Test for the Best: Using ChatGPT to Create Effective Ad Taglines

Marketers can leverage a "test for the best" approach that combines the generative capabilities of ChatGPT with online surveys for agile feedback. Two studies tested this approach to create alternative taglines for ten magazine ads from top brands, which more than 6,000 consumers rated for ad liking and brand purchase intent. Findings revealed the following: (a) ChatGPT taglines generally underperformed the originals on average; (b) the top-performing ChatGPT tagline could match the originals’ performance; and (c) ChatGPT-4 with detailed prompts outperformed ChatGPT-3.5 with basic prompts. These results show the proposed test for the best approach can produce world-class taglines with minimal expertise, time, and resources.