About the Episode
In this special bonus episode of Higher Ed Pulse recorded live at CUPRAP 2024, Mallory Willsea sits down with Voltaire Santos Miran, Executive VP of Creative at Carnegie, to dive deep into the intersection of storytelling and artificial intelligence. Voltaire shares his perspective on AI as a crucial tool in the arsenal of modern storytellers, emphasizing its role in enhancing rather than replacing the human touch in creating compelling narratives. Together, they explore practical tools, strategies, and the philosophical implications of AI in storytelling, offering listeners a fresh outlook on leveraging technology to enrich higher education marketing.
Key Takeaways
- AI as a Storytelling Tool: Voltaire stresses that AI should be viewed as a tool to augment human creativity, not a threat or a gimmick.
- The Fundamentals of Storytelling: Despite advancements in technology, the core elements of storytelling remain unchanged. Voltaire revisits the timeless structure of storytelling, emphasizing the importance of conflict and the classic Pixar "once upon a time" narrative framework.
- Practical AI Tools for Marketers: Voltaire highlights specific AI tools like Jasper for maintaining brand voice and Beautiful.AI for creating engaging presentations.
- The Future of AI and Storytelling: The conversation shifts towards a thought-provoking perspective on the relationship between AI and storytelling, suggesting that the future of AI might actually hinge on storytelling itself.
- Adapting to Rapid Technological Changes: Both Mallory and Voltaire discuss the fast-paced evolution of technology, advising listeners to stay adaptable and open to changing tools and platforms in their marketing strategies.
What Makes a Story Compelling in Marketing?
Voltaire Santos Miran opens the conversation by reinforcing the enduring power of storytelling in marketing. He revisits classic principles, including Pixar’s storytelling framework ("Once upon a time… until one day… because of that…"), emphasizing the need for conflict and resolution to create meaningful narratives. Despite technological advancements, these human-centric storytelling fundamentals remain constant. Voltaire also outlines eight key ways storytelling impacts us, helping higher ed professionals craft narratives that resonate deeply with students.
How Can AI Enhance Storytelling?
A central theme of the episode is how AI can act as a "trusty co-pilot" in content creation. Mallory and Voltaire discuss the hesitations in the higher ed community regarding AI’s role, especially for content-heavy fields like storytelling. They highlight practical use cases for AI, such as overcoming writer’s block, operationalizing content across platforms, and visualizing ideas through text-to-image tools. AI tools, like ChatGPT and Jasper, can help marketers ideate and streamline content creation while still leaving room for human expertise to refine the final product.
What AI Tools Should Higher Ed Professionals Explore?
Listeners are introduced to an array of tools designed to help marketers integrate AI into their workflows. For maintaining brand voice across multiple projects, Jasper is a standout choice. For creating engaging presentations, Beautiful AI and Tome shine as intuitive platforms. Tools like Demandwell support content operationalization by managing distribution across platforms while ensuring proper tagging and taxonomy. Voltaire also predicts that the current explosion of AI tools will eventually narrow down, leaving a select few reliable platforms like ChatGPT to lead the way.
Why is Adoption Critical for Innovation?
The episode also touches on a broader theme: innovation in technology requires adoption to thrive. Voltaire and Mallory reflect on the parallels between the early days of content management systems (CMS) and the current AI landscape. Many AI tools will likely fade away unless they provide clear value, funding, and usability. Tools like ChatGPT, with its custom GPT features, exemplify innovation that is accessible and continuously evolving. Higher ed marketers are encouraged to experiment with AI, but they should remain adaptable, knowing that their preferred tools may change in the coming years.
In a closing mic-drop moment, Voltaire leaves listeners with a profound idea: “What if AI isn’t the future of storytelling, but storytelling is the future of AI?” This sentiment underscores the symbiotic relationship between human creativity and machine learning, reminding higher ed marketers of their critical role in shaping this future.
Guest Name: Voltaire Santos Miran, Executive VP/Creative, Carnegie
View Voltaire's Keynote Slide Deck: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YlMqzc69IIp5EH38Uvgp0pYEyUtt8W5t/view?usp=sharing
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Connect With Our Co-Hosts:
Mallory Willsea
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/
https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea
Seth Odell
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethodell/
https://twitter.com/sethodell
About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!
Some of our favorites include Generation AI and Confessions of a Higher Education Social Media Manager.
Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.
Connect with Us at the Engage Summit:
Exciting news — Mallory will be at the 2024 Engage Summit in Raleigh, NC, on June 25 and 26, and we’d love to meet you there! Sessions will focus on cutting-edge AI applications that are reshaping student outreach, enhancing staff productivity, and offering deep insights into ROI.
Use the discount code Enrollify50 at checkout, and you can register for just $99! This early bird pricing lasts until March 31.
Learn more and register at engage.element451.com — we can’t wait to see you there!
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