One of my more popular posts last year was A Marketer’s Christmas Message Written With Chat GPT but it deserved an update because AI tools have leapt ahead exponentially in the past year.
As I touched on recently in the article, The AI Voice Experiment: Yielding to Temptation While Keeping Our Soul, my AI love has shifted away from ChatGPT to ClaudeAI because it seems to honour my voice style guide more reliably and it has a more natural “tone” when writing.
Therefore, I wanted to give ClaudeAI the same very short prompt that I had given ChatGPT, namely: Write a 500 word christmas greeting for business owners, drawing upon marketing principles.
Not the world’s best, and I would prompt much differently today, including guidance about key points, quotes from myself, and analogies I would like to see employed, plus, I’d be using my freshly-honed voice style guide.
So, let’s see how my new AI friend, ClaudeAI, rises to the occasion of writing a marketer’s Christmas message as me, as our late premier, Don Dunstan, and as Shakespeare.
For fairness, I also gave that same prompt back to ChatGPT again today. I will weave its piece in below. There would be a LOT of work to do to make that usable. Sorry ChatGPT. Yes, I know its a primitive prompt, that’s the point.
TLDR: Claude does a much better job. Had I been using this in the natural workflow, I would have made a number of edits, but this is a yuletide science experiment, so what you see is what I got!
Merry Christmas!
A Marketer’s Christmas Reflection: Finding Joy in the Spaces Between (as Steve Davis by ClaudeAI)
Dear Fellow Business Adventurers,
As another year winds down like an old analogue clock (remember those?), I find myself thinking about the curious parallels between Christmas and marketing. Both, when done thoughtfully, create moments of genuine human connection. And when done poorly? Well, we’ve all received those corporate Christmas cards that feel about as personal as a tax invoice.
Here’s a truth worth unwrapping: while everyone else is busy trying to shout “Season’s Greetings!” louder than their competitors, the real magic happens in the quiet moments of authentic connection. It’s like that old marketing principle we love to challenge – you don’t need to be the loudest voice in the room, just the most meaningful one.
Speaking of meaningful voices, I’ve been pondering this lately while writing comedy songs with Rick Price (yes, really – sometimes life takes delightfully unexpected turns). What we’ve discovered is that the best messages, whether they’re set to music or crafted for business, need to resonate with truth before they can resonate with an audience.
So as we head into the festive season, here are some thoughts from a marketing mythbuster who still believes in Christmas magic:
Remember that your customers, like your favourite relatives, can tell when you’re being genuine. Skip the corporate-speak and write your Christmas messages like you’re talking to real humans (because you are). And if Professor Sebastian Longsword has taught me anything, it’s that a little well-placed eccentricity can be far more memorable than perfection.
To your team – those wonderful humans who bring your business to life – consider this: the best Christmas bonus isn’t always monetary. Sometimes it’s the gift of being truly seen and appreciated. Though let’s be honest, the monetary ones are pretty good too.
And to you, fellow business owner, here’s my genuine wish: May you find moments of quiet triumph in the year’s achievements, no matter how small they might seem. May you have the wisdom to learn from the strategies that didn’t quite work (we all have them) and the courage to try new approaches in the year ahead.
Remember, while others are busy planning their January sales, you might find more value in planning January conversations. After all, marketing at its best isn’t about transactions – it’s about connections.
And if all else fails? Well, there’s always leftover pudding and the quiet satisfaction of knowing you’ve made it through another year of this wonderful, challenging, sometimes mystifying adventure we call business ownership.
Speaking of reflection (and as several of our podcast discussions have highlighted), there’s real power in taking stock of our wins – both the big victories and those small moments of “hey, that actually worked!” It’s not just feel-good thinking; it’s a proven way to build resilience and maintain momentum.
Here’s to finding joy in the spaces between the spreadsheets.
Warmest regards, Steve Davis
P.S. Yes, I did consider writing this in the style of Professor Longsword, but he’s currently busy preparing a doctoral thesis on The Correlation Between LinkedIn Profile Photo Angles and Perceived Strategic Competence: A Meta-Analysis of Business Headshots at 17.5 Degrees.
Available for coffee, conversations, and creativity in the new year
A Christmas Greeting to Fellow Business Owners: Unwrapping Joy and Marketing Gold (as Steve Davis by ChatGPT)
Ho, ho, hold up, my entrepreneurial elves! Before you dive headfirst into the Christmas cookies and eggnog (you deserve it, don’t worry), I want to take a moment to wish you the merriest of Christmases and a wildly successful year ahead. Now, being the marketing-minded misfit that I am, I can’t just drop a generic “Happy Holidays” and call it a day. No, no. Let’s unwrap some marketing insights wrapped in a festive bow while we celebrate the season.
First off, Christmas is storytelling season, and let’s not miss that golden opportunity. Every carol, every Hallmark movie, every twinkling light tells a story. Why not your business? As you send out holiday greetings, remember this: people connect with stories, not stock photos of snowflakes. Share how your business gave back this year. Highlight a moment when your team overcame a challenge or served a customer in a way that lit up their season. This is the stuff that sticks with people. Stories are the warm cocoa in the marketing snowstorm.
Now, let’s talk gifts. The world of business is a two-way street. Have you thought about the gift you’re giving your customers this season? And no, I’m not just talking about a promo code slapped onto a flyer. I mean value they didn’t expect—a heartfelt thank-you note, a free resource, or even just a moment of levity in their inbox. (You’d be amazed what a meme featuring Santa and a bad pun can do. Seriously, it’s like marketing catnip.)
Speaking of gifts, Christmas marketing has a beautiful lesson about scarcity and urgency. Ever seen a kid go from zero to meltdown over the last toy on the shelf? That’s urgency at its finest. But here’s the catch: use this power wisely. False urgency (like those never-ending “limited-time” offers) is like giving someone socks when they wanted AirPods. Sure, it covers the basics, but it leaves them cold. Instead, when you create urgency—whether it’s a limited holiday deal or end-of-year bonuses—make it real and meaningful.
Let’s sprinkle in a little reflection, too. Christmas, after all, is about gratitude. How often do we stop and genuinely thank our customers, our employees, or even ourselves? (That’s right—you! Running a business is like driving Santa’s sleigh in a thunderstorm sometimes, and you’ve done it. Take a bow!) Gratitude isn’t just good for the soul; it’s good for business. It builds loyalty faster than any BOGO sale ever could.
Finally, remember that Christmas is about connection. Marketing is, too. It’s not about shouting louder than your competitors—it’s about being heard by the people who matter to you. So, as you sit by the fire (or just your space heater in the office), think about how you can connect more deeply with your customers in the new year. Maybe it’s through better storytelling, more transparent communication, or simply showing up authentically.
So here’s to you, my fellow business owner: May your Christmas be merry, your marketing magical, and your 2024 full of good leads and even better customers. Now, go enjoy a gingerbread cookie—or three. You’ve earned it. 🎄
With holiday cheer and marketing zest,
Steve 🎅
A Christmas Reflection on Modern Marketing (as Don Dunstan by ClaudeAI trained on an historic speech to an education conference)
It is presumptuous, perhaps, to adopt the role of a seer concerning business and marketing developments as we approach the festive season. Yet certain observations must be made about the changing nature of commercial communication in our increasingly urban and digital society.
Let me give an example.
It is the habit these days to talk of “traditional marketing wisdom” as if its antiquity somehow proves its worth, to treat conventional business practices as if their longevity makes them more than mere temporary solutions to historical circumstances. The result of such thinking is to place present and future generations of business owners in an outmoded administrative straitjacket, which often makes contemporary attempts to produce genuine connections with customers appear afflicted with artificial constraints.
Our ability to predict the course which business will take is extremely limited, and yet to frame marketing strategies in any dynamic society, one must make an attempt to understand at any rate the short-term future and to see how changing patterns of behaviour will produce results.
Two factors primarily affect marketing development in Australia today: the changing age pattern of our population and the fact that society is becoming ever-increasingly digital in its modes of connection.
Here’s a truth worth examining: while we remain attached to the hard-dying myth that marketing must be about broadcasting messages ever more loudly, the evidence suggests that meaningful commercial relationships grow from genuine connection and understanding.
As I work with Rick Price on comedy songs – an endeavour which might seem remote from marketing concerns – I am struck by how the principles of authentic communication transcend traditional business boundaries. The typical Australian business owner today is not someone shouting sales messages from a podium but rather a participant in an ongoing dialogue with their community.
May this festive season provide you with moments to reflect upon your own business dialogue, to examine the frameworks within which you operate, and perhaps to challenge those frameworks where they no longer serve the genuine needs of your community.
And if you’ll permit me a moment of lighter observation: The Professor’s latest analysis of “The Correlation Between LinkedIn Profile Photo Angles and Perceived Strategic Competence: A Meta-Analysis of Business Headshots at 17.5 Degrees” suggests that sometimes our business practices deserve not just analysis but also a gentle smile of recognition.
Available for coffee, conversations, and creativity in the new year.
A Marketer’s Yuletide Contemplation (as William Shakespeare, by ClaudeAI)
Enter STEVE, a marketing sage, addressing the audience
Dear friends and fellow merchants of our trade,
As winter’s breath doth cool the business day,
Let us, like wise men following our star,
Seek truth in marketing’s mysterious way.
In times when algorithms rule our fate,
And metrics dance like faeries in the night,
Remember this: ’tis not the loudest voice
That wins the day, but that which rings most right.
Aside (Even now, dear friends, I craft with Price
Some songs of mirth to make the serious light—
For is not business but a human play,
Where authenticity doth shine most bright?)
Some marketers, like Bottom in their pride,
Do bray their messages with deaf’ning might.
Yet wisdom whispers like Titania’s charm:
‘Tis better far to kindle than to fight.
And what of LinkedIn’s portrait gallery,
Where angles tilt at seventeen degrees?
My learned friend, the Professor, doth swear
Such poses mark the strategic expertise!
With growing passion
But soft! What light through yonder inbox breaks?
‘Tis authenticity, and truth’s the sun.
Kill not the genuine with corporate speak,
For there’s the way that customers are won.
Let those who chase the algorithm’s whim
Like Macbeth grasp at shadows in the dark.
While we, more like wise Prospero, shall shape
Our content with both purpose and with spark.
And so, dear friends, as this year takes its bow,
And new scenes wait beyond the curtain’s fall,
Remember: though our craft be full of noise,
‘Tis human connection that conquers all.
Preparing to exit In January’s fresh and hopeful scene,
When resolutions bloom like winter’s rose,
I shall be here for coffee and for talk,
As any creative venture might propose.
Final aside
(The Professor sends his warmest yuletide wish,
But cannot join us in this festive round—
His latest thesis on strategic pose
Keeps him in dusty tomes most firmly bound.)
Exit STEVE, pursued by a marketing insight
Available for coffee, conversations, and creativity in the new year.