The Uncomfortable Truth About AI-Generated Copy (& Why It's Killing Your Brand)

You heard me. AI copywriting is killing your brand.

Murder investigation below.

Ah, the sweet siren song of AI copywriting. Those delightfully generic phrases that have become the equivalent of corporate muzak:

"Where X meets Y"

"You're not just [verb] [product]- you're [verb] meaning"

"A testament to..."

If you just felt your soul die a little reading those, congratulations - you're still human. These AI-generated masterpieces are courtesy of everyone's favourite digital Shakespeare, ChatGPT. And it’s killing your brand.

Evidence Exhibits A & B

Don't believe me?

taps paper stack

I brought receipts. Evidence of brand homicide.

These two copywriting snippets are from a wedding planner and a clothing brand.

Two different businesses with two different USPs, stories, products…

And they both sound EXACTLY the same.

What these businesses don't understand is that copy is so much more than just words on a page.

Branding and visuals get people in the door, but words get wallets to open.

The Averaging & Everything

AI is just a very sophisticated averaging machine. It takes everything that's ever been written, throws it into its digital blender, and serves you up a smoothie of mediocrity. Delicious!

But your brand isn't average. At least, it shouldn't be. When you rely on AI-generated content, you're choosing to sound like every other business in your industry (and beyond). You're just making noise without actually saying anything.

(You're also making me cringe. Please stop.)

The Copycat Economy

I hate to break it to you but almost everything in your business can be copied.

Product features are reverse engineered faster than you can say "patent pending"

Visual identities land in someone else's mood board to create "inspired by" designs

A marketing strategy that works has probably already been replicated

Pricing… Well, this one is just a race to the bottom.

The only thing that really truly absolutely cannot be copied is your unique story and how you tell it.

Your voice.

Your perspective.

Your way of connecting with your audience.

YOU.

But only if you lock down your messaging and have invested time in building a solid brand position.

The Real Cost of Cheap Words

If you can't articulate why you're different, why should customers choose you over the cheaper alternative? When your words sound like everyone else, you are indistinguishable from everyone else.

And before the AI evangelists come for me with digital pitchforks - I actually love AI. I use it daily for everything from meeting summaries to idea generation. We provide our clients with clear AI prompts to help with copy in our Tone of Voice Guideline documents! It's a brilliant tool when used correctly.

I repeat:

When.

Used.

Correctly.

What I don't love is the tsunami of poorly prompted ChatGPT slop flooding our digital spaces, and the dangerous notion that AI has made professional copywriters obsolete.

Clever brands will use AI as a tool and recognise the need for professional copywriters as essential for their voice to cut through.

Not so clever brands who want to take shortcuts will end up sounding the exact same as one another.

The Bottom Line (& Yours)

Your words aren't just words - they're your competitive advantage. They're what turns browsers into buyers, skeptics into believers, and first-time customers into lifelong advocates.

If your words aren’t working harder than Kris Jenner they’re probably losing you money, affecting your bottom line.

You've spent so much time, energy and money on your brand, so why hand over the messaging reins to a literal averaging machine to let your magic get diluted into words that are just meh?

By all means, embrace AI but please for the love of all things holy, don't let it become the voice of your brand.

Let us help with that.