Category: News

AI SENSE - Think before you prompt
8 QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE USING AI IN YOUR MARKETING

AI can write the copy.

Build the presentation.

Analyse the data.

Generate the image.

Summarise the research.

Suggest the strategy.

But should it?

We’re big fans of AI at chicken/egg. We use it every day, experiment with it and have built our own GPTs to help us think, create, analyse and get stuff done.

But when a tool makes something quicker and easier, it’s tempting to start with the tool.

Can AI write this?
Can AI create that?
Can we automate this?

Maybe.

But that’s not the first question.

What does the marketing need to do?

AI isn’t your marketing strategy. It’s a tool you might use to help deliver it.

So before you open ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or whatever shiny new AI tool has landed in your inbox this week, use a more important tool first.

Your brain.

AI SENSE is our 8-question marketing sense check. It’ll help you work out where AI can genuinely help, where human thinking matters more and whether the work coming out the other end is actually any better.

Grab a coffee. Grab the brief. Then think before you prompt.

1 – WHAT’S THE MARKETING PROBLEM?

Start with the job, not the tool.

What problem are we trying to solve, or what opportunity are we trying to create?

Are we trying to change a perception? Generate demand? Improve conversion? Retain more customers? Launch something new? Make a better decision?

Ask yourself

  • What are we actually trying to achieve?
  • What needs to change?
  • Why does it matter to the business?
  • How will we know if it worked?
  • Is AI the best way to help us get there?

Watch out for…

Starting with the tool

AI makes it easy to create more content, more ideas and more activity.

That doesn’t automatically create more value.

Sense check

What’s the marketing challenge, not the AI task?

If you can’t explain the challenge without talking about the tool, you’re probably starting in the wrong place.

 

2 – WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE CUSTOMER?

AI knows a lot.

It doesn’t necessarily know your customer.

Good marketing starts with understanding the people we’re trying to create value for. What they need. What matters to them. What’s getting in their way. Why they choose you, or don’t.

AI can help us explore customer research, interrogate data and spot patterns.

But it shouldn’t invent the customer.

Ask yourself

  • Who are we trying to reach or influence?
  • What do we actually know about them?
  • Where has that knowledge come from?
  • Are we working with real insight or assumptions?
  • Are we asking AI to analyse customer insight or create it?

Watch out for…

Synthetic certainty.

Ask AI to describe your target customer and it’ll happily give you their motivations, frustrations, buying habits and possibly their preferred brand of oat milk.

Doesn’t make it true.

Sense check

What evidence do we have for what we think we know?

AI can help you interrogate customer insight. It isn’t a replacement for talking to customers.

 

3 – WHAT JOB SHOULD AI DO?

AI doesn’t need to do everything. And it probably shouldn’t.

It might help generate ideas, challenge your thinking, analyse information, create a first draft, adapt existing work or take a repetitive job off someone’s plate.

AI might be brilliant for one bit of the job and rubbish for another.

Decide where you actually need it.

Ask yourself

  • What exactly do we want AI to help with?
  • Where in the process should it get involved?
  • What happens before AI?
  • What happens after it?
  • Is AI actually the best tool for this job?

Watch out for…

Handing over the whole job.

Ask AI to “create our marketing strategy” and you’ll probably get 2,000 beautifully structured words.

That doesn’t mean you’ve got a strategy.

Sense check

Could you brief AI’s role as clearly as you’d brief someone on your team?

If the job is vague, don’t be surprised when the answer is too.

 

4 – WHERE’S THE HUMAN THINKING?

AI can give you an answer in seconds.

Knowing whether it’s a good answer is the clever bit.

Someone still needs to understand the business, customer, competition, brand and commercial reality well enough to question what’s coming back.

AI can contribute to the thinking.

It shouldn’t quietly become the thinking.

Ask yourself

  • Who owns the decision?
  • Does someone with the right experience understand and review the work?
  • Are we questioning the output or simply accepting it?
  • What have we added from our own experience and knowledge?
  • Would we make the same decision if AI hadn’t suggested it?

Watch out for…

Confidence being mistaken for competence.

AI is very good at sounding like it knows what it’s talking about.

Sometimes it does.

Sometimes it’s wearing a tiny imaginary suit and bluffing its way through the meeting.

Sense check

Who’s accountable for the final decision?

Hopefully the answer isn’t ChatGPT.

 

5 – COULD THIS HAVE COME FROM ANY COMPETITOR?

AI is very good at producing things that look and sound like things that already exist.

That’s useful.

It’s also how everything starts sounding the same.

Your brand needs to bring the things AI doesn’t have by default: your point of view, personality, experience, stories and distinctive way of seeing the world.

Ask yourself

  • Does this sound like us?
  • Does it reflect what our brand stands for?
  • Is there an actual point of view?
  • Have we added examples, experience or ideas that only we could contribute?
  • Could a competitor publish this tomorrow with their logo on it?

Watch out for…

Perfectly acceptable beige marketing.

Polished. Professional. Correct.

And completely forgettable.

Sense check

If we removed the logo, would anyone know it was ours?

If a competitor could copy it tomorrow, AI probably hasn’t made your marketing better.

 

6 – CAN WE TRUST IT?

AI can be wrong.

Very convincingly wrong.

So when it’s helping with research, analysis, claims, copy, recommendations or decisions, check the bits that matter.

Don’t confuse a confident answer with a correct one.

Ask yourself

  • Have we checked the facts?
  • Are the figures, quotes and sources real?
  • Is the information current?
  • Have we challenged the assumptions?
  • Could bias affect the answer or the work we’re creating?

Watch out for…

“ChatGPT said…”

AI isn’t a source.

Sense check

Could we show where this information came from?

If it matters enough to publish or make a decision on, it matters enough to check.

 

7 – WOULD WE BE HAPPY EXPLAINING THIS?

Would you happily tell the client what you uploaded?

Would you tell a customer how their information was used?

Could you explain where the image, claim or idea came from?

And would you happily put your name against the finished work?

If any of those questions make you shuffle awkwardly in your chair, it’s probably worth looking again.

Ask yourself

  • Are we putting confidential business or client information into AI?
  • Are we using personal or customer data?
  • Do we have the right to use the material we’re giving it?
  • Have we thought about ownership, copyright and usage?
  • Could the output mislead someone?
  • Would we be comfortable explaining exactly how AI was used?

Watch out for…

Copy. Paste. Regret.

Saving 10 minutes isn’t worth damaging client confidence or customer trust.

Sense check

Would you be comfortable putting your name to it?

If not, find out why before you carry on.

 

8 – DID AI MAKE THE MARKETING BETTER?

AI can make things quicker.

Great.

It can make things cheaper.

Also great.

Maybe it saved you 3 hours. Maybe it helped you spot something you’d missed. Maybe it gave you 20 ideas and one of them was brilliant. Maybe the work performed better.

But AI always comes with a trade-off.

What did we gain?

And what might we have lost?

Speed at the expense of originality?

More personalisation but less humanity?

50 ideas and another hour deciding which one is any good?

The goal isn’t to use more AI.

It’s to make better marketing.

Ask yourself

  • What got better because AI was involved?
  • Did it save meaningful time or money?
  • Did it improve the quality of the work?
  • Did it help us make a better decision?
  • Did it create more value for the customer?
  • Did it help Brand, Demand or Expand?
  • What might we have lost along the way?

Watch out for…

Mistaking more for better.

50 posts instead of 10.

20 concepts instead of 3.

A week’s work completed in an afternoon.

Brilliant.

But did any of it work?

Sense check

What got better because AI was involved?

If the only answer is “we made more stuff”, keep digging.

 

THE BEST PROMPT …

…starts long before you open ChatGPT.

AI will keep changing.

New models.

New tools.

New ways of working.

But the fundamentals of good marketing haven’t.

It still starts with understanding people.

Solving real problems.

Making good decisions.

AI can help you do all of those things.

Just don’t hand over the bit that makes you a marketer.

Your judgement.

 

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WELCOME TO THE BRAND INCUBATOR
OUR ORIGINAL FRAMEWORK FOR BUILDING BRANDS THAT MATTER

Let’s be honest – most brand strategies are either overcomplicated or undercooked.

They come in the form of lofty pyramids, dense documents, or one-size-fits-all templates that look good on paper but fall apart in the real world. They fail to guide decisions, excite teams, or connect meaningfully with customers.

So, at chicken/egg, we decided to do something about it.

Welcome to the Brand Incubator – a fresh, flexible framework that helps founders, marketers, and growing businesses build brands that live, breathe and grow with clarity and conviction.

WHY THE BRAND INCUBATOR?

Because brands are like living things, they need the right conditions to develop – space to grow, warmth to take shape and a clear sense of identity before they go out into the world.

We start with step one, building the coop – your brand’s strategic environment – by walking through three essential doorways:

Company

  • What do we believe in?
  • What’s our origin story, our DNA, our unfair advantage?
  • What are we here to change?

Customer

  • Who are they, really?
  • What do they value emotionally and functionally?
  • What’s keeping them up at night –and what are they dreaming of?

Competitor

  • What does the market sound like?
  • Where’s the white space?
  • What’s missing that only you can own?

This phase isn’t just about asking big questions – it’s about uncovering clear, evidence-based insights that will shape every decision in your brand strategy.

WHAT GOES INTO BUILDING THE COOP?

Internal discovery – Leadership interviews, culture audits, purpose and values alignment.

Customer insight – Qualitative and quantitative research, personas, needs analysis and segmentation.

Market intelligence – Competitor mapping, tone audits, brand code analysis and whitespace discovery.

WHAT COMES OUT OF IT?

A shared understanding of what makes the brand meaningful, distinctive and credible. Plus, tangible insights that feed directly into HATCH – Purpose, Positioning, Audience Clarity, Brand Voice and more.

Reminder: The strength of your HATCH output depends on the depth of thinking here. Don’t skip it. Don’t shortcut it.

With this solid foundation in place, we move into the HATCH Framework to develop a cohesive brand strategy and actionable plan.

Each stage is designed to build on the last, with clear deliverables and collaborative decision points.

THE HATCH FRAMEWORK
H = Heart

Your brand’s soul. This is where we define your why – your purpose, mission, vision, values and beliefs.

Why do you exist beyond profit? What change are you here to make?

We also explore founder stories and origin moments that shape your narrative.

A = Audience

We profile your tribe in detail. Not just who they are – but what drives them. Emotionally. Functionally. Behaviourally.

This includes segmentation, needs mapping, jobs-to-be-done and messaging archetypes.

What do they need? What do they notice? What do they ignore?

T = Truth

Your brand’s positioning and strategy. Here we carve out your unique place in the market – what you stand for and how you stand apart.

What are you the “only” of? Where do you lead?

We create positioning statements, benefit ladders and key messages that differentiate and resonate.

C = Character

How your brand shows up in the world – visually, verbally and behaviourally.

We define your tone of voice, brand behaviours, style principles and narrative hooks.

What’s your vibe? What’s your story? What do you always sound like?

H = Hatch

This is where strategy meets execution. Messaging, identity, activation ideas, brand codes, sensory cues – plus metrics and ways to track success.

We guide everything from rollout plans to internal engagement and launch roadmaps.

How does your brand live out loud – and how will you know it’s working?

WHY IT WORKS

Because it’s not theory – it’s a tool.

Because it starts with insight and ends with action.

Because it helps you align your team, find your focus, sharpen your message and build something meaningful.

Whether you’re launching from scratch, realigning after growth, or untangling years of brand sprawl – the Brand Incubator gives you a structure to build with confidence.

WE DON’T DO COOKIE-CUTTER

Every brand we work with is different. Some are bold and brave. Some are quiet but powerful. Some are still figuring it out.

What they have in common is this:

They know their brand is more than a logo.
They want to stand for something.
They want clarity and creativity.
And they’re ready to hatch something brilliant.

READY TO HATCH YOUR BRAND?

If your brand strategy feels messy, muddled or missing altogether, let’s change that. The Brand Incubator was made for you.

Ready to get cracking?  Let’s talk.

 

 

 

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Practicing what we preach ...

Recently, I was talking with a prospective client about a re-brand project and shared our branding process, which involves exploring three key perspectives – Customer, Competitor and Company. This helps answer the vital WHY, WHO, HOW and WHAT questions. During the pitch, I mentioned the importance of conducting a customer satisfaction survey to gauge performance. Then came a question that made me pause, “How often do you do that for chicken/egg?”

My honest answer was never. 🙄

That question stayed with me the whole journey back. As a consultant and agency owner, it’s easy to fall into the trap of not doing what you advise others to do for yourself, mainly because you’re busy fulfilling their needs. I help others with LinkedIn pages but rarely update mine consistently. I assist with marketing planning and strategy, but I can’t remember when I wrote a plan for my business. I guide others through branding processes but haven’t revisited my own in years.

When I returned to the office, I resolved to start an annual chicken/egg client satisfaction survey. This would demonstrate that a) I follow my own advice and b) give insights into my/our performance over the past 20 years.

And … early results show an NPS of 70 – This score reflects our clients’ confidence in us and our commitment to delivering exceptional service and creative solutions. Woohoo, happy chicken dance! 🐔 🕺

Want to know how we can help your business? Send me a DM, and let’s get cracking.

#ClientSatisfaction #NPS #MarketingExcellence #ChickenEgg

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POWER HOUR - hatch your own custom GPT
If you’re a marketer seeking to supercharge your content strategy with the power of AI, our new POWER HOUR – hatch your own custom GPT is here.

Over the past couple of years, we’ve been crafting custom GPTs to enhance our internal processes and client work, transforming our approach to content brainstorming, customer persona development, marketing strategies, brand messaging, creative briefs and more.

We’re now bringing that directly to you, and in our power hour, you’ll develop your own marketing custom GPT to help you with:

Content brainstorming and generation – enhance your content creation process with AI-driven insights and suggestions.

Customer persona development – Craft detailed and accurate customer personas to better target your marketing efforts.

Strategy and marketing plans – Develop robust marketing strategies that leverage AI for maximum impact.

Brand strategy and messaging – Ensure your brand’s voice is consistent and compelling across all channels.

Creative brief creation – Generate precise and effective briefs for your studio or agency, ensuring your creative projects are on point from the start.

You’ll learn our unique CREATE framework – a clear, step-by-step approach to building a powerful custom GPT that actually works for your business.

Why book an hour with chicken/egg?

Experience and authority – We’ve integrated GenAI into our daily business, showcased its power at industry events, completed the CIM AI in marketing course and we’re founding members of the Women4AInnovation Futures think tank.

Proven results – Our custom GPTs have helped us achieve remarkable improvements in efficiency, creativity and strategic alignment.

Hands-on guidance – We’ll work directly with you, offering personalised advice and support to ensure your GPT is tailored to your unique needs.

Ready to get cracking?  Here’s how it works …

Initial consultation – We’ll start with a conversation to understand your specific needs and goals.

Custom GPT creation – Based on our discussion, we’ll work with you to develop a bespoke GPT for your business. Please note that you will need a pro subscription to Chat GPT to build your own custom GPT.

Training session – We’ll provide a hands-on training session, teaching you how to effectively use and customise your GPT.

Follow-up support – After the initial session, we’ll be available to answer follow-up questions and provide additional support to ensure you’re getting the most out of your new tool.

How much does it cost?

Just £845 ex VAT.

Terms and conditions apply – see below. 

Are you ready to transform your marketing content with the power of AI?

Book your POWER HOUR today!

email karen@chickenegg.co.uk to discuss.

 

Terms & Conditions

The Power Hour session costs £845 (excluding VAT).

The session covers up to 6 attendees. For more attendees, please contact us for a quote.

All sessions are conducted online. For face-to-face meetings or training sessions, please contact us for a quote.

Booking and Payment

Invoices are sent prior to the scheduled call and are payable within seven working days.

Payment must be received in full before the scheduled session.

Cancellation and Rescheduling

Cancellations or rescheduling requests must be made at least 48 hours in advance.

If a session is cancelled with less than 48 hours’ notice, 50% of the session fee will be charged.

Rescheduling requests made with less than 48 hours’ notice will incur a rescheduling fee of £50.

Confidentiality

All information shared during the consultancy session is confidential and will not be disclosed to third parties without prior consent.

We respect client confidentiality and ensure that all discussions and materials are handled with utmost privacy and discretion.

Liability

While we strive to provide accurate and useful advice, we do not accept responsibility for any actions taken based on our consultancy sessions.

Our liability is limited to the cost of the consultancy session.

Intellectual Property

Any materials provided by chicken/egg during the session remain the intellectual property of chicken/egg.

Clients may use these materials for internal purposes but must not distribute them externally without permission.

Session Recording

Recording of the session is permitted for internal use only. Clients must inform us in advance if they wish to record the session.

Force Majeure

We are not liable for any delays or failures in performance resulting from events beyond our control, including but not limited to acts of God, natural disasters or technical failures.

Additional Information – Follow-Up Support

Limited follow-up support via email is provided for one week after the session to address any immediate questions or clarifications.

By booking a POWER HOUR, you agree to the above terms and conditions.

 

 

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Let's talk B2B

There are a variety of effective B2B marketing tactics that businesses can utilise based on their specific goals, target audience, industry, and budget.

Here are a few common ones to whet your appetite:

Content Marketing

Creating informative and valuable content such as webinars, blog posts, and infographics can establish your business as a thought leader in your industry and attract potential customers.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Optimising your website and content for search engines can increase your online visibility and drive organic traffic to your site.

Email Marketing

Personalised and targeted email campaigns can help nurture leads and customers and drive conversions.

Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

This approach targets a specific set of high-value accounts with customised messaging and campaigns for each account.

Trade Shows and Events

Attending industry trade shows and events is a great way to connect with potential customers and build relationships.

Referral Marketing

Encouraging satisfied customers to refer your business to others can be a cost-effective way to acquire new customers and generate leads.

Social Media Marketing

Engaging with your target audience on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook can help build relationships and share valuable content.

Ultimately, the most successful B2B marketing strategies are tailored to your specific business goals, target audience, and budget.

By developing a comprehensive marketing plan that aligns with these factors, you can effectively reach your target audience and achieve your desired outcomes.

Need help hatching a plan?  Let’s talk.

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It's nearing the end of another year!

We’re so thankful to all our clients, colleagues and friends who have been part of our journey this year – it’s been a cracking 2022!

Following previous years we’ve opted not to send Christmas cards, wine, and gifts to our clients, instead we’ve donated to Crisis. If you’d like to give a little something as well then please follow this link.
https://www.crisis.org.uk/get-involved/donate-to-crisis-at-christmas/

With much love and appreciation

The chicken/egg coop

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NEW CLIENT: The Geological Society

We were really excited to be invited to pitch to The Geological Society to become their creative partner … we were absolutely thrilled when they announced that we’d won!

We’ve already delivered the design and artwork for their new Legacy brochure and we’re currently working on their renewal membership campaign, which includes email, video and press adverts.

 

 

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Totally the right team for ... We Care Group

We always love it when we get clients through recommendation.  We Care Group had been thinking about how to consolidate all their different care home sites into one master website and they’d been talking with their copywriter who, very kindly, suggested that they talk with chicken/egg.

After our first conversation with the MD and the Marketing exec, we knew that this was another ideal opportunity to involve our fantastic software partner, Totally.

Once again we created a winning pitch and we’ve been awarded the website project.

Watch this space as we should be going live in the next couple of months!

 

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Stepping out of my comfort zone!

As MD of chicken/egg and with a 30 year creative agency ‘CV’ behind me I decided to step completely out of my comfort zone this year … here’s my story!  (which got over 8,000 views on LinkedIn!)

 

B brave
B confident
B inspired
B challenged
B more like Mark Ritson!

Results are in: I got a B!

I took the plunge and signed up for Mark’s mini MBA in marketing. Just as the course started I caught Covid and it knocked me for six, so I had to play serious catch-up but the fact that the course materials are all on-demand made that part easy.

I very nearly didn’t do the exam but thanks to a wonderful WhatsApp support team of other miniMBA’ers (you know who you are!) together we debated, deliberated and dissected each of the sections and, when I hit the exam submit button, I felt a sense of achievement in just doing that and it was such a huge confidence boost, with a side order of butterflies!

I’ve spent my career creative agency side so I’m the ‘Carol from Aspire’ (inside joke!) and predominately take my lead from talented client-side marketing teams. This course completely took me outside my comfort zone so I was ‘B’side myself when I collected my results.

Thank you Mark Ritson and the marketing week team. You were the Best thing I’ve ever done to date … tempted by the brand course now!

Fancy doing it?
https://lnkd.in/dHASUrw

 

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