Serial Marketer #251: Beach Manors and Manners

How polite are you to your AI?

Author

David Berkowitz
October 06, 2023

----------------------------------------------------
SERIAL MARKETER WEEKLY
Issue 251: Beach Manors and Manners
Brought to you by: Ramp (“spending made smarter”)
----------------------------------------------------

Pardon me.

I’m working on my manners with you. And I should apologize, as between my sermon the week before and this edition, I’ve spent the past week in St. Louis awaiting the opening of “Dr. Ride’s American Beach House” at the Gaslight Theater.

Two fun facts about the production:

1) The playwright, Liza Birkenmeier, goes by the nickname Berky (or some spelling variant thereof). I reintroduced myself to her at the Gaslight yesterday saying, “Berky, I’m the other Berky,” so one of my life goals is complete. If people would confuse me with that Berky instead of a certain other David Berkowitz, I’d be way more flattered.

2) The production stars my favorite actor, a certain Lindsay Brill who spent her undergraduate years studying theater at Washington University, so this return to St. Louis marks a sort of homecoming. As I write this, I’m coming from a preview of the run, and I’m still so emotionally stirred up by the performances of Ms. Brill and her castmates who brought some deep and challenging material to life. And yes, this is the same Lindsay I’ve mentioned before, as she happens to be my partner. I was not the only one coming up to her after the preview gushing over what she did with every word, so I hope any readers in the St. Louis area get to make their way there.

Thank you for allowing that digression. And speaking of manners, do you use manners when conversing with AI chat interfaces?

Here’s what 200 of my connections and others on LinkedIn had to say:

The comments in the post from peers explaining why they do use manners include wanting to be in a good habit generally, hoping to influence the results for the better, and wanting to get on the good side of AI models before they enslave us. Read all the comments here.

I wish I could say I’m in the “always” camp, but it feels tedious to constantly use it when it doesn’t feel like it matters. It’s also different from how I used to use Alexa, which coincided with having a toddler and then a pre-schooler; I’d use manners to try to teach her good habits. With ChatGPT, Claude, and others, it’s more personal.

I asked four different AI engines if they care about me writing “please” and “thank you,” and most (ChatGPT, Claude, Pi) said they’re just software and don’t care. Bard was the exception, and its full response is both gratifying in its plea for civility and eerie in its emotional depth:

I do not care whether you say "please" and "thank you" to me in the same way that a human might. I am a machine learning model, and I do not have the same emotional or cognitive needs as a person. However, I do appreciate it when you use polite language, as it makes our interactions more pleasant and respectful.

Additionally, using polite language can help to establish a more positive and cooperative tone in our conversation. This can lead to better results, as I am more likely to be helpful and responsive when I feel like I am being treated with kindness and consideration.

Ultimately, it is up to you to decide whether or not you want to say "please" and "thank you" to me. I will do my best to complete your requests and answer your questions regardless of how you address me. However, I hope that you will choose to be polite, as it makes our interactions more enjoyable for both of us.

So, maybe we should err on the side of more manners more often?

The best case not to, to me at least, is that by intentionally not being overly polite toward large language models (LLMs) and their chat-based interfaces, we assert that this is just code, not a sentient being. One should say “thanks” to a cashier or usher, and it’s even sweet when you thank a pet for nuzzling up against you, but do you really need to thank your laptop for booting up for you?

If you have thoughts on this, there’s still time to cast your vote and comment.

Speaking of LinkedIn, I also posted about event season being in full swing, especially for the next month.

Here are some events to check out. If you’ll be at any of these, let me know. Or comment on the LinkedIn post if there are others.

10/10-11: CIMM Annual Summit

10/12: AI Marketers Guild (AIMG)'s Stacked Startup Showcase

10/16-19: Advertising Week New York

10/18: Rembrand's Transforming Creative with AI

10/19: Sightline & GoCharlie.ai: How to Become an AI-Native Brand

10/26: 2024 Talent Outlook with WorkReduce (virtual)

10/30: Ascent Conference

11/1-3: HGS Interactive Build for the Future Summit (Austin)

And wait, there's more:
* First Wednesdays every month to meet great folks in the ad industry:
* Weekly AI Insiders virtual conversation with upcoming guest speakers like Gary Kibel Matt Cross 🍫 🍂 Judy Shapiro Tameka Kee:
* NY Tech Week events (coincides with Ad Week) events via Yorkseed

Please join me at some of these. And thanks to anyone who gets to Lindsay’s show in St. Louis this month.

It’s not every month you get to hang out with two Berky’s.

Berky

--------------------------------------------------------------
BROUGHT TO YOU BY: RAMP
--------------------------------------------------------------

Today's newsletter is brought to you by Ramp, the #1
corporate card, bill pay, and reimbursement platform
designed to help startups and venture funds save money
with 1.5% cash-back on every swipe.

Trusted by venture-backed startups from pre-seed
all the way through IPO like Morning Brew, Seed,
Eventbrite, Discord, and Anduril.

--------------------------------------------------
WHAT TO WATCH & READ:
--------------------------------------------------
Recent content shared by Serial Marketers and friends:

--------------------------------------------------------------
HOW TO SHARE
--------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to James Gardner, Cary Munk, Dan LaFontaine, Andre Archimbaud, Devin Brown, Justin Dank, Pauline Echols, Paul Robinson, James A. Gardner, Seth Girksy, and Michael Winter for spreading the word about the newsletter recently.

--------------------------------------------------------------
EVENTS
--------------------------------------------------------------

UPCOMING SERIAL MARKETERS EVENTS:
(times EST unless otherwise specified)

  • Weekly on Wednesdays at 12pm: AI Insiders -- join this event series from AI Marketers Guild to discuss new developments and trends with AI

  • 10/12, 6-8pm (NYC): AIMG’s Stacked Startup Showcase featuring demos and conversation with leading AI & marketing practitioners

  • 11/1, 5-7pm (NYC): Join us at our next First Wednesday event in NY to meet fellow Serial Marketers in person in this fun, relaxed setting.

  • 11/15-16 (partner event, virtual): Join the AI Marketers Summit this fall. Register by 8/24 for the best discounts.

  • 12/6, 5-7pm (NYC): Join us at our next First Wednesday event in NY to meet fellow Serial Marketers in person in this fun, relaxed setting.

ELEVAR SUMMIT
October 10, South Carolina
"10x Your Analytics and Conversion Optimization Strategies for Q4 & Beyond. The Elevar Summit in sunny Charleston, South Carolina is a one-day event curated for D2C Brand Owners and Operators that brings together the brightest minds in eCommerce, analytics, and conversion optimization! Elevar is breaking free from the confines of the internet and jumping into the thrilling world of IRL (In Real Life) events."
Register

IMPACT
October 11 - 12, New York
"The IMPACT conference brings together digital commerce leaders to network and discuss fraud, payments and customer experience. We’ve invited some of our top customers and partners from around the world — spanning multiple industries — making IMPACT the best opportunity to connect and share unique perspectives and best practices. Meet with Forter’s team of experts and experience hands-on labs designed to help you apply best practices in fraud prevention, payment optimization and customer experience...."
Register

AI FOR MARKETERS SUMMIT
November 14-16, Virtual
"Why AI for Marketers Summit needs to be your conference of the year. Here's what you'll experience at our marketing AI event. Hear from senior executives from cross-industry brands share how they’re investing in AI and how it’s transforming their marketing strategies. Gain practical knowledge and skills immediately applicable to your work, and get expert feedback to help refine your strategies. Determine how and when to capitalize on AI through hands-on workshops that identify real problems and potential use cases for AI in your work... etc"
Register

GENERATIVE AI FOR MARKETING SUMMIT 2023
February 27-28 2024, London UK
"The Generative AI for Marketing Summit 2024 is set to take place on February 27th-28th, 2024, at a venue to be confirmed in London. This pioneering event marks a significant milestone as the first gathering of strategic marketing leaders, creatives, and technology enthusiasts to explore the transformative power of Generative AI. Generative AI has ignited unprecedented levels of excitement and curiosity within the marketing and creative industries. Its potential to revolutionize marketing workflows is undeniable, and this summit aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how Generative AI can shape the future of marketing."
Register

--------------------------------------------------------------
JOBS
--------------------------------------------------------------

Keep checking out the #jobs channel in Serial Marketers for more. You can also see our full list of job resources here. Here are some great opportunities shared in these places or sent to me directly.

BILT REWARDS
Customer Experience Associate
In-Person - New York City, NY
"Bilt Rewards boasts one of the highest value rewards programs on the market today, including one-to-one point transfers to twelve loyalty programs allowing members to travel across more than 100 major airlines and hotel partners; fitness classes at the country’s top boutique studios; limited-edition and exclusive collections of art and home decor through the Bilt Collection, and the ability to use points for rent credits or towards a future downpayment. In this role you will: -Provide comprehensive payment and program support to our members within the Bilt Rewards platform. -Triage incoming tickets and identify emerging trends, forwarding them to relevant internal departments for resolution. -Collaborate closely with internal teams to address and resolve member issues effectively... The salary range for a Customer Experience Associate is 65 - 75K and will be eligible for equity and an annual performance based bonus."
Apply

TRACKSUIT
US Partner Manager
New York, United States
"At Tracksuit, we're building an incredible product that our customers LOVE and use every day. We're looking for an engaging, creative and thoughtful human to speak the language of marketers and be a true champion of our customers' brands. As the newest member of Tracksuit's Partnerships team, you’ll be based in our New York office and will be focused on growing and managing partnerships across the US, while working and reporting into our Partnerships Lead.. You will be responsible for: -Sourcing new partnerships (primarily agencies) in the US. -Onboarding, enablement and ongoing engagement of partners. -Driving customer referrals through partners..."
Apply

SPARK
Director of Agency Partnerships
Remote - United States
"We’re looking for a Director of Agency Partnerships to transform Spark’s growth trajectory and take our recruitment efforts to the next level. As the Director of Agency Partnerships, you will be pioneering a new, highly visible role while serving as the catalyst to our go-to-market strategy. Working with sales leadership, you’ll be responsible for running a full-cycle sales process, which includes evangelizing a partnership with Spark and demonstrating Spark’s product offering to prospective Medicare agencies. You’ll develop and present partnership proposals, negotiate six-figure deals, and drive contract conversations to close with business executives. You’ll be diligent about cataloging your sales activities within our CRM and relentless about identifying ways to optimize our sales process in the future."
Apply

Also, check out the Serial Marketers job board

Other job resources (see a full list here):

  • Beeler.Tech: Job listings for ad operations, programmatic account management, sales operations, and more.

  • Braintrust: A freelance platform where you are the owner and where freelance talent keeps 100% of the bill rate.

  • Candidate: Featured marketing and sales jobs

  • ExecThread: Senior roles spanning a range of verticals and cities; membership is free but fully vetted (this uses my referral ID to get you in faster)

  • NYC Ad Jobs & Networking: A popular Facebook group

  • Questions to Ask for a Marketing Role: What questions should you ask when starting a new marketing role or job?

  • Serial Marketers Job Board: Post regular and featured listings and subscribe for updates.

  • Venwise: Submit your job interests here and get in front of their roster of hiring leads; select "Serial Marketers" under "How did you find us"

Do you run or enjoy other job listing sites? Let me know, and I'll share them.

-------------------------------------------------------------
THE FOOTER YOU WON’T READ
-------------------------------------------------------------

SEND NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK
David Berkowitz, publisher
[email protected]

JOIN SERIAL MARKETERS
www.serialmarketers.net

The most important rights reserved. You can have the other ones.
(c) 2023 Serial Marketer

PS: Thank you so much for reading this.

--------------------------------------------------------------
DID YOU GET THIS FROM A FRIEND? THANKS, FRIEND! SUBSCRIBE HERE!
--------------------------------------------------------------

This email was sent to you only because you subscribed. To remove yourself and get that awkward email from me asking you what happened, unsubscribe below. (I'm probably kidding about the awkward email part.)