With the 2023 Effie Awards US gala fast approaching (follow along as we live tweet the winners on June 1!), we decided to ask the question: can ChatGPT tell us the marketing insights for past Effie US-winning campaigns? We prompted ChatGPT to give us insights for campaigns from the past few years—and then had the strategists who worked on those campaigns respond.
The Whopper Detour
Brand: Burger King
Lead Agency: FCB New York
Contributing Companies: O Positive Films, Zombie Studio, Chemistry Creative, ABMC
Awards Won: Effie US Grand Winner (2020), Global Grand Effie Winner (2021), Global Best of the Best Iridium Contender (2021)
Strategist we spoke to: Todd Sussman, Chief Strategy Officer at FCB New York
ChatGPT’s Insight: Consumers are constantly looking for ways to save money and get the best deals, and that mobile technology has made it easier than ever for brands to reach consumers with personalized offers and promotions.
Todd’s perspective: ChatGPT is very much off the mark and gives me joy in knowing that, unlike us humans, our machine overlords can’t effectively think laterally (yet!). The insight leveraged a simple fact that Burger King has only half the number of locations of McDonald’s. Which means customers have to go an average of 1.34 miles farther to get a Whopper. So, our insight was simple yet illogical—if the new BK app gave people the ability to order from anywhere, what if “anywhere” included our rival’s restaurants? That twist of logic doesn’t make sense, but that’s what makes it truly creative. ChatGPT tried to make sense of “Whopper Detour” and in doing so missed the point of why it worked.
Sweatpant Boots
Brand: Business Iceland
Lead Agencies: SS+K, M&C Saatchi Group
Contributing Companies: Peel Iceland, M&C Saatchi Talk, M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment North America
Awards Won: Gold in Small Budges – Services (2022), Silver in David vs. Goliath (2022)
Strategist we spoke to: Elena Claro, Associate Director of Strategy at SS+K
ChatGPT’s Insight: Many people associate Iceland with cold weather and outdoor activities, and may not be aware of the country’s vibrant fashion scene and culture of innovation.
Elena’s perspective: We hadn’t thought of it that way so that counts for something! Ultimately ChatGPT misses the very reason the campaign was successful — the timely emotions we tapped into to reach people who’d been stuck in the same sweatpants all year.
Bless Your F***ing Cooch
Brand: eos
Lead Agency: Mischief @ No Fixed Address
Contributing Company: Makeout
Awards Won: Gold in Engaged Community – Products/Digital (2022), Silver in Personal Care (2022)
Strategist we spoke to: Jeff McCrory, Chief Strategy Officer at Mischief @ No Fixed Address
ChatGPT’s Insight: Many women feel uncomfortable or embarrassed when discussing intimate care, and there is a need for products and messaging that are honest, open, and empowering.
Jeff’s perspective: It’s actually pretty close—bit flat in terms of language, but the substantive content is…closer than I’d like. OMG the f***ing machines are coming for me!!!!
The 2023 Effie Awards US gala takes place June 1. Follow along on Twitter as the winners are revealed in real-time.
