Artificial Intelligence has become all the rage lately and the DJ community is embracing the technology to boost their advertising image! More and more AI ads are popping up in facebook groups, wedding websites and such. AI platorms like ChatGPT have given the DJ means to express themselves with self-made promo ads to represent their services and business.
Before I get into things and share my thoughts on the subject let me highlight a Facebook group that I started which really has made my view of DJs change dramatically. Last year, I created a new group for wedding couples in search of a DJ for their big day. It’s called, ” Find Your Wedding DJ” and the group exploded in popularity during its first year. The interesting thing is that it’s a group for wedding couples and also for DJs. Strange bedfellows, indeed! Normally the two genres don’t mix in a facebook group but the secret sauce was to bring in couples and match them up with DJs for their wedding! It’s been a solid concept and the group has flourished. So much so that we created a website, FindYourWeddingDJ.com
The interesting and unique part for me is being the group admin and seeing the other side of DJs. As the founder of DJ Idea Sharing I see DJs all the time acting as, “DJS”. The conversations, the banter, the gear chat and the drama! Oh, the drama! But as admin of Find Your Wedding DJ I am looking at DJs from a totally different angle. The advertising and business side of things. I am really seeing how DJs represent themselves to wedding couples and prospective customers. What I am finding is an overwhelming use of the new AI technology for ad creation and development. DJs are making AI created ads rather than representing themselves with a carefully crafted personal response. And my takeaway from the hundreds of AI generated ads which I have seen in the group is as follows…… “You ALL look the same!” “You have NO competitive advantage!” ” You don’t stand out in any way, shape or form!”
DJ ad after DJ ad have the same AI digital impression, the same look, the same feel, the same layout! ChatGPT especially has a certain artificial feel to it. I can tell immediately when a DJ is using that platform. It’s fake, plastic and devoid of character. And the more information someone tries to cram into a DJ ad layout, the more cluttered it looks! Don’t take what I am saying as fact, just go ahead and ask a professional graphic design firm and marketing service what they think of your ads.
” The very same DJs who complain about customers using a bluetooth speaker and Spotify playlist, are the first to use AI instead of hiring a professional graphic designer! “
So when a bride asks for a DJ to provide information in one of these facebook wedding groups she receives a plethora of silly AI ads featuring the following…. A DJ image behind the DJ decks with lights and people dancing in the background. Trust me, we have hundreds and hundreds of those ads running right now in my Find Your Wedding DJ group. So, when a bride requests information from a DJ she will receive 50-250 of these ads that all look exactly the same. Now tell me this? How do you stand out? Why should she hire you? What makes you different? And the cold hard truth is that you are no different than any other DJ, and therefore you have absolutely no competitive advantage! You have no unique attributes from a marketing standpoint to attract business your way.
I believe the biggest mistake being made here is that DJs are trying to be DJs when marketing themselves to would-be customers, instead of acting like a business entrepreneur. If you are marking to weddings one must look at your advertising promotions as a bride and not a DJ. Regarding school and teen events, how do you standout when you are using the same AI that they are? Clearly, the key to success is to look at your advertisement promotions with the eyes of your prospective clients, and not as a DJ. Ask any professional designer. Colors matter! Layout matters! Content matters! Concept matters! Ask any graphic designer and they would unilaterally agree these AI ads are totally amateur and ineffective. And this is no knock on AI itself, just learn how to use it properly for exceptional results. Or even better, hire a professional designer for effective results.
Clearly, the world of AI has opened up opportunities and a brand new way for the entertainment industry to get noticed and promote services. But when you are a white shirt standing next to 100 other people wearing white shirts you are going to get passed by time after time and not highlighted as an individual. Be the blue shirt in a room of white shirts.
- Mike Fernino * Founder of DJ Idea Sharing