In the past, brand communication was all about catchy slogans and flashy advertisements. Now, it’s becoming more about having real conversations with customers. This change is happening because of new technology and changing customer expectations. Let’s explore how language in brand communication is changing and what it means for both companies and customers.

What is AI in Brand Communication?

AI in brand communication means using smart computer programs to talk with customers. It’s like having a super-smart robot helper that can chat with lots of people at once. Some examples of AI in brand communication include:

• Chatbots on websites
• Voice assistants like Siri or Alexa
• AI-powered customer service tools
• Fast food kiosks

Imagine you’re shopping online and have a question about a product. Instead of waiting to talk to a human customer service rep, you might chat with a friendly AI bot that can answer your questions right away. This is just one way AI is changing how brands talk to their customers.

These AI tools can do some pretty cool things:

• Work all day and night: Unlike humans, AI doesn’t need to sleep or take breaks.
• Answer questions quickly: AI can find information and respond much faster than a human could.
• Give personalized help to many people at once: AI can remember details about lots of different customers and use that info to give personalized help.
• Save money for companies: By handling simple tasks, AI frees up human employees to work on more complex problems.

For example, the clothing brand H&M uses an AI chatbot on their website to help customers find the right size clothes. The chatbot asks questions about your body type and style preferences, then suggests items that might fit well. This kind of personalized help would be hard for human employees to provide for every single customer.

The Promise of Easy Interactions

Companies like AI because it promises to make talking with customers easier. AI kiosks and chatbots are supposed to help customers quickly without needing a human. This can save time and make things smoother for everyone.

Imagine you’re at a busy airport trying to check in for your flight. Instead of waiting in a long line to talk to a human agent, you might use an AI-powered kiosk. You can quickly enter your information, choose your seat, and print your boarding pass without any human help. This saves time for both you and the airline staff.

Another example is the fast-food chain McDonald’s. They’ve started using AI-powered drive-thru systems in some locations. These systems can take orders, answer questions about the menu, and even make personalized recommendations based on the weather or time of day. The idea is to make ordering faster and more accurate.

But does this actually work as well as we think it does? While these AI systems can handle simple tasks well, they sometimes struggle with more complicated requests or unusual situations.

The Human Touch: Good and Bad

People have always been important in customer service. Humans can understand feelings, adapt to different situations, and give a personal touch. As we use more AI, we might lose some of these human qualities.

Think about a time when you had a problem with a product you bought. Maybe it was broken or didn’t work the way you expected. When you called the company for help, talking to a real person who listened to your problem and showed they cared probably made you feel better. This kind of empathy and understanding is something AI still struggles with.

On the other hand, human customer service isn’t always perfect. People can have bad days, make mistakes, or be inconsistent in how they treat different customers. AI doesn’t have these problems – it treats everyone the same way every time.

Imagine you have a tricky problem and you’re talking to an AI kiosk. The AI might not understand your specific issue because it’s only programmed for certain questions. You might get frustrated and wish you could talk to a real person who can listen and think creatively to help you.

For example, if you’re trying to return a gift but don’t have the receipt, an AI system might just say “no” because that’s what it’s programmed to do. But a human employee might be able to find a creative solution, like offering store credit instead.

This shows that while AI can handle simple tasks well, it might struggle with more complicated or emotional situations. The challenge for brands is figuring out when to use AI and when human interaction is needed.

How Language is Changing with AI

As companies use more AI to talk with customers, the language they use is changing. Here are some ways:

1. Simpler language: AI often uses basic, clear language. This can make things easier to understand but might lose some personality. For example, an AI chatbot might say “Your order will arrive in 3-5 business days” instead of a more friendly human response like “Great news! Your awesome new shoes should be at your doorstep by next week.”
2. More personalized messages: AI can use customer data to create personalized messages. This can make communication more relevant, but it also raises questions about privacy. For instance, an online store might send you an email saying “We noticed you left items in your cart. Here’s a 10% off coupon to help you complete your purchase!” This personalization can be helpful, but some customers might find it creepy that the store is tracking their behavior so closely.
3. Conversation-style communication: With chatbots and voice assistants, brand communication is becoming more like a conversation. Instead of just reading information on a website, customers can ask questions and get answers in real-time. The language used in these interactions is often more casual and conversational.
4. More visuals and interactive elements: AI-powered communication often includes pictures, videos, and interactive features to help explain things better. For example, an AI assistant might show you a video demo of how to use a product instead of just describing it with words.

These changes bring both good and bad things for brands and customers. On one hand, communication can be clearer, more personalized, and more engaging. On the other hand, it might feel less human and more robotic at times.

Finding the Right Mix: Combining AI and Human Communication

The best way to communicate with customers might be to use both AI and human interactions. This balanced approach uses AI for simple tasks and human employees for more complex issues.

A good mixed communication strategy might:

• Use AI for basic questions and personalized messages: For example, a bank might use an AI chatbot to handle simple queries like checking account balances or explaining how to reset a password.
• Have human employees handle difficult problems and emotional support: If a customer is upset about a large unexpected charge on their credit card, they would be connected to a human representative who can show empathy and work through the problem.
• Train AI to know when to pass a customer to a human: Smart AI systems can recognize when a customer’s question is too complex or when the customer is getting frustrated, and smoothly transfer the conversation to a human agent.
• Keep the brand’s voice consistent whether AI or humans are talking: This means making sure that the AI’s language and tone match the brand’s overall personality and values.
• Constantly improve AI based on what human employees learn: Human customer service reps can share common issues or new types of questions they encounter, which can be used to update and improve the AI system.

By using both AI and humans, brands can be efficient while still keeping the human touch in their communication. For example, the cosmetics company Sephora uses an AI chatbot to help customers find the right makeup products, but also offers video chats with human makeup artists for more personalized advice.

The Importance of Understanding Feelings

As AI becomes more common in brand communication, it’s even more important for human employees to understand and respond to customer emotions. While AI can process lots of information quickly, it’s not good at understanding how people feel.

Companies that focus on emotional intelligence in their human-led communications can stand out. This means training employees to:

• Recognize and respond to customer emotions: For example, a customer service rep might notice that a customer sounds stressed and offer extra reassurance or support.
• Listen carefully and show empathy: This could involve saying things like “I understand how frustrating this must be for you” and really meaning it.
• Change their communication style to fit each customer’s needs: Some customers might want detailed explanations, while others prefer quick, to-the-point answers.
• Handle tough situations patiently and with understanding: For instance, if a customer is angry about a delayed shipment, a human rep can calmly explain the situation and offer solutions, showing patience even if the customer is upset.

By focusing on these human skills, brands can create stronger connections with their customers that go beyond what AI can do. For example, the online shoe retailer Zappos is famous for its excellent customer service, with representatives who are encouraged to spend as much time as needed to make customers happy – even if that means chatting about the weather or recommending restaurants in the customer’s city.

The Future of Brand Communication

In the future, brand communication won’t be just choosing between AI or human interaction. Instead, it will be about using both in smart ways. We’re already seeing some interesting developments in this area.

We might see:

1. Smarter AI that can handle more complex situations: For example, AI might be able to understand and respond to emotions in text or voice, making interactions feel more natural.
2. Better teamwork between AI and human employees: AI might handle the first part of a customer interaction, gathering basic information before smoothly handing off to a human who has all the context they need to solve the problem quickly.
3. More honesty about when customers are talking to AI or humans: Some companies are starting to clearly label their AI assistants as non-human, which can help set customer expectations.
4. Changes in how brands speak to fit both AI and human styles: Brands might develop a “hybrid” voice that works well for both AI and human communication, balancing efficiency with warmth and personality.
5. More focus on protecting customer information when using AI: As AI uses more personal data to provide personalized service, companies will need to be very careful about how they collect, use, and protect this information.

As brands navigate these changes, they need to remember their core values and what their customers need. The most successful communication strategies will use technology to improve, not replace, meaningful human connections.

For instance, some companies are experimenting with AI-powered video avatars that look and sound like real people. These could provide a more personal feel than text-based chatbots, while still offering the efficiency of AI. However, brands will need to be careful about how they use this technology to avoid crossing into “uncanny valley” territory where the almost-but-not-quite human interaction feels creepy rather than helpful.

A New Age of Talking with Customers

The way brands communicate is changing as we deal with AI and automation. While AI tools offer new possibilities, they also challenge us to think about what good communication really means. Is it just about getting information across quickly, or is there more to it?

Moving forward, brands shouldn’t see AI as a solution to all their communication problems. Instead, they should use it as a helpful tool that can improve their ability to connect with customers. AI can handle the routine stuff, freeing up humans to focus on building real relationships with customers.

The future of brand communication is about finding creative ways to use both AI and human interaction. By combining the two, brands can create communication strategies that are efficient, personal, and truly responsive to what customers need. It’s like having a super-smart assistant working alongside caring, empathetic humans.

In this new age of brand communication, the most successful companies will be those that can use technology while still focusing on the human desire for connection, understanding, and genuine interaction. They’ll find ways to make every customer feel heard and valued, whether they’re chatting with an AI or talking to a real person.

As customers, we can look forward to faster, more personalized service. But we should also expect and demand that brands maintain the human touch that makes us feel truly understood and appreciated. After all, at the end of the day, business is still about people connecting with people – even if sometimes those connections are helped along by some very smart machines.