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01 December 2025 | Issue #117

In this issue:

• Is ChatGPT the MySpace of AI?
• Cookie Banners Are Going To Get Less Annoying
• Don't Let Google AI Determine Your Ads
• Pinterest is Intentional, Joyful Marketing
• Skills Designers Need
• Quibi Was Right!
• Make Creative QR Codes
• Need a Free Business Advisor/Strategist?
• The Visual Marketer is one of the top marketing books of the year
• Design Quote of the Week

Is ChatGPT the MySpace of AI?

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve seen Claude and Gemini release updates that showed significant improvements over recent models and their competitors.

I was focused on ChatGPT until this past summer when a couple of friends were raving about how much better Claude is at writing and code development. I subscribed and I have to say, I’ve been very impressed.

At this point, you have to decide: keep fighting with the tool or move on to the next thing. If you’ve worked with teenagers or high schoolers, you’ll know what I mean. Sometimes you have to settle for good enough.

I also recently adopted Gemini because of its image generation (Nano Banana) capabilities. It’s not where I want it to be, but I’m working with it on a project.

Will ChatGPT Catch Up?

Of course it will. We've been watching these different models leapfrog each other for three years. At some point, the features will level out and people will decide which one works best for their needs. Right now, they're all basically the same price ($20/mo) for the entry paid level, but they all want you to upgrade to the plan that costs hundreds of dollars a month.

Right now, it's still a tossup between OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude, and Google's Gemini. But as we watch ChatGPT fall behind, it made me think about the early days of social media.

ChatGPT is the Modern MySpace

MySpace was the platform that moved many people from instant messenger to full-blown social network. Careers were made on MySpace because those who knew how to use it early had an advantage. Musicians built fanbases. Brands found audiences. It was the place to be.

We saw something similar when ChatGPT launched three years ago. It changed how we thought about AI and, at the time, had the fastest adoption of any app in history. ChatGPT was the gateway drug. It introduced millions of people to what AI could do.

But here's the thing: MySpace didn't lose because it stopped innovating. It lost because it tried to be everything to everyone. Customizable profiles, music players, blogs, messaging, photo galleries. It was a UX nightmare! The platform became cluttered and overwhelming. Facebook won by doing one thing really well: helping people connect in a clean, simple interface.

ChatGPT is making the same mistake. Every few weeks there's another feature announcement. Image generation, web browsing, custom GPTs, voice mode, search integration. It's trying to be a Swiss Army knife when most people just need a sharp blade.

Claude and Gemini aren't chasing features. They're focused on the fundamentals: understanding complex prompts and delivering complete, accurate responses. They're not trying to be everything. They're just trying to be reliable.

And while we all started with our first friend Tom, anyone who tried OpenAI’s Sora could use Sam Altman in any of their videos.

MySpace now feels quaint in a way that some see ChatGPT. I had a conversation with Nick Pope recently who remarked that the people who are serious about using AI tend to be using Claude.

I’m not saying that ChatGPT is a Fisher-Price My First AI, but as of today, it’s not as advanced as other models. Facebook became dominant when social moved from the younger generation to the older generation. AI adoption will grow when it’s fully integrated into our everyday lives (without the constant push for people to upgrade).

Being First Isn’t Enough

Both of these tools introduced us to aspects of life that are now part of our everyday makeup. There was a time nobody thought about adding your thoughts to the Internet, or writing a prompt to build an app. However, entire businesses have be launched thanks to this new technology.

I don’t know how this will all shake out. There will be multiple losers and winners in the AI world. Some, like Tim Lewis predict we’ll all be running local AI models in the future. Just like any tool, it comes down to a combination of trust, ease of use, and price.

Where do you think it will go?

My original post was about Black Friday and how AI is impacting events (tying back to the idea of marketing events), but the ChatGPT idea made more sense due to the anniversary. I'll post the Black Friday article on LinkedIn later this week.

​ NEWS AT THE INTERSECTION OF MARKETING, DESIGN, & AI

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Cookie Banners Are Going To Get Less Annoying

Thanks to Seth Goldstein for pointing out that the EU is going to enable browser-based cookie preferences.

​Read now​

Don't Let Google AI Determine Your Ads

Google wants you to use AI Max because it acts more like Broad Match. Interesting read and good discussion (h/t Dr. Lisa Palmer)

​Read more​

Pinterest is Intentional, Joyful Marketing

Are you taking Pinterest seriously? Pinterest expert Trona Freeman outlines why you should.

​Read more​

Skills Designers Need

With AI taking on the execution layer, designers need to be more strategic. Share this with any designer who is figuring out next steps.

​Learn more​

Affinity Cheat Sheet

Are you trying Affinity and want to work more efficiently? As someone who uses keyboard shortcuts for everything, Affinity feels like drawing with my left hand. But cheat sheet's like Pope Phoenix's are handy for those of us who are learning.

​Review now​

Quibi Was Right!

Microdramas are becoming more popular.

​Here's how​

Make Creative QR Codes

Make a salad into a QR code. Or anything else

​Watch this to learn how​

Need a Free Business Advisor/Strategist?

Dan Nestle has created a great framework that you can use in Claude to have a thought partner that knows you.

It helped Dan:
→ Develop great ideas - and trash bad ones
→ Identify gaps in my service offerings
→ Catch assumptions before they become problems
→ Better understand my customers
→ Identify and verbalize my UVPs

​Read more​

RECENT AND UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS

The Visual Marketer made CMI's list of top marketing books for the year!​

I was truly surprised and honored to be on a list with so many people who inspire me.

Check out the rest of the list on the Content Marketing Institute's website.

DESIGN QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Nail the basics first, detail the details later.” – Chris Anderson

My AI disclaimer: Claude helped me write the ChatGPT/MySpace article (To nobody's surprise, ChatGPT didn't want to play that thought exercise with me). If AI generates the images, I include the prompt so you can see how I got to that image.

Gemini prompt for main image: Take this image [I uploaded an image of Tom's MySpace profile] and transform it to A vibrant, high-contrast illustration using flat vector-style shading with neon and duotone color blocking. The characters are stylized with exaggerated lighting in magenta and cyan tones, set against a magenta background. There’s a strong use of shadow and highlight to create depth without using gradients. It uses clean lines and a minimal background to keep focus on the figures and objects. --ar 16:9

Thanks for reading!

–Jim

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