less about who's "best" and more about who's "best for you."

Image generated using DALL-E

I've been using these AI for various tasks, integrating them into my workflows and tasks to see where they truly shine. Here’s a peek into my personal usage:

• ChatGPT: This has become my go-to for almost anything. From answering daily questions and diving into research to tackling complex calculations and organizing data, ChatGPT has proven itself incredibly versatile.
• Google Gemini: When I need to dig deep into marketing research, especially for tasks like SWOT analysis or detailed competitor breakdowns, Gemini seems to offer a more comprehensive output. Its ability to integrate with Google's vast knowledge base really stands out here.
• Grok: For quick-fire daily questions and direct comparison prompts (like "what's the difference between X, Y, and Z?"), Grok is surprisingly agile. It's great for getting immediate, concise answers.

To give you a clearer picture of my experience across the three, here's a detailed comparison with scoring on some key areas:

Disclaimer: AI comparison table with scores are solely based on my personal usage and experience.

Summary and Overall Findings:

My journey with ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Grok has been incredibly insightful. ChatGPT continues to be a robust all-rounder, excelling in general content creation and complex queries due to its strong language capabilities and user-friendly interface. Gemini truly shines when it comes to detailed research and tasks that benefit from its seamless integration with Google's vast information ecosystem and productivity tools. Its growing multimodal capabilities are a definite plus for comprehensive marketing efforts. Grok, while having a distinct personality and real-time social media awareness, is more of a niche player for quick, trending insights, but its accuracy can be a trade-off.

The "propensity to hallucinate" is a common thread across all three, though the sources of potential misinformation vary. This underscores the critical need for human oversight and verification, regardless of which AI you're using.

The True Winner of the AI Battle? You!

Ultimately, the "winner" of the AI battle isn't fixed. It's not about one AI dominating all others. Instead, the true victor is the user. Each AI has its unique strengths and weaknesses, much like tools in a comprehensive toolbox. Your success hinges on understanding these nuances and, most importantly, crafting effective prompts that guide the AI to deliver the desired outcome. The better you understand what each AI is good at, and how to ask the right questions, the more powerful and useful your results will be.

What about you? What AI do you use as your daily go-to and why?

Google AI Mode. Adapt or Disappear from Search Results

Google is bringing something huge to the table, and it’s called AI Mode. This isn't just a small tweak; it's a massive shift in how we all search and find stuff online. You know how you used to type something into Google and get a list of links? Well, that's changing.

Image credit: Google Blog

Think of AI Mode like your super smart assistant, powered by Google's Gemini AI. Instead of just giving you links, it actually answers your questions. You can ask it complicated stuff, even chat back and forth, and it'll pull info from everywhere – text, photos, videos – to give you a complete, human-like answer right there on the search page. It’s like it’s done all the digging for you!

So, what does this mean for your brand and your online presence? Big, big news.

1. Why Your Website Might Get Fewer Traffic and Clicks

Your old SEO playbook might be outdated! This is the tough pill to swallow. If Google’s AI gives someone a full, direct answer to their question, why would they need to click your website link? They probably won’t. This means a drop in your organic click-through rates (CTR). We’re talking about "zero-click searches" becoming more common. If people aren't clicking, that's fewer eyeballs on your site, right?

2. What About Your Ad Money (PPC)?

Now, this is an interesting one. Google's not just going to leave ads out; they're putting them right into those AI answers (watch the AI Mode video above know more). That will be a new spot to be seen, which could be great, but it also means advertisers are going to fight like crazy for those prime AI-powered spots. This could push up your Cost Per Click (CPC) for the most valuable ad placements. Also, if users get their answers from the AI, they might scroll less, making traditional ads at the bottom of the page less effective. You'll need to be super smart about how you bid now.

3. Forget Optimizing Keywords, Start Thinking "Why" (Intent and semantic based)

This is where the game truly changes. Just stuffing your website with keywords isn't enough anymore. Google's AI is smart enough to understand the "why" behind your search. It’s about user intent.

Let's say someone searches for "best running shoes for flat feet." They're not just looking for words; they're looking for guidance. If your website has a detailed guide on choosing shoes and shows them where to buy, you're hitting that intent. The AI can then help them ask more questions, like "which brand is best?" – and your content needs to be ready to answer.

Or, imagine someone just types "Apple." Simple, right? But the AI, being super smart, looks at other things they've searched for recently. If they looked up "iPhone 15 reviews" or "MacBook Pro," the AI knows they mean Apple Inc. If they just searched "healthy recipes" or "fruit salad," the AI knows they mean the fruit. This is called semantic targeting – understanding the deeper meaning, not just the exact words. Your website content needs to make sense, deeply!

So What You Can Do Right Now?

It’s not entirely doom and gloom. Here’s how you start preparing:

• Become the Ultimate Expert: Google’s AI loves authority. Make sure your website clearly shows who is writing the content and that they know their stuff. Build trust, get good reviews, and make sure Google knows you're the real deal.
• Give Direct Answers, Fast: When you write for your website, imagine someone asking a question, and answer it directly, right at the top. Use bold headings, clear lists, and short paragraphs. Make it super easy for the AI to grab your info.
• Build Your Website Like a Smart Library: Don't just have random pages. Think of a big main topic (like "everything about coffee"). Then, create smaller, detailed pages that link back to it (like "how to brew espresso," "types of coffee beans"). This tells Google's AI you're a true deep expert on the subject.
• Boost Your Brand's Overall Buzz: The AI looks at everything. So, keep your online reputation sparkling clean. Get good reviews, get mentioned by other reputable sites, and use videos and pictures on your site – the AI loves all kinds of media.
• Watch and Learn, Always: Don't just focus on old metrics. See if the AI is mentioning your brand, how much traffic you're getting from those AI-driven searches, and if those users are actually converting. Keep testing new ideas, because this AI thing is moving fast.

The digital game has changed. Google AI Mode isn't just coming; it's here. Adapt your strategy, focus on being truly helpful and authoritative, or risk fading into the digital background. Your move!

How do you think this will impact your brand or business?

A Marketer's New Secret Weapon: Peeking Inside Google Gemini's Brand Insights

As digital marketers, we're constantly juggling a million things. From crafting the perfect social media post to analyzing campaign performance, staying on top of how our brand is perceived online can feel like a never-ending task. Wouldn't it be great to have a quick and easy way to understand what's being said about your brand across the vast digital landscape? Enter Google Gemini's Deep Research – your new secret weapon for a quick and insightful brand pulse check.

Image credit: Techrdar.com/Shutterstock

I’ve been using this tool quite a bit of late for brand research, competitive analysis and getting a sense of brand sentiment. Let me tell you, this is a game changer! Think of Gemini's Deep Research as your always-on virtual assistant, sifting through the noise online to give you a clear snapshot of your brand's performance. It's not about complex data analysis that requires a PhD, it's about getting a feel for the overall sentiment and key themes associated with your brand – whether it's on websites, social media buzzing with opinions, or even how your app (if you have one) is being received.

Why is this so valuable for us marketers? Imagine launching a new campaign for a brand. Instead of manually scrolling through countless comments and reviews, Gemini's Deep Research can quickly give you an overview of whether the initial reaction is positive, negative, or neutral. This allows for swift adjustments to your strategy if needed. Furthermore, the tool excels at uncovering key themes. Are people raving about the new flavor you just launched? Or are there concerns being raised about the delivery experience for your product orders? Gemini's Deep Research can help you identify the recurring topics and conversations surrounding your brand, highlighting what's resonating and what demands your attention. It serves as a starting point of knowing what to fix.

Image credit: Google Blog

While your primary focus is your own brand, gaining a broader understanding of the market is always beneficial. You can use Gemini's Deep Research to get a general sense of how your competitors are being discussed online, providing valuable competitive insights without the need for overwhelming data. Moreover, catching a negative trend early can be a significant advantage. If there's a sudden increase in complaints about the user-friendliness of your mobile app, this tool can flag it (as it crawls through and aggregate ratings and comments on Google Play and Apple App store), enabling proactive measures before the issue escalates. Finally, knowing what your audience is talking about and their experiences can be incredibly useful for shaping your content strategy. If customers consistently praise (or complaint) on the affordability of your products on social media, this could be a powerful starting point for your next marketing campaign.

Think of Gemini's Deep Research as your initial exploration. It provides a broad overview, a feel for the online atmosphere surrounding your brand. It's not intended to replace in-depth analytics platforms, but rather to offer a quick and accessible understanding.

For example, if you're managing the online presence for a local restaurant chain like Nando's Malaysia, you could use Gemini's Deep Research to see what people are saying about their new menu item across various platforms. Are the reviews overwhelmingly positive? Are there any common criticisms regarding the spice level? This initial insight can then guide your deeper analysis and inform how you tailor your communication.

The beauty of using Gemini for this purpose lies in its intuitive design. You don't need to be a data scientist to interpret the results. It presents information in an easily digestible format, highlighting key trends and sentiments without overwhelming you with intricate charts and graphs.

In our dynamic digital landscape, staying informed about your brand's online presence is essential. Google Gemini's Deep Research presents a potent yet user-friendly method for digital marketers in Malaysia to conduct a rapid pulse check, pinpoint significant themes, and acquire valuable insights to refine their strategies. So, why not explore its capabilities and discover what it can reveal about your brand's online narrative? It might just offer the fresh perspective needed to elevate your overall marketing strategy.

What do you think? Is this a game changer?

How You Should Use QR Codes Again

If you currently live in Malaysia, when was the last time you used or scanned a QR code? Chances are that you’ve scanned one as recent as yesterday or in the last week. But if I were to ask you the same question 6 months ago, you’d probably say not in the last month or not in a while. QR codes or Quick Response codes have been around since the 1990s, yet the culture of scanning QR codes never quite took off in Malaysia, until lately.

Malaysians never had the need to scan QR codes as it requires an additional step of downloading QR code scanners into their devices as most phones don’t come pre-installed with one. Unlike countries like China, where QR codes are used for almost everything, QR codes in Malaysia are mainly used for e-wallet transactions in the past 2 years, and even that, most Malaysians prefer using cash at point-of-sale especially people of the older demographic.

However, I foresee that trend changing in the next 6 months to 1 year. This is because, post lockdown in Malaysia, most businesses require you to scan one before you can enter their premise as it’s a mandatory requirement by the Malaysian government in order to do contact tracing of everyone who has visited a certain premise. Sure, there are still those who choose to use a traditional pen and paper to record their whereabouts, but over time, I would think those who do will eventually switch to scanning a QR code to leave their contact details as it is not only time saving, but it’s also more hygienic (you don’t know who has touched that pen previously). To sort of validate this theory, I try to look at how many people left their contact details on the book provided at the supermarket entrance where I make my weekly grocery runs. I noticed that the list gets shorter each week I go. I don’t think this is caused by lower traffic volume to the supermarket, because I go to the same supermarket each week at approximately the same time, and the queue is roughly the same each week I go there. ­­This could mean that lesser people are leaving their contact details on the book and more of them are scanning the QR code at the entrance.

Another data point is when I did a Google Trend search on QR code scanners, and no surprises that you see a huge uptick of searches during and post lockdown periods.

Google Trends showing searches for qr code scanners

So, how and what can use QR codes for? While there are a ton of usage for QR codes, here are some I find relevant to Malaysia.

Digital Payments

Payment options available via QR codes

E-wallets are set to accelerate in the coming years in Malaysia. In its effort to make Malaysia a cashless nation, the government has launched e-Tunai Rakyat (People’s e-Money) initiative back in January 2020, which saw a disbursement of RM450mil to qualified citizens to boost e-wallet usage. This saw the government pre-loading a small sum of digital cash into an e-wallet of choice to citizens for free. Think of it as a free e-wallet starter kit. With the increased number of new users on e-wallets, the usage of QR codes are also set to increase.

Tracking of Product Information

Ever picked up a packaged product and noticed a QR code on the packaging? I bet not many would know that there are QR codes on consumer products as well. It has always been there, but not many of Malaysians know of its existence to begin with. Again, this goes back to the lack of a scanning culture here in Malaysia. Some of these codes will lead you to pages to know more about a certain product, some just directs you to the brand’s website.

Product information after scanning of QR code

At Abbott for example, we use QR codes on our packaging for 2 reasons; the first allows consumers to check and track the authenticity of our products, from batch number, manufacturing date, date of arrival in Malaysia, source of milk and expiry date. The second usage would be to reward our consumers with loyalty points through Abbott’s loyalty program. We’ve been having these QR codes since late last year and now we see scan rates being up due to the QR code scanning trend being on the rise as well.

e-Brochures / e-Catalogues

Again, with more and more people opting for lesser face-to-face interactions, it would be hard for brands to or businesses to promote their products in stores. Brochures and catalogues are mainly used as a sales tool by promoters to aid selling. As many businesses are cutting back on cost as well as staff in light of Covid-19, paying for promoters to be in the store as well as paying for printed brochures and catalogues are becoming somewhat a luxury. However, brochures and catalogues can still play a part in stores, just that it has become digital. I recently went to a pharmacy that used to hand out single page promotional catalogues of their on-sale items. Instead, they now recommend you to scan a QR code to get the promotion catalogue of the month. I see this becoming more apparent in coming months as brands and businesses cut back on printing cost. It could be that the next time you visit places like Ikea or a car showroom, you can no longer get a printed catalogue.

Tracking Media Effectiveness and Traffic

It has always been a pain to justify the effectiveness when it comes to out-of-home and point-of-sale media. But if you have unique QR codes that are tagged to locations and medium, you can measure scan rates or number of scans to see how effective your advertising is in those locations. Of course, for your ads to be effective in this, there needs to be a call-to-action on your ad itself to get viewers to scan. You can then analyze which ads and locations are more effective in driving actions for your brand, which then enables you to make decisions to optimize on which location you would put your next advertising dollar on.

App to Web Authentication

If your brand has a mobile app, and also has a website that requires a login, one of the ways to skip the login process (without you needing to remember and re-keying in the username and password) is to have QR code authentications. Online banking providers such as Citi now encourages you to download their app to use it as an authentication to login to their website. This somewhat offers the customer the convenience of not forgetting their username and password. Apps like Whatsapp also require you to also scan a QR code as a form of authentication in order to use the web version.

Virtual Retail

This was a smart store in a South Korean subway station that featured a large digital screen of products by Tesco. Using an app, people would scan what they would like to purchase and add to their shopping cart on their app. Just like how you would if you go to an actual supermarket. Once they have completed selecting the products, they can then checkout those items and get them delivered to their homes. It’s a time saver especially for people on the go who do not have time to purchase essential items or groceries. Imagine the same execution being applied to fashion and the F&B industries. Believe it or not, this was done in 2011. But in a time where social distancing is highly encouraged, and face-to-face contact is to be limited, having such an execution isn’t too farfetched. 

In summary, if you’re a brand or business, start to consider integrating QR codes as part of your products and services. If you’re still skeptical on whether or not enough people will scan QR codes, the above examples clearly shows that there is an increase in trend and application in Malaysia. And with more people aware of how to scan QR codes and how they work, you will definitely see a scanning culture becoming a norm in the coming future.