A Prime experiment
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, no doubt you are now aware that Amazon is going to start including ads in Prime Video content – unless you are willing to pony up an additional $2.99/month to keep the streaming service free of advertising.
Amazon notified Prime members of this change via a rather verbose email, which reeks of having been written by committee. I’m sure anyone who has ever worked in a communications role has had this happen to them: You write a concise, straightforward announcement about a new policy, change in benefits, price hike – you name it – only to have it get passed around the C-suite and larded up with unnecessary and often counterproductive details.
When I worked at a university, I had to fight this battle every year when it was time to announce the following year’s tuition. I was charged with writing a letter to students and their parents, not only explaining the new tuition rate but also defending it by listing all the great new programs and facilities we had added and all the great things our students would achieve with their degree. Eventually, I succeeded in killing this letter. All it did was make our students (and their parents) mad. They either thought they were getting a great education and having a great experience or they didn’t, and nothing we said in a single letter was going to change that.
I decided to engage in a little experiment when I got Amazon’s email. I wanted to find out if an AI tool could produce a shorter version of the email, but with what I regarded as the essential information. I used Bard (Google’s AI assistant) and ChatGPT, giving each the same prompt, followed by the full text of the email.
So first, I’m going to share the prompt and the full text, and then the results that each AI assistant produced. You’ll note that Bard, unlike ChatGPT, offered up a subject line, one of the reasons I favor Bard’s results. But I’d love to know what you think. I’ll write a follow-up post explaining why I prefer Bard and what, as communicators, we can learn as a result.
Prompt: Write a more concise and reader-friendly version of this email:
Dear Prime member,
We are writing to you today about an upcoming change to your Prime Video experience. Starting January 29, Prime Video movies and TV shows will include limited advertisements. This will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time. We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers. No action is required from you, and there is no change to the current price of your Prime membership. We will also offer a new ad-free option for an additional $2.99 per month* that you can sign up for here.
Prime is a very compelling value. Prime members enjoy a wide range of shopping, savings, and entertainment benefits, including:
· More than 300 million items are available with free Prime shipping and tens of millions of the most popular items are available with free Same-Day or One-Day Delivery.
· Access to exclusive and broad streaming video content (including Prime Video exclusives like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Boys, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, Citadel, The Wheel of Time, Reacher, and The Summer I Turned Pretty, as well as blockbuster movies such as Air, Creed III, Dungeons & Dragons, Candy Cane Lane with Eddie Murphy, and exclusive live sports including NFL Thursday Night Football).
· Access to Prime Video Channels, which provides an unmatched selection of subscription channels like Max, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, BET+, MGM+, ViX+, Crunchyroll, PBS KIDS, NBA League Pass, MLB.TV, and STARZ—with no extra apps to download, and no cable required. Customers only pay for the ones they want, and can cancel anytime.
· The ability to use your Prime shopping benefits—like fast, free delivery, a seamless checkout experience, 24/7 live chat support, and hassle-free returns—on online stores beyond Amazon.com with Buy with Prime.
· Exclusive deals and shopping events like Prime Day.
· Ad-free listening of 100 million songs and millions of podcast episodes with Amazon Music.
· Prescription medications as low as $1 per month and fast, free shipping from Amazon Pharmacy.
· Access to unlimited eligible generic prescription medications for only $5 per month (including free shipping) with RxPass from Amazon Pharmacy.
· High-quality health care from One Medical for only $9 per month (or $99 annually), with the option to add up to five additional memberships for the family for only $6 per month (or $66 annually) each.
· Free two-hour Fresh grocery delivery on orders over $100 (and delivery charges between $6.95 to $9.95 for orders less than $100), and in-store savings on select groceries at Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market stores across the U.S.
· Unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos.
· Gaming benefits with Prime Gaming.
· More than 3,000 books and magazines with Prime Reading.
· A free, one-year Grubhub+ membership trial valued at $120 per year, offering unlimited $0 delivery fees on orders over $12.
And, you can expect additional features and programs added in the future for our Prime members.
As mentioned above, no action is required from you. If you wish to sign up for the ad-free option, you can click here. And, as always, if you have questions about your Prime membership, you can manage your account here.
Thank you for being a valued member of Amazon Prime.
Sincerely,
The Amazon Prime team
*Live event content such as sports, and content offered through Amazon Freevee will continue to include advertising
Bard:
Subject: Heads up, Prime member! Changes to Prime Video starting January 29th
Hey there, valued Prime member!
We're writing to let you know about an upcoming update to your Prime Video experience. Starting January 29th, you'll see some limited ads sprinkled throughout movies and TV shows. Don't worry, though - we'll keep them way less frequent than traditional TV (think Netflix, not cable).
This change allows us to keep investing in awesome content, like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Boys, and tons of blockbuster movies. Plus, you still get all the other amazing perks of Prime membership, like:
Free, fast shipping on millions of items
Exclusive streaming content, like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and NFL Thursday Night Football
Ad-free music with Amazon Music
Prescription savings with Amazon Pharmacy
Unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos
And much more!
And guess what? You don't have to do anything for this update. Just keep enjoying all the benefits of Prime.
But if you're craving a completely ad-free Prime Video experience, we've got you covered! For an extra $2.99 per month, you can upgrade to the ad-free option. Simply click here to sign up: [Link to Ad-Free Prime Video signup]
Questions? No problem! You can manage your account and learn more about Prime here: [Link to Prime Member account management]
Thanks for being a Prime member! We're always working to make your experience even better.
Sincerely,
The Amazon Prime Team
P.S. Live events like sports and content on Amazon Freevee will still have ads.
ChatGPT:
Dear Prime member,
Starting January 29, Prime Video will feature limited ads to support content investment. No action needed, and your membership cost remains unchanged. Optionally, enjoy an ad-free experience for $2.99/month.
Prime offers unmatched value, including free shipping, exclusive content, and more:
- 300M+ items with free Prime shipping
- Exclusive streaming content (e.g., The Lord of the Rings, The Boys)
- Prime Video Channels for customizable subscriptions
- Seamless shopping benefits on non-Amazon stores with Buy with Prime
- Exclusive deals, ad-free music, prescription savings, and more
No need to act unless opting for the ad-free option, which you can sign up for here.
Thank you for being a valued Amazon Prime member.
Sincerely,
The Amazon Prime team