It is no secret that those in our space as creatives are noticing a massive change in the industry. The general public, however, might not take as much notice.

But, it is becoming a serious issue in marketing. Advertisements in the local papers, restaurant menus, and any kind of event flyer are more likely than not AI generated nowadays. In fact, the inspiration to write this post came during my search for local networking events, when every event I came across looks like this:

The overall sentiment about this is seemingly overwhelmingly negative. There are countless people in online spaces vehemently agreeing that they will not support businesses using this bland, AI generated style in their marketing. Knowing this, a question remains: Why are business owners going down this route despite a large percentage of the population turning away from services due to AI usage?

AI certainly streamlines efficiency for small businesses. It is faster and cheaper. But ask yourself this: Is it worth losing customers over a small payment to a legitimate graphic designer, or taking it upon yourself to learn basic design from YouTube University?

However, I have noticed a pushback. A recent trend on social media has solidified, one where local businesses announce they will not be using AI to generate their marketing, but instead use plain writing on paper to advertise. An example is below.

The internet is eating this trend up, praising its omission of AI and dedication to human creativity. Just as is everything in marketing, it is just another gimmick. But these kinds of posts on social media legitimately boost customers and revenue if played correctly.

You’ll find far more success in social media marketing by documenting your adorably elderly father drawing a burger on Microsoft Paint than posting an AI flyer for a burger that looks identical to the AI flyer for dog poop cleanup in the next town over.

Love it or hate it, people crave human creativity. This boom in small business AI graphic design usage is actually hurting businesses more than they know.

Think of it this way: Imagine the public response to hiring a local high schooler in a graphic design class to make your flyers. Good publicity, no matter how quality the flyer is. Make the story about the kid behind the work and that will yield tenfold what a run-of-the-mill AI flyer will.

If you read this blog post and realize you might fit into this category, let’s connect. I’d love to help your business grow through smart and creative marketing.

Written by:

Rob Hartranft

Founder & CEO