Slop, spam, and AI: decoding a growing threat for digital marketing
Have you recently heard the term slop?
Originally, the term slop referred to the muck that accumulates at the bottom of oil tankers (not exactly appetizing, I’ll admit). Today, slop is also used to describe low-quality content, fake news, or misleading videos and images generated by artificial intelligence (AI), which are now showing up on social media, in art and literature, and increasingly in search results.
Indeed, with AI, it’s become incredibly easy and fast to create content. Just as easy to create poor-quality content, either intentionally (for the sole purpose of generating ad revenue) or, and here’s the real danger, out of laziness or lack of knowledge of the tool.
“Before the term ‘spam’ became widespread, it wasn’t necessarily clear to everyone that unwanted marketing messages were a bad way to behave. I hope ‘slop’ has the same impact: to make people realize that generating and publishing unchecked, AI-generated content is bad behavior”
Simon Willison
The risks of misusing IT tools in marketing
Let me share my experience with the disasters caused by the misuse of technology in communications and marketing. Back in the late ’90s and into the 2000s, when I was a journalist, I received a few emails daily. These mostly came from PR agencies. The added value these agencies provided to their clients was the quality and scope of their network, helping them reach the most interesting editorial teams.
Ten years later, IT tools had enabled PR agencies to streamline their email campaigns, complete with all sorts of refinements: metrics, KPIs… This didn’t go unnoticed by their clients, who began demanding results in terms of volume. By the end of the 2000s, these agencies were blasting out emails left and right to hit the numbers their clients wanted. I started receiving hundreds of emails a day, 90% of which had nothing to do with my IT editorial focus (requests for copyrighting on horse riding, insurance, or airlines…). Out of the 10% that were somewhat relevant, only 10% were truly interesting to me. I had 99% junk in my inbox. Spam had officially begun.
Of course, at this rate, journalists’ inboxes became a complete mess, and they were checked less often. PR agencies saw fewer responses, even though paradoxically, they were sending more emails. Then, they came up with a new (and very bad) PR strategy. Calling journalists to “check if they received the email” (true story). With the explosion of daily phone calls, I eventually unplugged my phone: I was paid to write, not to answer calls. I had become unreachable, just like many of my colleagues. PR agencies had just sawed off the branch they were sitting on.
Slop and marketing: Is history repeating itself?
I feel like I’m living the same story again with slop. From fake news to doctored images, to incoherent texts, slop is everywhere, polluting our searches and news feeds. Just like spam, slop is incredibly harmful in marketing because it creates a massive amount of low-quality content. A recent article from the UCLA Anderson Review explores how AI could lead to a future dominated by generic and biased online content. This makes it harder to stand out and grab the attention of prospects and clients, who are stuck in this sea of information sludge. What’s worse, if they’re constantly exposed to superficial and unreliable content, they might start distrusting all content, even the good stuff.
By focusing on quantity rather than quality, companies and agencies risk missing out on opportunities to build long-term relationships with clients. Another indirect consequence: slop makes it harder to assess the effectiveness of marketing campaigns because it’s tough to distinguish results from quality content versus those generated by poor-quality content.
How to avoid slop and stay on top
Today, slop represents a real and significant challenge for marketers. To get out of this mess, you should adopt a human-centered approach and prioritize quality over quantity. By using AI responsibly and focusing on personalization, you can stand out and create effective, sustainable marketing campaigns, increasing engagement and conversion rates.
While it may seem obvious, it’s always worth reminding: brands need to focus on creating relevant, original, and high-quality content that genuinely addresses their audience’s needs and expectations. AI can be a powerful tool in this context, but it must be used ethically and responsibly. AI-generated content should always be a baseline from which we build and improve our content, and add our personal experiences and expertise. And until we have anti-slop filters, just like we have for spam, you need to stay afloat in this tide of digital trash, armed with ethical and critical thinking.
