Revealing ChatGPT: From Stilted Academicese to Fluid Prose
How you structure a prompt affects the quality of the writing returned
I do market research consulting for clients, and have been advised that I should start writing blog posts about it, as a way to market my services. This post isn’t about market research, or my market research consulting, though. Rather, it is about how ChatGPT generates blog posts based on prompts. I thought that the following is an interesting observation, relevant to the topic of this Substack newsletter.
I prompted ChatGPT4: Write a blog post about how market research can help a company decide whether or not to expand into a new market. The intended audience is well-educated, white collar knowledge workers. Vary sentence length and structure, avoid cliches. Favor concision over prolixity. Make the bog post about ten paragraphs long.
This prompt is designed to do a number of things, the most important of which is to provide ChatGPT4 with sufficient context about the intent of the piece and its intended audience. But it turns out that what it thinks is appropriate for a “well-educated, white collar knowledge worker” is what I would call stilted academicese. It likely thinks this because ChatGPT is of course trained on the internet, and some of the worst writing available on the internet is written by well-educated people. Generally speaking, the more well-educated you are, the worse your writing is1. Think lawyers, academics, management consultants, etc.
To get a better idea of what I am referring to here, following is ChatGPT4’s output based on the above prompt:
Market Research: A Vital Tool for Successful Market Expansion
In the dynamic world of business, companies often face a crossroads: to expand into new markets or to deepen their roots in existing ones. Here, market research takes center stage, acting as a powerful instrument for making informed, data-driven decisions.
Understanding market research begins with its fundamental principle. It encompasses a systematic, objective collection and analysis of data about a particular market. This process includes a comprehensive study of its size, competition, customer preferences, and potential for growth. A well-conducted market research provides actionable insights, offering invaluable guidance as a company considers whether to venture into a new market.
Before a company expands, understanding the size and growth potential of the prospective market is crucial. With market research, one can identify market trends and growth rates. Detailed demographic studies further reveal customer profiles, while economic analyses predict potential sales volume. Together, this information forms a clear picture of the market's viability and capacity to accommodate a new player.
Competition is another integral facet that market research illuminates. Identifying key players, their strengths, and weaknesses can help a company position itself optimally. By studying competitive products or services, pricing, marketing strategies, and brand loyalty, a company can pinpoint gaps and opportunities that its offering might fill. This competitive intelligence not only helps in deciding whether to enter a market but also shapes a company's unique value proposition.
Market research also aids in understanding consumer behavior within a new market. Surveys, focus groups, and in-depth interviews offer a glimpse into the customers' minds. They provide insights about consumer needs, wants, and expectations, revealing the potential acceptability of a company's product or service. Understanding consumer buying habits, price sensitivity, and preferred channels of distribution can significantly impact the success of a market entry strategy.
The role of market research extends beyond just determining market entry. It's pivotal in creating an effective marketing strategy. Knowing the right promotional channels, crafting a message that resonates with the target audience, and setting appropriate pricing are all guided by insights gained from comprehensive market research.
However, the utility of market research isn't unilateral. Companies can utilize it to reassess their decision if the research suggests unfavorable conditions. Barriers to entry, unmet customer needs, a saturated market, or an overly competitive landscape can all be reasons for a company to reconsider its expansion plans.
Although market research provides a wealth of data and insights, it’s crucial to remember its limitations. No matter how comprehensive, research can't predict with absolute certainty. It should be used as a guide, not an infallible crystal ball. It’s also important to ensure the research is conducted objectively to avoid skewing the data with inherent biases.
In conclusion, market research is an indispensable tool in a company's expansion toolkit. It offers a strategic lens to view potential markets, giving businesses a competitive edge. However, the effectiveness of market research rests on its proper execution and interpretation. By combining market research with a sound business strategy, companies can make informed decisions that maximize their potential for success in new markets. The companies that listen—really listen—to the market, are the ones that succeed.
This writing is bad for all the reasons that George Orwell identified:
modern writing at its worst does not consist in picking out words for the sake of their meaning and inventing images in order to make the meaning clearer. It consists in gumming together long strips of words which have already been set in order by someone else, and making the results presentable by sheer humbug.
Interestingly, when I subsequently prompt ChatGPT4 Rewrite this so that it is aimed at a broader, more general, audience, it shines. The following is fluid and literate in a way that its initial effort is not:
Why Businesses Use Market Research to Grow
In the business world, companies often wonder if they should expand into new areas or stick to what they know. This is where market research comes in. Think of it like a map for businesses, helping them decide where to go next.
First off, what's market research? Simply put, it's when a company collects and studies information about a specific market. This includes things like the number of potential customers, who the competition is, what these customers like and don't like, and if there's room for the company to grow there.
A key reason for doing market research is to figure out the size of a new market and if it has room to grow. By looking at trends and studying potential customers, companies can get a good idea of whether it's worthwhile to enter this market.
Another important part of market research is looking at the competition. Companies need to know who else is selling similar products or services, what they're doing right, and where they might be missing the mark. This helps a company decide whether they can offer something better or different.
Understanding what customers want is another key piece of market research. Companies use things like surveys and interviews to find out what people need and expect from a product or service like theirs. This is important because it can help companies figure out whether people will be interested in what they have to offer.
Once a company has decided to enter a new market, market research is also really useful for creating a marketing strategy. Knowing the best ways to reach potential customers, what kind of message they'll respond to, and how much they're willing to pay are all guided by the information collected during market research.
Sometimes, though, market research might tell a company that expanding into a new market isn't the best idea. If there are too many competitors, or if the customers there aren't interested in what the company has to offer, it might be better to stay put.
While market research can provide a lot of useful information, it's important to remember that it's not foolproof. It can't predict the future with 100% certainty, and it shouldn't be the only thing a company uses to make decisions. And, it's really important to make sure the research is done fairly, without any biases.
In the end, market research is like a super useful tool for companies thinking about growing. It's like a pair of glasses that help them see the road ahead more clearly. But like any tool, it works best when used correctly. With careful market research and good business planning, companies can make smart decisions that help them succeed in new areas. Those that really listen to what the market is telling them are the ones that win in the end.
The irony here is that this prose is as accessible to the educated white collar knowledge worker as my first example is. But this prose is fluid and readable in a way that the first output is not. ChatGPT4 is a remarkable tool, but it is, in some sense, only as good as the content on which it has been trained.
Before you complain about my tacit insult of the well-educated, please note the use of the word “generally” in this sentence. We can all identify well-educated people who write well.