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Is That AI In Your Pocket Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?

Author

Matthew Berman
July 11, 2024

AI is fun. AI is scary. AI is magic. AI is going to take all of our jobs. AI is going to make us more productive, cure diseases, and walk my dog. Phew, AI is going to be busy.

AI is dealing a new hand – will your brand fold or go all in?

Let’s talk about:

  • How Apple's latest move is bringing AI to the masses – and what it means for you and your brand.

  • Instagram shakes things up with reels growth in key global markets and AI studio coming down the pipeline

  • RCS and Digest View (coming in iOS 18) are ripe with opportunities for brands (plus more)

Headlines

Each email, I’ll share a piece of news or statistic that’s caught my eye.

  • Instagram Reels Surpassing TikTok globally (DI)

    • Instagram Reels have seen substantial growth in daily and monthly usage, overtaking TikTok in several key markets globally.

    • Meta is pushing Reels aggressively, making it a strategic time to enhance your presence on Instagram.

    • One of our client accounts hit 2 million organic views in Reels last month. Meta is pushing Reels aggressively, making it a strategic time for you to push your Reels presence.

  • Instagram Tests Public Share Counts As Sends Become Priority (LindseyGamble)

    • Instagram is testing the display of public share counts on posts, making this metric visible alongside likes, comments, and shares. See my recent post about shares on IG!

    • When crafting posts, ask yourself: “Will someone send this to their best friend?” You should consider share counts when evaluating influencers for partnerships.

  • Mark Zuckerberg announces first stage of AI Studio, enabling influencers to create AI versions of themselves.  (Interview)

    • Meta is testing “AI Studio,” allowing creators to develop AI chatbot versions of themselves.

    • With AI chatbots, brands/creators can provide personalized interactions, answer frequently asked questions, and maintain engagement even during off-hours.

  • Millennials are catching up to Gen-Zers in terms of purchases made through TikTok Shops. (SN)

    • TikTok Shop shows significant potential, particularly among millennial shoppers. It's already #1 with Gen-Z.

    • The platform’s recommendation algorithm drives repeat purchases, making it a smart move for retention. TikTok’s aggressive investment in Shop presents a unique opportunity for brands to engage with a younger, highly active demographic.

AI: From Niche to Necessity

My digital agency jumped on generative AI pretty early. As the world shut down in early 2020 for COVID we were kicking off a pretty major project -- one that needed a lot of copy, and a lot of content.

We went hunting for ways to streamline this process. We experimented with tools like GPT-2, Huggingface transformers, and others. Sure, they weren't ready for the big leagues yet, but we saw the writing on the wall. Change was coming, and it was coming fast.

Fast forward to today, and the tech world has jumped on the AI bandwagon. OpenAI, Apple, Google, Meta, TikTok, Amazon, MidJourney, Figma – you name it, they're all in on the action.

As for my team, we’ve fully integrated AI across our workflows — from creative to analytics to account support.  But what does AI mean for people that aren't computer geeks like us?

Convenience Drives Adoption

Here's the thing: most people don't want to change their habits. We're creatures of convenience, right? That’s why the real AI revolution will happen on the devices and workflows you already use daily.

Why visit specialized websites when you can use AI within the tools you already love? We’re at an inflection point where AI is coming natively to familiar experiences, marking true adoption and retention for AI.

There’s no better example than Apple Intelligence, announced last month (limited rollout this fall and broader into Spring 2025). AI will be integrated natively on millions (billions) of devices, making AI accessible to everyone.

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AI For Everyone

This revolution isn't only about Apple's iOS18 and Apple Intelligence. Google's bringing Gemini to Android, and other tech giants are following suit (Copilot+ on Windows).

AI is no longer just for the tech-savvy – it’s for everyone.

As stewards of brands, this opens up a world of possibilities. We have have fans, customers, employees.

Your emails will generate in your voice. Your decisions will carry the experience of your companies data -- instantly. Your community management will be carried out 24/7 globally in every language possible.

You can do all of that with AI today with a little work and setup. But tomorrow you will do this with no effort, anywhere, with whatever device you want.

The near future is bright, scary, fruitful, and wild. And like winter, it is coming.

On-Device AI Models

Both Apple and Google have announced on-device AI models in future devices and operating systems. While these on-device models will start modestly, they will quickly grow quite powerful (in 1-3 generations).

  • Apple: Introduced a ~3 billion parameter on-device language model as part of its new Apple Intelligence system. It runs on devices with Apple’s latest chips.

  • Google: Embedding its Gemini generative AI model, Gemini Nano, into the Android OS.

WHY This is important: Keeps your customers and team's sensitive data securely on their phones (no data breaches). No internet, no problem. It works offline and fast. Best of all, it allows your brand to offer personalization that respects privacy.

Server AI Models

Both Apple and Google have larger server-based models to handle more complex AI tasks that their on-device models can't handle.

  • Apple: Developed a large server-based language model that is part of its Private Cloud Compute infrastructure, comparable to GPT-3.5.

  • Google: Offers Gemini models via API. I’ve been beta-testing Gemini 1.5 with 2mm tokens and it has gotten quite good. The context window is incredible.

WHY This Is Important: Apple’s server models take AI capabilities to the next level, managing complex tasks while keeping user privacy intact through Private Cloud Compute. For your business, this means harnessing powerful AI features for advanced analytics and personalized customer experiences, all with top-notch data security and seamless performance.

Finally, RCS on iOS

Apple's finally bringing RCS messages to iOS, and it's about to make texting between Apple and Android devices a whole lot sexier.

RCS isn't just another boring acronym – it's a text message protocol that's going to supercharge your business communications. We're talking high-quality media sharing, slick group messaging, read receipts, and more.

But here's where it gets really juicy for us:

  • Rich media content? Check. ✅

  • Interactive buttons? You bet. ✅

  • Chatbot integration? Oh yeah. ✅

Think setting up rich inbound systems with chatbots that can qualify leads and access your company data.

And if you’re not convinced here’s the kicker:

• Text campaigns boast a whopping 98% open rate and a 19% click-through rate.
• It’s a goldmine for customer support.
• Best of all? You’re not renting an audience on someone else’s playground.

Email Marketing: Apple's Shaking Things Up

If you're not paying attention to Apple Mail, you're missing out on nearly half the market. With a 48.33% market share, what Apple does matters.

AI Categories: The Good, The Bad, and The Opportunity

Apple Mail is rolling out a tabbed inbox, using on-device smarts to sort emails into 'Primary,' 'Transactions,' 'Updates,' and 'Promotions.'

Here's the rub: your marketing emails might end up in that 'Promotions' tab, requiring an extra click from users. Unless, of course, the AI deems your content important enough for the 'Primary' tab.

The takeaway? Content quality isn't just important anymore – it's do-or-die. If you're not already crafting killer content, consider this your wake-up call.

Digest View: Your New Best Friend

Digest View is like a highlight reel for your brand's emails. It bundles all your messages in one place, making it easy for users to scan and engage.

Here's why I’m excited:

1. Email campaigns become easier to follow. More eyeballs, more engagement.

2. Users can expand or minimize parts of your messages based on their interests. It's like personalization on steroids.

3. All your emails appear in one thread. No more lost messages in crowded inboxes.

Contact Permissions: The Double-Edged Sword

iOS 18 is introducing a new two-step permissions pop-up for apps requesting contact access. Users can now cherry-pick which contacts they want to share.

Now, this is a big deal for my team at Connyct, and it should be for any brand building social or communication apps. Let's break it down:

Pros

Cons

Privacy is king. We don't want creepy businesses knowing our friends and contacts, then using that data for nefarious purposes.

It gives big tech incumbents a massive advantage. They already have this data, and so do data brokers. It's like building a moat around their networks and stomping out new competition.

Apple’s new contact permissions limit in iOS 18 restricts brands from accessing a user’s entire contact list, which hinders the creation of atomic networks. Atomic networks are essential for brand-customer relationships. Think small, tight-knit communities centered around your brand or product. It's not about casting a wide net anymore – it's about cultivating deep, meaningful connections.

Atomic networks rely on leveraging social connections to grow organically and engage deeply. With restricted access, brands face challenges in reaching potential customers through their existing user base, limiting network effects and slowing down growth.

Want to partner up? Let’s talk.