Archives 2023

People and businesses are quickly discovering the power and productivity of OpenAI chatbot assistants like ChatGPT. However, in their embrace of the new AI, they may accidentally overlook the danger of copyright infringement. In this article we discuss some of the amazing things ChatGPT can do, how it does it, and how one can avoid stomping on someone’s copyright protections while using the AI.

Tools for creating outputs based on descriptions are not new. We can find tools to create music midis or even generate drawings based on cave paintings. The types of works generated by algorithms can be broken down into different categories depending on the vision we want to explore, but the aspect that seems crucial to us, for the scalping of different situations, is interconnected with the categorization of the intensity of the input human in creating an AI-generated work. Only in this way is it possible to identify or not a legitimate author and owner of these works.

Copyright legislation was undoubtedly designed for human creations. It is evident that humans can use tools that help their creation, however, his creative expression must be included in his result. It is enough to think of a brush, a pencil, or a camera, to consider that the author is the one who wrote, drew or photographed. The problem with this software is that it blurs the differences between creative and non-creative human input.

To guide our reasoning, we must bear in mind that an idea is not protectable. When I ask an algorithm to write a novel about a love triangle, I am not the author of the resulting piece, since I only expressed an idea and not the way it unfolds. Therefore, from the outset, an output generated by ChatGPT is neither susceptible to protection by the user, nor by the company that owns the algorithm.

Another issue concerns derivative works and their respective infringements. A derivative work is a work that contains creative expressions of earlier works. They contain identity fragments of previous works that can be manifested in new works. It is not clear who can be held liable in case of infringement of these earlier rights.

One of the processes will involve investigating the training data and checking whether it has been fed with the work in question. If this is the case, it must be analyzed further to determine whether this is a limitation to the use of a work.

Everyone is familiar with the recent assault on TikTok in Congressional hearings within the United States. This assault has created some doubt on how much one can rely on the platform for future marketing efforts. Influencers are being threatened as well as companies who promote their offerings to the multitude of users. Already a large swath of government workers are no longer permitted access to the app on their government issued devices.

Between the most recent news that TikTok executives can choose which posts go viral using the platform’s heating feature, and the ticking time bomb in the shape of potential TikTok bans on both sides of the Atlantic, the sheen could well be fading on the well-polished narrative around the short-form video app. But as always, when it comes to TikTok, marketers seem unfazed and continue to be enthralled by the platform.

With that said, it’s never a good look for any platform when the feature that supposedly makes it special is called into question.

“On its own, the revelation [of TikTok’s heating feature] isn’t likely to cause much upheaval, but it certainly isn’t great optics,” said Jasmine Enberg, principal analyst at eMarketer. “It’s also the first in a series of dominoes that will fall for TikTok this year, as the app will likely have to make some major concessions to appease U.S. regulators.”

But the idea that even a small number of TikTok employees can manually push content to users suggests there’s more going on behind closed doors — and it feels somewhat murky.

Jamie MacEwan, senior media analyst at Enders, explained that TikTok execs’ use of heating (which is boosting videos into users’ “For You” pages to achieve a more ideal number of views), confirms the TikTok team’s awareness of some of the drawbacks of having a very aggressive personalization engine — its lauded special algorithm — and so this is a way for them to account for those drawbacks in some way.

“The heating feature highlights that it’s not as perfect a system as ‘good content will always win,’ but I don’t think many marketers are naïve enough to believe that money wouldn’t play a part eventually,” added Matt Moorut, director analyst at the Gartner for Marketing Leaders practice.

After all, it was always expected that TikTok would give its closest partners the opportunity for a leg-up, such as by giving previews of upcoming products or, in this case, boosting videos, noted MacEwan.

And in the grand scheme of things, this heating tool is still only a small part of total views on the app (though specific numbers have yet to be confirmed), so it’s unlikely to impact marketers’ organic content.

But with a snafu like this coming to light, the credibility behind TikTok’s algorithm doesn’t feel as solid as it once was. Talk of banning the app from political circles, on university campuses and potentially entire countries only fuels those underlying concerns.

In fact, regulation is the real existential threat for TikTok, more so than this viral pushing by staff,  according to MacEwan. As such, this news is unlikely to create any new TikTok skeptics among lawmakers or convince them TikTok has crossed a line in any way.

“Of course, that could change if it turned out TikTok staff had been promoting problematic content or upholding editorial lines relayed by managers in Beijing, which might involve heating or other tools,” he added. 

From the outset, it appears marketers have had a higher level of skepticism for TikTok than other social platforms. But according to Moorut, that’s largely because the app can supposedly provide incredible viewership but still hasn’t managed to build analytics to truly trace that through to conversions in the same ways as other platforms.

Yet despite those flaws, which have yet to be ironed out, TikTok will likely see this latest issue as nothing more than a bump on the road to greater monetization opportunities. But as a scaling short-form video app, it still has a long way to go until the platform works for regulators, policy makers, brands, creators and consumers. 

“Until there’s a radical shift in the regulatory environment or a truly massive scandal, I don’t see the compounding dissatisfaction affecting the fact that this will be an important channel for both brands and creators,” Moorut said.

Expect to see and hear more of TikTok and its influencers in the future.

The best strategies of mobile app marketing are primarily about increasing the awareness of your app and getting potential users to install and interact with it meaningfully. In order to achieve these goals it is essential to dial in on your ideal audience, their online behaviors, their primary interests, where they may be geographically, and how to get your app in front of them.

Think of mobile app usage as a “funnel.” There are many funnel stages, but here’s a simplified view:

• Acquisition is the first stage in a user’s interaction with your app. How do you get them to download and install your app in the first place?
• Activation is next. The exact meaning of “user activation” differs from app to app, but in general, activation refers to a user’s first actions, such as adding their email address or making an initial purchase.
• Engagement begins when brands are personally and respectfully able to engage with their customers and begin to monetize the app.
• Loyalty is earned through relevant experiences that drive satisfaction and advocacy.

The funnel concept is useful, but in reality users often go back and forth between stages. So you may also hear this referred to as the mobile engagement loop or customer app lifecycle. Each phase of the lifecycle requires different strategies and tactics for engaging your customers.

Each stage of the funnel deserves in depth treatment. In this article, we will focus on acquisition.

Mobile App Acquisition

The first part of building a successful app is getting people to download it. From a messaging perspective, you need to convince a prospective user that your app can solve a problem they have. Some of the most common channels for sending these messages include:

• Social. It’s one of the most popular app acquisition channels. Unless you already have a large audience, paid social advertising is likely to be the most effective channel. An even more effective channel, once your app has traction, is getting users to recruit their friends.
• Real-world incentives. Offering a product giveaway, sweepstakes entry, or some other tangible reward in exchange for an app install is a common strategy. One pitfall of using real-world incentives is that users who sign up this way may end up immediately removing your app as soon as they’ve received their reward.
• Search advertising. Ads appear when users search for specific app keywords. For example, ads for mobile payment apps might appear when a user searches “send cash.” You can also purchase search advertising through platforms such as Google AdWords, so someone searching “buying a home” sees an ad for your real estate app. The link then goes directly to your app store page.
• App cross-promotion. If you have more than one app, a good way to acquire users is to use one app to promote the other. For example, if your company produces a restaurant database, you can put ads in it that refer to your travel app, since users who are interested in one might be interested in the other.
• App store listing. App stores require text and picture descriptions of every app. Writing your listing thoughtfully is critical to convincing users to download it. The text in your listing influences, among other factors, whether users will see it as they look for apps in your category.

In determining an acquisition strategy, it’s important to keep track of your cost per acquisition, or CPA. Some channels — such as your app store listing, a web page or organic social posts — don’t cost anything, but are time-consuming to manage. Others — such as paid ads — can be expensive, but are easier to optimize and scale. Determining the right balance of acquisition activities is critical for the long-term success of your app.

Comparing the CPA to the lifetime value of your customers will tell you whether an acquisition strategy is worth the money and time you’re putting into it. And the lifetime value calculation depends heavily on whether you can activate, and then retain, the users you’re acquired.